In the year 2012, the history of Black Philadelphians still remains little known to most Americans. I am hopeful that the creation of the current site on William Still, made possible through by a federal Save America’s Treasures Grant administered by the National Endowment for the Humanities and Temple University Libraries, will be an educational tool for teachers, students and the general public to examine the rich history of African Americans. Among the many original manuscripts in the Blockson Collection are the letters of William Still. In one letter that William Still wrote to his daughter dated August 13, 1867, he writes that he is, “reading Macaulay’s History of England with great interest,” and that he intends “to write the History of the U.G.R.R. “ He continued, “I must do a good deal of reading and thinking in order to be able to write well. I may commence my book this fall some time.” His book, The Underground Railroad, was published in 1872. His book was a major inspiration for my research and writing. In the following essay, I would like to share some history related to The Underground Railroad, William Still and Black Philadelphians that I discovered during my many years of research.
During my research, I found a family connection between my family and the Still family. Our family relationship extends almost 170 years. I learned after contacting the National Archives for information on William N. Blockson, the son of Leah Blockson, my great-grandmother. William married Henrietta G. Still of Philadelphia on July 4, 1869 and that she was the daughter of William Still’s brother . When the William Still Collection was donated to the Blockson Collection by the Still family, I was surprised to learn that William Still was also one of the antebellum black collectors and bibliophiles along with Robert Purvis, Dr. Robert Campbell, Isaiah C. Wears, William Carl Bolivar, William Whipper, and John S. Durham. Clarence Still, the present patriarch of the Still family, bestowed me with the position of honorary chairman of the Annual Still Day Family Reunion, held for over 140 years in Lawnside, New Jersey, once known as Snow Hill. During one of the reunions, more than three hundred descendants of William Still and his brothers gathered around me and sung a song that I wrote in my 1983 book entitled the “Ballad of the Underground Railroad".
By the year 1984, I had spent more than 40 years conducting research and writing about the mystery, hope and terror associated with the Underground Railroad. That year, National Geographic published my article in its July issue. The article, entitled “Escape from Slavery: The Underground Railroad” brought attention to its significant role in African resistance to slavery. I wrote about my grandfather’s narrative to me.
I hope this helped! :)
