William M. Mitchell (c. 1826 – c. 1879) was an American writer, minister and

abolitionist Abolitionism, or the abolitionist movement, is the movement to end slavery. In Western Europe and the Americas, abolitionism was a historic movement that sought to end the Atlantic slave trade and liberate the enslaved people. The British ...

who worked on the

Underground Railroad The Underground Railroad was a network of clandestine routes and safe houses established in the United States during the early- to mid-19th century. It was used by enslaved African Americans primarily to escape into free states and Canada. ...

. He is said to be the only writer who wrote about the railroad while it was still illegal.

Early life and career

Mitchell was raised as an orphan in

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and ...

. His birth date is about 1826. He was apprenticed to a

plantation owner A plantation is an agricultural estate, generally centered on a plantation house, meant for farming that specializes in cash crops, usually mainly planted with a single crop, with perhaps ancillary areas for vegetables for eating and so on. The ...

where he was obliged to help in administering their slaves. He became involved in the resistance to

slavery Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...

in 1843 when he was among a crowd of people who intimidated some

bounty hunter A bounty hunter is a private agent working for bail bonds who captures fugitives or criminals for a commission or bounty. The occupation, officially known as bail enforcement agent, or fugitive recovery agent, has traditionally operated outsid ...

s who were returning an escaped slave to his owners. The man regained his freedom when his captors fled. Mitchell later reported that the man, who had a wife and children, had been given away by the local white pastor who claimed a $100 bounty. Mitchell was an active supporter of the movement that was smuggling escaped slaves from the American South to Canada before the 1860s

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...

. He said that he was most active when he was living in the city of

Washington Court House Washington Court House (often abbreviated as Washington C.H.) is a city in Union Township, Fayette County, Ohio. It is the county seat of Fayette County and is located between Cincinnati and Columbus. The population grew almost 1.5% from 2010 to ...

in Fayette County, Ohio. His house was a

safe house A safe house (also spelled safehouse) is, in a generic sense, a secret place for sanctuary or suitable to hide people from the law, hostile actors or actions, or from retribution, threats or perceived danger. It may also be a metaphor. Histori ...

for John Mason who brought 265 escapees to Mitchell's home. Mitchell is said to be the only writer who wrote about the Underground Railroad while it was still illegal, although others had described it at an earlier date. The British writer

Harriet Martineau Harriet Martineau (; 12 June 1802 – 27 June 1876) was an English social theorist often seen as the first female sociologist, focusing on race relations within much of her published material.Michael R. Hill (2002''Harriet Martineau: Theoretic ...

had mentioned the concept in 1837 and the British abolitionist

Joseph Sturge Joseph Sturge (1793 – 14 May 1859) was an English Quaker, abolitionist and activist. He founded the British and Foreign Anti-Slavery Society (now Anti-Slavery International). He worked throughout his life in Radical political actions suppo ...

wrote about it in 1841, but they did not name it. Mitchell's book took the name of the Underground Railroad into his book's title, although the phrase had been used before by James Stirling in 1857. Mitchell's book was published in London in 1860. Mitchell's book garnered recommendations from leading abolitionists including the American activist William Howard Day and the British politician George Thompson. Mitchell was a minister in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...

with the

American Baptist Free Mission Society American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

. He visited Britain in 1859 where he toured with the Reverend William Troy. The two of them both wrote books and they went on lecture tours of anti-slavery groups in Ireland, Scotland and England (all then part of the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

) and gathered funds for their churches in Canada. Mitchell's book particularly thanked the Glasgow Emancipation Society who supported his work and his book.Mitchell, William M. '' The Under-Ground Railroad''. Retrieved June 24, 2015. Despite the death of his daughter, Mitchell traveled again to Great Britain in 1863 to 1864 when a controversy erupted over his poor accounting and the potential mixing of his expenses with the hundreds of pounds (sterling) that he was meant to be sending back to Canada. Mitchell and his family are presumed to have returned to America. One record shows that he died before 1879 but there is no further detail. (

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)

Works

* '' The Under-Ground Railroad''

References

External links

''The Underground Railroad''
Mitchell, 1860, is available for free download at the

Internet Archive The Internet Archive is an American digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It provides free public access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, software applications/games, music, ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mitchell, William M. Year of birth missing Place of birth missing Year of death missing Place of death missing 1820s births 1870s deaths 19th-century American writers 19th-century Baptist ministers from the United States 19th-century male writers Activists from North Carolina American expatriates in Canada American expatriates in the United Kingdom American male non-fiction writers American non-fiction writers People from North Carolina People from Washington Court House, Ohio Underground Railroad people Writers from North Carolina Writers from Ohio Activists from Ohio

Early life and career

Works

See also

References

External links