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Slavery & the Underground Railroad in New Hampshire
New Hampshire was once a hotbed of abolitionist activity. But the state had its struggles with slavery, with Portsmouth serving as a slave-trade hub for New England. Abolitionists such as William Lloyd Garrison, Nathaniel Peabody Rogers and Stephen Symonds Foster helped create a statewide antislavery movement. Abolitionists and freed slaves assisted in transporting escapees to freedom via the Underground Railroad. Author Michelle Arnosky Sherburne uncovers the truth about slavery, the Underground Railroad and the abolitionist movement in New Hampshire.
- GenresNonfictionHistory
257 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 24, 2021
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
July 1, 2017
living in NH this book meant great deal to me. A straightforward book, some personal stories, maps and photos. Anyone visiting Portsmouth should try to visit the powerful sculptures not far from the downtown area.
May 1, 2016
A worthwhile and informative read about an oft-overlooked part of New Hampshire history.
October 26, 2023
So I'm not 100% familiar with The History Press, but it seems like they pay local-ish authors to write books on specific subjects for their state or a neighboring state, & then turn a profit on a lot of very short books, on many subjects, for every state. For a short 192-page paperback book, a lot of which is photographs, $21.99 seems pretty darn steep, especially given that I am an unpaid homeschool educator with a budget of zero dollars.
The content is fine, I suppose, if a bit abbreviated, especially given the steep price for a short paperback. There's a brief history of enslavement in NH, being Black in NH, the abolitionist movement, finally a section on the history of The Underground Railroad in NH, & then efforts on 21st-century acknowledgments of said efforts.
While you are reading this book, either have a notebook handy or use sticky notes, as the index is basically useless & looking up information later will prove very frustrating if you expect to rely on the index. For example, Grafton Turnpike (beginning content on page 114) was a huge part of NH's Underground Railway, yet is absent from the index. Lyme, NH, is also a prominent stop on NH's Underground Railway, yet is also absent from the index. I could go on, but really, take out a copy from the library or buy a copy for yourself & you will see what I mean about the useless index. There are, however, plenty of pages listed in the index for "Underground Railroad"... Well, I'd hope it's mentioned since that's supposed to be what the entire book is about. How about narrowing that down though...?
I was going through this book for research for a trip we were taking from Pittsburg to back home (basically the southern border of NH). I am completely bewildered as to why addresses of precise locations of stops on NH's Underground Railroad are not shared. There are plenty of updated pictures shared, & in some cases, it was easy enough to do an internet search & find the location, in the case Lavina's Restaurant, it's easy enough to find the address online & see that the restaurant is closed & get the address. However, in the case of many other houses, it's like trying to find a needle in a haystack. The name of the book is Slavery & The Underground Railroad in New Hampshire. The author provides updated photographs of many locations but doesn't share the addresses. How did they find said locations? And why, if the book is supposed to educate & inform, are the locations not shared so that readers can see these historic houses in person, if only from the side of the road?
Also, a map with numbers or letters of each spot's location would have been helpful & then a corresponding list, instead of just a map with cities & towns of places noted, not the names of the stops themselves.
Also, why only representations of the men associated with the UR? Were their wives not involved? No representations made of them? In my 19 years of marriage, I can tell you from experience, that my husband could not be part of a network such as the UR without my knowledge & especially without my agreement; this is not to brag or try to assert my authority, but we are a team. I understand this was hundreds of years ago, but come on, has marriage really changed that much. I think not. Women have always been smart & involved in everything, whether they were allowed to vote or not. Representation of wives should have been included. Or at least an explanation of why there was no information to be found, which I doubt very much that that was the case.
At the end of the day, the book is good if all you want is a very basic, brief history & don't mind doing a lot of digging on your own & making notations for yourself. I feel like it could have been put together & presented in a more organized way, especially given the steep price for such a short paperback book. Still, I recommend reading it. It is fascinating, & I was not really aware of any of this history (except Ona Judge because I read Never Caught several years back) even though I've lived in NH for all of my adult life & spent much of my childhood here, as well. It definitely sparked my curiosity & it was really incredible to drive on roads that were part of the Underground Railroad & now that I know of many spots, try to find & visit as many as we can in our educational travels with our children.
