Elijah Anderson

Elijah Anderson (c. 1808 –1861) was a free African-American man and leading conductor of the Underground Railroad (UGRR). According to other abolitionist such as Rush R. Sloane, Anderson assisted at least 1,000 slaves to gain freedom.

Biography

Early life Anderson grew up in Fluvanna County, Virginia, during a time when the state of Virginia was imposing especially harsh restrictions on free blacks as a response to various slave revolts, specifically, the Nat Turner's Rebellion. He later moved to Cincinnati, Ohio in his mid-20s and remained there until he married his wife, Mary. They had one daughter named Martha. Together, they settled in Madison, Indiana, between the years of 1835 and 1837. There, Anderson was able to earn a decent living through his work as a blacksmith. He had learned "how to make wrought-iron undercarriages and decorative fences." During this time, he was able to involve himself in the active Underground Railroad organization present in Madison. Anderson became close friends with other free black people such as George De Baptiste, Chapman Harris, John Lott, and John Carter.

He was referenced as the "general superintendent" of the Underground Railroad by fellow abolitionist Rush R. Sloane; He was, moreover, reported to have been able to open new routes and safe houses through which the protected passage of people pursuing freedom in Canada could take place. Other conductors were shot and drowned by pro-slavery mobs. On June 18, 1857, the Louisville Daily Courirer wrote, "NEGRO STEALER CONVICTED-At the Trimble Circuit Court, held in Bedford yesterday, the case of Elijah Anderson, a free man of color, for running off a slave, was tried, resulting in his conviction and sentence the penitentiary for eight years and eight months. This is a good long term. He had assisted George, slave of Mr. Scott, of Trimble, to run away."

In April 1861, the day Anderson was supposed to be released from prison, Martha Anderson went to retrieve him from his cell. There, she found Anderson dead under suspicious circumstances. Some speculate that officials killed Anderson due to his prominent involvement in the UGRR, while others assume he died from natural causes.