John Fairfield (abolitionist) facts for kids

John Fairfield was a brave "conductor" on the Underground Railroad. He helped many enslaved people escape to freedom. He worked mostly in what is now West Virginia before the American Civil War. John was known for his clever and unusual ways of helping people. Sometimes he was also called James Fairfield.

Early Life and Helping Others

John Fairfield was born into a family in Virginia that owned enslaved people. But John did not agree with this practice. When he was 20, he helped a friend escape from his uncle's farm. He took his friend all the way to Canada, where slavery was against the law.

When John came back to Virginia, he learned his uncle wanted him arrested. So, John helped several more enslaved people from his uncle's farm. He led them through the mountains of northern Virginia to Canada too.

Soon, John joined the abolitionist movement. By the 1850s, he was known as one of the smartest conductors on the Underground Railroad. He often used routes through the Appalachia mountains to the Northeastern United States. He was especially good at reuniting families who had been separated by slavery.

Clever Escape Plans

John Fairfield used many creative ways to help people escape.

The Charleston Saltworks Escape

Once, a group of freed people asked John to rescue their relatives. These relatives were still enslaved in Charleston, West Virginia. They worked at saltworks along the Kanawha River. John went to Charleston with two freedmen. He pretended to be a businessman from Louisville, Kentucky.

He became friends with the local slaveholders. He convinced them to invest in a plan to build boats. These boats would carry salt down the river for a big profit. While he oversaw the boat building, his "slaves" (who were actually his helpers) looked for their relatives.

Over the next two nights, the boats were secretly loaded with runaway slaves. They quietly sailed down the river. Hours later, John pretended to be very angry about his "lost" slaves and property. He even helped organize a search party. He suggested they split up to search. Then, he rode off in the opposite direction. He caught up with the escaped people and led them safely to Canada.

Amazing Disguises

John often stayed in a community for months to gain people's trust. He used many different disguises. Sometimes he pretended to be a slave trader or a peddler.

One time, he dressed as an undertaker. He helped 28 enslaved people escape in a fake funeral procession. Another time, he used wigs and makeup to disguise the people he was helping. He bought train tickets for them. They traveled from Harper's Ferry all the way to Pittsburgh.

His Legacy

For 12 years, John Fairfield made many trips to almost every slave state. He helped thousands of enslaved people escape. He sent them to Canada with the help of other Underground Railroad agents.

He disappeared shortly before the American Civil War began. Some reports say a man matching his description died during a slave uprising around 1860 or 1861.

Many conductors on the Underground Railroad did not always agree with John's risky methods. But they greatly admired him. Levi Coffin, a Quaker and fellow abolitionist, said this about John Fairfield:

With all his faults and misguided impulses, and wicked ways, he was a brave man; he never betrayed a trust that was reposed in him, and he was a true friend to the oppressed and suffering slave.

Some historians have different ideas about what happened to John Fairfield. One theory suggests he might have faked his own death. This way, he could start a new life in a different place.

John Fairfield was played by Robert Carradine in a 1987 Disney Sunday Movie called The Liberators. The movie was written and directed by Kenneth Johnson.