The content is fine, I suppose, if a bit abbreviated, especially given the steep price for a short paperback. There's a brief history of enslavement in NH, being Black in NH, the abolitionist movement, finally a section on the history of The Underground Railroad in NH, & then efforts on 21st-century acknowledgments of said efforts.
While you are reading this book, either have a notebook handy or use sticky notes, as the index is basically useless & looking up information later will prove very frustrating if you expect to rely on the index. For example, Grafton Turnpike (beginning content on page 114) was a huge part of NH's Underground Railway, yet is absent from the index. Lyme, NH, is also a prominent stop on NH's Underground Railway, yet is also absent from the index. I could go on, but really, take out a copy from the library or buy a copy for yourself & you will see what I mean about the useless index. There are, however, plenty of pages listed in the index for "Underground Railroad"... Well, I'd hope it's mentioned since that's supposed to be what the entire book is about. How about narrowing that down though...?
I was going through this book for research for a trip we were taking from Pittsburg to back home (basically the southern border of NH). I am completely bewildered as to why addresses of precise locations of stops on NH's Underground Railroad are not shared. There are plenty of updated pictures shared, & in some cases, it was easy enough to do an internet search & find the location, in the case Lavina's Restaurant, it's easy enough to find the address online & see that the restaurant is closed & get the address. However, in the case of many other houses, it's like trying to find a needle in a haystack. The name of the book is Slavery & The Underground Railroad in New Hampshire. The author provides updated photographs of many locations but doesn't share the addresses. How did they find said locations? And why, if the book is supposed to educate & inform, are the locations not shared so that readers can see these historic houses in person, if only from the side of the road?
Also, a map with numbers or letters of each spot's location would have been helpful & then a corresponding list, instead of just a map with cities & towns of places noted, not the names of the stops themselves.
Also, why only representations of the men associated with the UR? Were their wives not involved? No representations made of them? In my 19 years of marriage, I can tell you from experience, that my husband could not be part of a network such as the UR without my knowledge & especially without my agreement; this is not to brag or try to assert my authority, but we are a team. I understand this was hundreds of years ago, but come on, has marriage really changed that much. I think not. Women have always been smart & involved in everything, whether they were allowed to vote or not. Representation of wives should have been included. Or at least an explanation of why there was no information to be found, which I doubt very much that that was the case.
At the end of the day, the book is good if all you want is a very basic, brief history & don't mind doing a lot of digging on your own & making notations for yourself. I feel like it could have been put together & presented in a more organized way, especially given the steep price for such a short paperback book. Still, I recommend reading it. It is fascinating, & I was not really aware of any of this history (except Ona Judge because I read Never Caught several years back) even though I've lived in NH for all of my adult life & spent much of my childhood here, as well. It definitely sparked my curiosity & it was really incredible to drive on roads that were part of the Underground Railroad & now that I know of many spots, try to find & visit as many as we can in our educational travels with our children.
February 18, 2025
Loved the book! As a history lover, I appreciated the excerpts in the book quoted directly from the historical accounts, whether that be from old gazettes, the Slaves Petition, census records, and other histories. This gives an overview of the Underground Railroad, while providing relevant background and supporting stories.
September 27, 2023
3 ★
i think this was worth the read, but i would’ve liked it to be a little longer, honestly. there were some interesting portions that felt brushed over, while other chapters were more engaging. even those could’ve gone deeper, though. overall, it was pretty straightforward and informative.
i think this was worth the read, but i would’ve liked it to be a little longer, honestly. there were some interesting portions that felt brushed over, while other chapters were more engaging. even those could’ve gone deeper, though. overall, it was pretty straightforward and informative.
May 18, 2021
This was a very interesting topic with some very cool stories and fascinating original documents. Unfortunately it just wasn't very well written.
February 25, 2024
Very interesting… great research. Opens your eyes
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews