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A Shadow on the Household: One Enslaved Family's Incredible Struggle for Freedom
The extraordinary story of one couple’s determination to free themselves and their children from slavery and make a new life in Canada
Prior to abolition in 1865, as many as 40,000 men, women, and children made the perilous trip north from enslavement in the United States to freedom in Canada. Many were aided by networks that came to be known as the Underground Railroad. And the stories that emerge from the past about these journeys are truly remarkable.
In A Shadow on the Household , Bryan Prince, a descendant of slaves, brings to life the heart-wrenching story of the Weems family and their struggle to liberate themselves from slavery. John Weems, a man who purchased his own freedom, paid the owner of his enslaved wife and eight children an annual fee to keep them together at one plantation. But when that owner died, the Weemses were cruelly separated and scattered throughout the South. Heartbroken and desperate, John resolved to raise the money to buy his family’s freedom and reunite them. Mining newspapers, private letters, diaries, estate records, marriage registries, and abolitionist papers for details of a story cloaked in secrecy, Bryan Prince has rescued the Weems family and their plight from historical oblivion.
An unforgettable story of love and persistence, played out in four countries (the United States, Canada, Jamaica, and the United Kingdom) against the backdrop of the publication of Uncle Tom’s Cabin , a growing abolitionist movement, and the heroic efforts of the Underground Railroad, the Weems family saga must be read to be believed.
Prior to abolition in 1865, as many as 40,000 men, women, and children made the perilous trip north from enslavement in the United States to freedom in Canada. Many were aided by networks that came to be known as the Underground Railroad. And the stories that emerge from the past about these journeys are truly remarkable.
In A Shadow on the Household , Bryan Prince, a descendant of slaves, brings to life the heart-wrenching story of the Weems family and their struggle to liberate themselves from slavery. John Weems, a man who purchased his own freedom, paid the owner of his enslaved wife and eight children an annual fee to keep them together at one plantation. But when that owner died, the Weemses were cruelly separated and scattered throughout the South. Heartbroken and desperate, John resolved to raise the money to buy his family’s freedom and reunite them. Mining newspapers, private letters, diaries, estate records, marriage registries, and abolitionist papers for details of a story cloaked in secrecy, Bryan Prince has rescued the Weems family and their plight from historical oblivion.
An unforgettable story of love and persistence, played out in four countries (the United States, Canada, Jamaica, and the United Kingdom) against the backdrop of the publication of Uncle Tom’s Cabin , a growing abolitionist movement, and the heroic efforts of the Underground Railroad, the Weems family saga must be read to be believed.
- GenresHistoryNonfiction
296 pages, Paperback
First published January 6, 2009
About the author
Bryan Prince
6 books5 followersBryan Prince is a respected historical researcher on the Underground Railroad, slavery, and abolition. His previous books include One More River to Cross, A Shadow on the Household, and I Came as a Stranger. Bryan is in demand as a presenter throughout North America, and he and his wife were awarded the 2011 prize for the Advancement of Knowledge by the Underground Railroad Free Press. He lives in North Buxton, Ontario.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
March 3, 2021
This is definitely one of my favourite books. I originally bought it thinking it would be a story based on true life events instead to find that there are no fictional parts to this book. It encompasses the lives of a real slave family that was separated and goes through all the laws implemented in years prior and how it affected this slave family. As well as the work put together by abolitionists to not only reunite this family but have there status change. You get to read about all the players in this chain (both black and white) to get them freedom. As it’s written more as a documentation of events with speculative parts of what each persons emotions, it makes it an interesting styled book that I haven’t read before but really enjoyed.
August 13, 2016
This is the true story of John Weems (a free black man), his wife Arabella, and their eight children. Arabella is a slave and, following the laws of the times (1840s), because Arabella is a slave, all her children are also slaves. When the owner of Arabella and the Weems children sells off the family, John is forced to track down his loved ones and do everything in his power to reunite the family and buy their freedom.
This book offers a fantastic look at the workings of the Underground Railroad, but also of some aspects of slavery and the process to free blacks that I wasn’t aware of. I hadn’t realized that some people, either former slaves or abolitionists, raised funds in order to purchase slaves, and then once they became their owners they emancipated them. Although a couple of his children escaped slavery via the Underground Railroad, John managed to raise enough funds to eventually, over a number of years, purchase his family members and then give them their freedom. The moral implications of this practice were hotly debated at the time by abolitionists. Should supporters give funds to help free individuals (and thus, in effect, pay “ransom” to slave owners), or would the money be better spent on broader abolition activities? An interesting question, especially when you know the personal details and heartache of a family such as the Weems.
Another heartbreaking dilemma: if you track down two slave siblings, but have only enough funds to purchase one of them, which one do you purchase? John had to make this terrible decision at one point when he found two of his young daughters. How do you choose? Imagine having to leave one of your daughters trapped in slavery, while rescuing the other one.
This book was well researched and although a little dry in spots (it was hard sometimes keeping track of all the names of slaves, owners, slave traders, and abolitionists), overall it was a very good book. The author is speaking at my book club later this month, so it should be interesting!
This book offers a fantastic look at the workings of the Underground Railroad, but also of some aspects of slavery and the process to free blacks that I wasn’t aware of. I hadn’t realized that some people, either former slaves or abolitionists, raised funds in order to purchase slaves, and then once they became their owners they emancipated them. Although a couple of his children escaped slavery via the Underground Railroad, John managed to raise enough funds to eventually, over a number of years, purchase his family members and then give them their freedom. The moral implications of this practice were hotly debated at the time by abolitionists. Should supporters give funds to help free individuals (and thus, in effect, pay “ransom” to slave owners), or would the money be better spent on broader abolition activities? An interesting question, especially when you know the personal details and heartache of a family such as the Weems.
Another heartbreaking dilemma: if you track down two slave siblings, but have only enough funds to purchase one of them, which one do you purchase? John had to make this terrible decision at one point when he found two of his young daughters. How do you choose? Imagine having to leave one of your daughters trapped in slavery, while rescuing the other one.
This book was well researched and although a little dry in spots (it was hard sometimes keeping track of all the names of slaves, owners, slave traders, and abolitionists), overall it was a very good book. The author is speaking at my book club later this month, so it should be interesting!
March 6, 2009
This true account of a slave family that fought to stay together and free all its' members is fascinating! The book is a good read, not bogged down by endless footnotes or minutiae, but still manages to impart the agony of watching your mother, father, sisters and brothers be sold far away, never to know what to become of them.
August 28, 2009
An incredible tale of family and their efforts to maintain themselves as a family unit, despite conscious efforts to keep them separated by slave owners. Their ability to keep track of each other is amazing, especially considering the lack of communication technology at the time. The ending is bittersweet.
January 19, 2014
My book club choice for the February. Slavery has become a hot topic for books/movies. I was amazed at the amount of research material available for that time period. Again it was a book I would not have picked for myself but I am glad I got to read it.
March 17, 2012
This book earns its four stars for the depth and breadth of the research that Bryan Price put into it. I learned so much about the world in which slaves lived as the U.S. headed toward civil war.
August 19, 2012
good historical info but didn't really get into it
March 12, 2015
A wonderfully written book and yet so sad! The Weems found freedom but it came at such a high price especially for their ten children.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews