“By any means necessary” was no overstatement when it came to the life-or-death flight to freedom through Illinois’ Underground Railroad.
suggested she was cultured, refined and “perhaps the most noted colored woman in Quincy.” It was a quiet life, perhaps, but one richly lived.In Greenwood Cemetery in Rockford, Lewis Lemon’s gravestone reads: “Born slave — Died free.”Lemon was one of the founders of Rockford, the largest Illinois city outside Chicagoland. As a young adult, he struck a deal with his new enslaver, Germanicus Kent, to work for his freedom until he’d earned the equivalent of $800 , double what Kent paid for him.
Dickerman’s account is a retelling of Lisbon’s escape from Saline County, Missouri, which borders the Missouri River. As Lisbon worked for Dickerman’s father after finding freedom in Illinois, the writer said he’d “often heard him tell the story” of his flight.“About this time, I began to think I had as much right to my time as my master, or any other man,” Lisbon said, according to Dickerman.
After a few close calls during their escape, Lisbon was leery of Ottawa abolitionist John Hossack, who offered to feed and house them. But Hossack ultimately found them work building fences and digging coal. Lisbon made extra money on the side as a talented banjo player, although his street performances led to several beatings.
Eliza Little, too, was mistreated by the woman who enslaved her. She bore lifelong scars from being struck with broken china plates, wood sticks and tongs. After doing housework for most of her life, she was sold and worked at harvesting cotton. The harsh conditions left her hands blistered, and the hot sun made her sick.
Eventually, they made it to Chicago, got funds from abolitionists to head to Detroit, and then crossed to Windsor, Canada. At that point, Meachum was about 50 years old and had dedicated her life to freeing and educating Black people. She and her husband, John Berry Meachum, were both born enslaved, but he used earning from carpentry and saltpeter work to buy their freedom. Over four decades, they bought the freedom of 22 enslaved people and hired them to work, taught Black people at a time when Missouri banned all such education, and helped them escape to Illinois.
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