William Still Documents Underground Railroad Journeys in Philadelphia

William Still, secretary of the Philadelphia Vigilance Committee, kept meticulous secret records of every freedom seeker he helped between 1850 and 1860 — hundreds of cases including family histories, escape methods, and destinations. His own father had purchased his freedom; his mother had escaped slavery with two children, leaving others behind. Still later published these records as The Underground Railroad (1872), the most comprehensive account of the network.