William Grimes (1784 – August 20, 1865) was an
African American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...
barber and writer who authored what is considered the first narrative of an American ex-slave, ''Life of William Grimes, the Runaway Slave'', published in 1825,
with a second edition published in 1855.
Another revised edition was published by one of his descendants in 2008.
Grimes escaped slavery by boarding on a ship called ''Casket,'' which sailed from
Savannah, Georgia
Savannah ( ) is the oldest city in the U.S. state of Georgia and is the county seat of Chatham County. Established in 1733 on the Savannah River, the city of Savannah became the British colonial capital of the Province of Georgia and later t ...
to
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...
.
He then walked to
Connecticut
Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its capita ...
from
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...
in order to begin his life as a free man. Grimes lived in
Stratford,
Norwalk,
Fairfield,
Bridgeport
Bridgeport is the most populous city and a major port in the U.S. state of Connecticut. With a population of 148,654 in 2020, it is also the fifth-most populous in New England. Located in eastern Fairfield County at the mouth of the Pequonnoc ...
and Stratford Point alongside
New Haven
New Haven is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound in New Haven County, Connecticut and is part of the New York City metropolitan area. With a population of 134,023 ...
and
Litchfield,
Connecticut
Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its capita ...
following his escape from slavery.
New Haven
New Haven is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound in New Haven County, Connecticut and is part of the New York City metropolitan area. With a population of 134,023 ...
was where Grimes eventually settled in order to live out his final days.
Biography
Grimes was born into slavery in
King George County, Virginia, in 1784.
[ In column 5.] His father was Benjamin Grymes, Jr., a wealthy plantation owner; Grimes' mother was a slave on a neighboring plantation. Benjamin Grymes, Jr., the father of William Grimes was the great-grandson of William Fitzhugh. Fitzhugh was the founder of Eagles's Nest plantation located in
King George County, Virginia. Benjamin Grymes, Jr., volunteered for Grayson's Continental Line Regiment in the
American Revolutionary army
The Continental Army was the army of the United Colonies (the Thirteen Colonies) in the Revolutionary-era United States. It was formed by the Second Continental Congress after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War, and was establish ...
and eventually received the rank of Lieutenant in 1777.
During his years of slavery, Grimes was owned by at least ten different masters, in
Virginia
Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...
,
Maryland
Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...
, and
Georgia
Georgia most commonly refers to:
* Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia
* Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States
Georgia may also refer to:
Places
Historical states and entities
* Related to the ...
. He worked as a house servant, valet, field worker, stable boy, and coachman. In 1815, at the age of 30, Grimes escaped from slavery by stowing away on the ship ''Casket'' that sailed from
Savannah, Georgia
Savannah ( ) is the oldest city in the U.S. state of Georgia and is the county seat of Chatham County. Established in 1733 on the Savannah River, the city of Savannah became the British colonial capital of the Province of Georgia and later t ...
to
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...
.
He then travelled by foot from
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...
to
New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound in New Haven County, Connecticut and is part of the New York City metropolitan area. With a population of 134 ...
.
Grimes settled in
New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound in New Haven County, Connecticut and is part of the New York City metropolitan area. With a population of 134 ...
, where he was a successful barber.
His clients included students from nearby
Yale University
Yale University is a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Sta ...
and
Litchfield.
Grimes married Clarissa Caesar in 1817 in
New Haven
New Haven is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound in New Haven County, Connecticut and is part of the New York City metropolitan area. With a population of 134,023 ...
by Reverend Samuel Merwin. They had eighteen children together, but only twelve survived until adulthood.
In 1820 the
United States census shows that Grimes was the head of a seven-member household in
Litchfield. Following this, Grimes rents his barbershop in
Litchfield and moves to
New Haven
New Haven is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound in New Haven County, Connecticut and is part of the New York City metropolitan area. With a population of 134,023 ...
where he worked as a barber, grocer, and furniture merchant.
It is noted that Grimes lived in many cities in
Connecticut
Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its capita ...
. These cities being
Stratford,
Norwalk,
Fairfield,
Bridgeport
Bridgeport is the most populous city and a major port in the U.S. state of Connecticut. With a population of 148,654 in 2020, it is also the fifth-most populous in New England. Located in eastern Fairfield County at the mouth of the Pequonnoc ...
and Stratford Point alongside
New Haven
New Haven is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound in New Haven County, Connecticut and is part of the New York City metropolitan area. With a population of 134,023 ...
and
Litchfield.
In 1823, Grimes' last slave owner tracked him down and demanded he must pay for his freedom. His former slave owner would have him arrested and forced back into slavery if Grimes were to refuse.
After living 4 years in
Litchfield, Grimes moved back to
New Haven
New Haven is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound in New Haven County, Connecticut and is part of the New York City metropolitan area. With a population of 134,023 ...
. Where he lived the rest of his years. Clarissa Caesar, his wife, then left for
California
California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...
because her and Grimes split some time before writing his second edition. No information is given by Grimes for why this occurred. However, he mentions that only his youngest child is still with him at that time and does not know where any other child of his is.
Grimes was still listed as living in
New Haven
New Haven is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound in New Haven County, Connecticut and is part of the New York City metropolitan area. With a population of 134,023 ...
in the 1830 and 1840
United States census.
