John Wesley Posey

For entries on other people named John Wesley, see John Wesley (disambiguation).

John Wesley Posey (1801–1884) was an American surgeon, coal mine owner, and significant figure in the Underground Railroad in Indiana, America. Posey was one of the founders and main organizers of the Anti-Slavery League of Indiana.

Life and career A significant source of information on the Underground Railroad in Indiana is William Cockrum's 1915 work, History of the Underground Railroad, as It Was Conducted by the Anti-Slavery League. According to Cockrum, Posey owned a coal mine that served as a way station for as many as 1000 escaped slaves. (This is one of the rare instances in which the underground railroad was actually subterranean.)

Posey also helped to organize the activities of the Anti-Slavery League. Wilbur Henry Siebert (1866–1961), a professor at Ohio State University, wrote History of the Underground Railroad as it Was Conducted by the Anti-Slavery League (c. 1915), which includes text about Posey.