Runaway Slave Ads Baltimore County, Maryland 1842-1863
by Julie DeMatteis and Louis S. Diggs, Sr.

Runaway Slave Ads cover the period from 1842 to 1863 and primarily advertise slaves that ran away from the Baltimore County, Maryland area. Louis Diggs originally posted them to the AfriGeneas Mail List in 1996 and 1997. They were researched and compiled by Julie Dematteis and transcribed and annotated by Louis Diggs. They work together on historical research.

Julie De Matteis is a librarian at the Catonsville Public Library in Catonsville, Maryland. Louis Diggs researches and publishes the histories of African American communities in Baltimore County, Maryland. He is the author of three books: It All Started on Winter's Lane, Holding On To Their Heritage and In Our Voices. His fourth book will be published in mid-2000. Louis is also the author and host of two websites, one for the Baltimore Area Chapter of the Buffalo Soldiers and and the other about the Oblate Sisters of Providence.

Baltimore Sun Runaway Slave Ad dated 17 Sept 1852
[ click to enlarge ]

Notes follow some of the ads. These are comments added by Louis Diggs, notations made as he transcribed and sometimes facts uncovered later by Julie and Louis that illuminate the persons, the slaves as well as slaveowners, referenced in the ads.

Louis has also appended selected email messages from AfriGeneas list members that relate to these ads. They are reprinted here with the permission of their authors.

He welcomes your questions and comments.