The Kidnapping of Elizabeth and Rachel Parker
The story of Rachel Parker, and her sister Elizabeth, never received the attention it deserves. Articles have told parts of the story and books have briefly mentioned it and the mysterious death of Joseph Miller, her employer and the man who charged McCreary with kidnapping. Stealing Freedom along the Mason-Dixon Line: Thomas McCreary, the Notorious Slave Catcher from Maryland gives the first full account of the kidnapping of the Parker sisters, the surrounding events, and the significance of her story in relation the debate over slave catching and kidnapping.
The state of Pennsylvania dedicated a historical marker encapsulating the story of the Parker kidnapping and their rescue. Joseph Miller's gravestone is within sight of the marker. I had the privilege of being one of the speakers at the dedication.
The state of Pennsylvania dedicated a historical marker encapsulating the story of the Parker kidnapping and their rescue. Joseph Miller's gravestone is within sight of the marker. I had the privilege of being one of the speakers at the dedication.
Chapter Summaries continued from the Stealing Freedom page
Chapter 3 – "Hanging the First Abolitionist that They Should Catch in Maryland"
McCreary abducts 12 year-old Elizabeth Parker. Weeks later he abducts her older sister, Rachel. Men from Rachel’s community and a Baltimore Quaker rescue Rachel from a slave pen. But Maryland authorities want proof of her identity and imprison her. Joseph Miller, Rachel’s employer, charges McCreary with kidnapping. At his hearing, McCreary claims Elizabeth and Rachel are really Henrietta and Eliza Crocus and they had escaped from their Baltimore owner. The judge schedules a trial for McCreary. A crowd follows the rescuers about town, making threats and equating them with Gorsuch’s murderers. Miller disappears in Baltimore. The next morning his corpse is found hanging from a tree. The chapter describes events leading up to McCreary’s kidnapping trial, the trial, and its disruption.Even though McCreary is the defendant, in another sense Parker is on trial. Political maneuvers of the governor and the former governor derail the trial. A new trial is scheduled.
McCreary abducts 12 year-old Elizabeth Parker. Weeks later he abducts her older sister, Rachel. Men from Rachel’s community and a Baltimore Quaker rescue Rachel from a slave pen. But Maryland authorities want proof of her identity and imprison her. Joseph Miller, Rachel’s employer, charges McCreary with kidnapping. At his hearing, McCreary claims Elizabeth and Rachel are really Henrietta and Eliza Crocus and they had escaped from their Baltimore owner. The judge schedules a trial for McCreary. A crowd follows the rescuers about town, making threats and equating them with Gorsuch’s murderers. Miller disappears in Baltimore. The next morning his corpse is found hanging from a tree. The chapter describes events leading up to McCreary’s kidnapping trial, the trial, and its disruption.Even though McCreary is the defendant, in another sense Parker is on trial. Political maneuvers of the governor and the former governor derail the trial. A new trial is scheduled.
Chapter 4 – The Trials of Rachel Parker
Angry over Miller’s death and Rachel's imprisonment, Chester Countians hold a public meeting to express outrage over the series of injustices. The Pennsylvania governor appoints lawyers to represent Parker. In Baltimore, officials keep delaying Parker’s plea for freedom and McCreary’s trial. A group of Baltimoreans finance the effort to find Rachel's sister, Elizabeth. In January 1853, after one full year in prison, the state allows Rachel to present her plea. Over sixty white witnesses, including relatives of Thomas McCreary, travel from Pennsylvania to Baltimore on behalf of the two African American teenagers, one of American history's greatest examples of compassion in the face of hostility. The claimants' attorneys switch to defensive tactics.
Angry over Miller’s death and Rachel's imprisonment, Chester Countians hold a public meeting to express outrage over the series of injustices. The Pennsylvania governor appoints lawyers to represent Parker. In Baltimore, officials keep delaying Parker’s plea for freedom and McCreary’s trial. A group of Baltimoreans finance the effort to find Rachel's sister, Elizabeth. In January 1853, after one full year in prison, the state allows Rachel to present her plea. Over sixty white witnesses, including relatives of Thomas McCreary, travel from Pennsylvania to Baltimore on behalf of the two African American teenagers, one of American history's greatest examples of compassion in the face of hostility. The claimants' attorneys switch to defensive tactics.
Chapter 5 – Kidnapper ... or Slave Catcher?
A Chester County grand jury indicts McCreary and his accomplice. The exchange between governors Lowe and Bigler over McCreary’s fate reveals much about the divide between neighboring states and the nation’s difficulty in peacefully resolving slavery-related issues.
A Chester County grand jury indicts McCreary and his accomplice. The exchange between governors Lowe and Bigler over McCreary’s fate reveals much about the divide between neighboring states and the nation’s difficulty in peacefully resolving slavery-related issues.
Chapter 6 – Ending an Era
This chapter sketches the final decades of McCreary’s life and how supporters and critics remembered him at the time of his death. After a Pennsylvania judge read McCreary's obituary, he wrote an account of Rachel Parker’s kidnapping and Joseph Miller’s death. William Still reprinted the judge's newspaper article in his book on the Underground Railroad. The story of a kidnapping by the sheriff of Cecil County is included in chapter six. The major themes and historical significance are summarized.
Afterward
In the closing, two graveyards are visited for a reflection on historical memory.
This chapter sketches the final decades of McCreary’s life and how supporters and critics remembered him at the time of his death. After a Pennsylvania judge read McCreary's obituary, he wrote an account of Rachel Parker’s kidnapping and Joseph Miller’s death. William Still reprinted the judge's newspaper article in his book on the Underground Railroad. The story of a kidnapping by the sheriff of Cecil County is included in chapter six. The major themes and historical significance are summarized.
Afterward
In the closing, two graveyards are visited for a reflection on historical memory.