Samuel Burris facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Samuel D. Burris
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| Born | October 14, 1813 |
| Died | December 3, 1863 (aged 50) |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Farmer, laborer, teacher |
| Known for | Underground Railroad conductor |
| Spouse(s) | Catharine Burris |
| Children | James, George, Mary, Sarah, Eliza, and Samuel |
| Parent(s) | George and Mary Burrows |
Samuel D. Burris (born October 14, 1813 – died December 3, 1863) was a brave member of the Underground Railroad. He helped many people escape slavery. He moved his family to Philadelphia to keep them safe. From there, he traveled into Maryland and Delaware. His mission was to guide people seeking freedom north to Pennsylvania.
Samuel was once caught helping a woman named Marie Mathews escape. He was found not guilty. Soon after, he helped a young woman and two young men, Isaac and Alexander. For this, he was arrested in 1847. After spending 14 months in jail, he was found guilty. He was sentenced to ten months in jail and a $500 fine. The court also ordered him to be sold into slavery.
People who were against slavery, called abolitionists, found out he was about to be sold. A man named Isaac S. Flint pretended to be a slave buyer. He bought Burris and then immediately set him free.
Even after this scary experience, Burris kept going into Delaware to help freedom seekers. But a new law was passed that specifically mentioned him. This law said that helping enslaved people could lead to 60 lashes of a whip and being sold into slavery. Because of this danger, Samuel and his family moved to San Francisco, California. There, he raised money to help former slaves get education, food, and shelter. He also worked to help them find jobs and homes. Samuel Burris died in 1863.
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Samuel Burris's Early Life and Family
Samuel Burris was born in Willow Grove, Delaware, on October 14, 1813. His parents, George and Mary Burrows, were born free. They owned land in the Willow Grove area. Samuel was known for being "well-educated and eloquent," meaning he was smart and spoke well.
He and his wife, Catharine, had six children: James, George, Mary, Sarah, Eliza, and Samuel. Samuel Burris worked as a laborer, farmer, and teacher during his life. At one point, he moved his family to Philadelphia for their safety. By 1847, he was teaching in Wilmington, Delaware, but his family lived in Philadelphia. In 1852, his family moved again for safety, this time to San Francisco. Samuel lived in California for the rest of his life.
Life for Black People in Delaware
In the early 1800s, Delaware was slowly reducing the number of enslaved African Americans. However, people in Delaware had different ideas about slavery. Some groups, like Methodists and Quakers, were strongly against it. For example, Camden in Kent County was a center for anti-slavery actions.
Even free Black people faced many challenges. They were expected to deal with unfair treatment. They could not vote. In 1840, Delaware had the highest percentage of free Black people in the United States. There were about 17,000 free Black people and 2,600 enslaved people.
Laws in Delaware made life hard for Black people:
- In 1807, a law said a Black person could not return to the state if they had been gone for two years.
- In 1825, it became illegal for Black people to be near a polling place on election day.
- In 1832, Black people could not carry weapons. That same year, they lost the right to gather in groups.
- In 1849, Black Americans had to carry a special pass.
- Over time, the amount of time a Black person could leave the state and return became shorter. By 1863, if a Black person left for five days, they could not come back.
Samuel Burris and the Underground Railroad
Samuel Burris was an active member of the Pennsylvania Anti-Slavery Society in Philadelphia. He was an abolitionist, meaning he worked to end slavery. In the 1840s, he made trips to Delaware to help other African Americans escape slavery.
He worked as a "conductor" on the Underground Railroad. This meant he guided people like Emeline and Samuel Hawkins and others who passed through Camden and Dover. Being a conductor was like being a secret soldier helping people escape. It is believed he helped hundreds of people travel north on secret paths to safe houses.
He worked with John Hunn to help people coming through Maryland and Delaware to Pennsylvania. For example, he and Hunn helped the Hawkins family. Burris even delivered a letter from Hunn to Thomas Garrett asking for help when the family was in trouble. Doing this was very risky. It could have sent Burris back into slavery for seven years.
Arrested and Sold as a Slave
In January 1847, Burris helped Marie Mathews escape from the Dover Hundred. They were caught before they could get on a steamboat. Marie Mathews was enslaved again. Burris was found not guilty in that case.
Later, he helped a young woman and two men named Isaac and Alexander. He was arrested for helping them escape. He was sent to jail in Dover. His supporters tried to raise money for his bail, but the authorities increased the bail to $5,000. This was too much money to get. He stayed in jail for 14 months.
While in jail, he wrote letters about his situation. One of his letters was published in The Liberator newspaper. He wrote about how unfair the laws were in Delaware. He said that slave traders were allowed to do their business freely. He also wrote to his brother, saying he hated being enslaved and loved liberty more than anything.