Furthermore, in 1860 William Grimes is listed as the head of an eight-person household in
New Haven
New Haven is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound in New Haven County, Connecticut and is part of the New York City metropolitan area. With a population of 134,023 ...
while his occupation is shown as a lottery dealer in the
United States census.
Purchasing of Freedom in Litchfield
Grimes became a known figure in
Litchfield and
New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound in New Haven County, Connecticut and is part of the New York City metropolitan area. With a population of 134 ...
while living there. Through his multiple jobs of barbering, furniture trading and errand running for students he was able to network with students, faculty and politicians in the communities. It was this connecting with members in each community that caused Grimes' recent master to learn where Grimes was located. Feeling that the community of
Litchfield was smaller and the political landscape would be more in his favor if his recent master came looking for him, Grimes moved to
Litchfield.
In 1823, Francis Harvey Welman, Grimes' last slave owner tracked him down and demanded Grimes must pay for his freedom with "my house and land, all I had," or else face arrest and re-enslavement.
The following year, in April of 1824, Grimes officially purchased his freedom for 500 dollars. Grimes had to mortgage his property and take on debt in order to pay for his freedom. However, the people who he was connected and friends with in
Litchfield were able to help him with his negotiation of price for his freedom.
Grimes had no choice but to pay, and wrote his memoir in hopes of recovering his finances.
Grimes fled
New Haven
New Haven is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound in New Haven County, Connecticut and is part of the New York City metropolitan area. With a population of 134,023 ...
to live in
Litchfield, Connecticut
Litchfield is a town in and former county seat of Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 8,192 at the 2020 census. The boroughs of Bantam and Litchfield are located within the town. There are also three unincorpora ...
due to his former master tracking him down.
Family
A great-great-great-granddaughter of Grimes, Regina Mason, was an editor of the 2008 edition of Grimes' book. Mason talked about her ancestor's life in an interview with
Terry Gross
Terry Gross (born February 14, 1951) is an American journalist who is the host and co-executive producer of '' Fresh Air'', an interview-based radio show produced by WHYY-FM in Philadelphia and distributed nationally by NPR. Since joining N ...
on the ''
Fresh Air
''Fresh Air'' is an American radio talk show broadcast on National Public Radio stations across the United States since 1985. It is produced by WHYY-FM in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The show's host is Terry Gross. , the show was syndicated to ...
'' radio program on January 18, 2016.
[ '']Fresh Air
''Fresh Air'' is an American radio talk show broadcast on National Public Radio stations across the United States since 1985. It is produced by WHYY-FM in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The show's host is Terry Gross. , the show was syndicated to ...
'' radio program. A 2017 film by Sean Durant entitled ''Gina's Journey: The Search for William Grimes'' documents her experiences of tracking down information about Grimes over a fifteen-year period. It includes reenactments of scenes from both Mason's and Grimes's lives with narration by
Keith David
Keith David Williams (born June 4, 1956) is an American actor. He is known for his signature deep voice and commanding screen presence in over 300 roles across film, stage, television, and interactive media.
He has starred in such films as '' T ...
.
Death
Grimes died on August 20, 1865, about 81 years old, in
New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound in New Haven County, Connecticut and is part of the New York City metropolitan area. With a population of 134 ...
. On his death, his obituary was published as far away as
Brooklyn
Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...
,
New York.
He was then laid to rest in
Grove Street Cemetery, located near
Yale University
Yale University is a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Sta ...
. Clarissa Caesar Grimes, his wife, died on December 15 in
San Francisco
San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...
. Following this, she was laid to rest in
New Haven
New Haven is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound in New Haven County, Connecticut and is part of the New York City metropolitan area. With a population of 134,023 ...
with her husband.
Slave Narratives
Life of William Grimes, the runaway slave
William Grimes published his first slave narrative, ''Life of William Grimes, the runaway slave'' in 1825 in an effort to earn recover finances. His slave narrative provides great detail of his life until 1825. This slave narrative was published only months after he purchased his freedom. Grimes also published an updated version of his autobiography in 1855.
Grimes felt a second publishing of his slave narrative would be best because his first edition of his slave narrative is considered the first one by many, which he felt caused him to lose out on monetary gains.
The second version provides an update of his life until 1855 while also counterbalancing the bitterness put forth in his first slave narrative.
However, his second release of a slave narrative did receive a much different reception from the first. In fact, the abolitionist press at the time did not make any references to the second edition in any newspapers.
See also
*
Fugitive slaves in the United States
In the United States, fugitive slaves or runaway slaves were terms used in the 18th and 19th century to describe people who fled slavery. The term also refers to the federal Fugitive Slave Acts of 1793 and 1850. Such people are also called freed ...
*
Slave narrative
The slave narrative is a type of literary genre involving the (written) autobiographical accounts of enslaved Africans, particularly in the Americas. Over six thousand such narratives are estimated to exist; about 150 narratives were published as s ...
Notes
External links
Text of Grimes' memoir*
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Grimes, William
1784 births
1865 deaths
19th-century American slaves
African-American abolitionists
African-American activists
19th-century Christians
African-American Christians
African-American non-fiction writers
American non-fiction writers
African-American publishers (people)
American publishers (people)
American autobiographers
19th-century American memoirists
Writers from New Haven, Connecticut
American male journalists
19th-century American male writers
Christian abolitionists
People who wrote slave narratives
19th-century American businesspeople