Burris was charged with helping three enslaved people escape. On November 2, 1847, he was found guilty of helping two of them. He was sentenced to ten months in jail, a $500 fine, and two seven-year sentences of slavery. This meant he was supposed to be enslaved for a total of 14 years. It was thought he would never return to his family.
His abolitionist friends, who were part of the Pennsylvania Anti-Slavery Society, realized he was about to be sold. They asked the Governor of Delaware, William Tharp, to change the decision. The Philadelphia Anti-Slavery Society came up with a plan. They involved Isaac Flint, a Quaker friend of Thomas Garrett. Flint came to Dover with $500 on the day of the auction in September 1848. Since he was from out of town, he was less likely to be recognized.
Burris was put on the auction block on the steps of the Old State House. Flint pretended to be a slave buyer and bought Burris. Samuel Burris did not know about the plan. After the sale, Flint quietly told him, "do not fear, you have been purchased with abolitionist gold and I will spirit you away to Philadelphia." Burris was then free.
The auction was described by William Still in his book The Underground Rail Road:
When the hour arrived, the doomed man was placed on the auction-block. Two traders from Baltimore were known to be present; how many others the friends of Burris knew not. The usual opportunity was given to traders and speculators to thoroughly examine the property on the block, and most skillfully was Burris examined from the soles of his feet to the crown of his head; legs, arms and body, being handled as horse-jockeys treat horses. Flint watched the ways of the traders and followed for effect their example. The auctioneer began and soon had a bid of five hundred dollars. A Baltimore trader was now in the lead, when Flint, if we mistake not, bought off the trader for one hundred dollars. The bids were suddenly checked, and Burris was knocked down to Isaac S. Flint. But a few moments were allowed to pass ere Flint had the bill of sale for his property, and the joyful news was whispered in the ear of Burris that all was right; that he had been bought with abolition gold to save him from going south. Once more Burris found himself in Philadelphia with his wife and children and friends, a stronger opponent than ever of Slavery. Having thus escaped by the skin of his teeth, he never again ventured South.
Later Years and Death
Samuel Burris continued to help people escape slavery. Some say he kept going into Delaware, while others, like William Still, say he never returned. Citizens in Delaware pushed for a new law to stop Underground Railroad conductors. This law mentioned Burris. It said that people who helped enslaved people had 24 hours to leave the state. If they did not, they would get 60 lashes of a whip, which could be deadly. They could also be sold into slavery.
In 1852, his brother and his family moved to San Francisco, California. Samuel followed them three years later. He was active in the Zion African Methodist Episcopal Church in San Francisco. He raised money to help former slaves get an education. Burris also helped freed people find jobs and homes. He provided food and shelter for former slaves who were freed by the Union Army during the American Civil War. He also wrote and gave speeches.
Samuel Burris died in San Francisco on December 3, 1863, when he was 50 years old. He is buried at Pioneer Mound at Cypress Lawn Memorial Park in Colma, California. His wife, Catharine, died in San Francisco on September 11, 1869, at age 55.
Samuel Burris's Legacy
Samuel D. Burris left behind an important legacy:
- On April 8, 2017, Cypress Lawn held a special ceremony to honor Samuel D. Burris. This happened after his descendant, Ocea Thomas, told them where his remains were.
- At a ceremony at the Old State House in Dover, Burris was officially pardoned for all his "crimes" on November 2, 2015. The Governor of Delaware, Jack Markell, issued the pardon. Some of Burris's descendants, including Ocea Thomas, attended. Thomas read the letter Burris wrote to his brother while in jail. The event was held in the same building where Burris was tried, on the 168th anniversary of his conviction. Governor Markell said the pardon "recognizes Mr. Burris' acts not as criminal acts but acts of freedom and bravery in the face of injustice."
- The Old State House in Dover, Delaware, has a program that teaches about Burris's role in the Underground Railroad and his trial.
- A historic marker was placed in Willow Grove, his hometown. It is a stop on the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Byway. This is a self-guided tour that connects safe houses and routes used by freedom seekers in Maryland and Delaware. The marker was put up in 2015 by the Delaware Public Archives.
Samuel D. Burris, a free African-American conductor on the Underground Railroad resided in the Willow Grove area during the 1840s. He helped enslaved people find their pathway to freedom in Philadelphia. Caught for aiding and abetting runaway slaves in 1847, Burris was tried and convicted in the Kent County Court of General Sessions. He was imprisoned in accordance with the law and sold into servitude. Purchased with abolitionist funds, he was taken to Philadelphia. The family moved to San Francisco shortly after California was admitted as a free state. He continued to help others gain their freedom by raising funds for the cause until his death in 1863.
- A plaque honoring Burris for his work on the Underground Railroad is installed at Peter Spencer Plaza in Wilmington, Delaware.
- The story of his life has been brought to light through research by the Delaware Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs. Madeline Dunn started research into Delaware's African American history. Beverly Laing has been researching Burris since 1996.
