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How many slaves did William still free?

Author

Emily Ross

Published Jan 09, 2026

William Still helped more than 800 enslaved people escape

Meanwhile, William Still was born into freedom in Burlington County, New Jersey, a free state. His father, Levin Steel, purchased his freedom while his mother, Sidney, had escaped slavery.

Did William Still help Harriet Tubman?

William Still's contributions to the Underground Railroad are included in the upcoming biopic 'Harriet. ' Under Still's supervision, the committee was instrumental in financing groups of former slaves for their journeys up north, even funding several of Harriet Tubman's rescue expeditions.

How long did William Still help slaves?

In his fourteen years in the service of the Underground Railroad, he helped nearly eight hundred former slaves to escape. Still kept meticulous records of the many escapes slaves who passed through the Philadelphia "station." After the Civil War, Still published the secret notes he'd kept in diaries during those years.

How many slaves did still help?

Often called "The Father of the Underground Railroad", William Still helped as many as 800 slaves escape to freedom.

What is William Still best known for?

After publishing his book The Underground Railroad Records in 1872, he became known as the “Father of the Underground Railroad”, with his book proving to be a vital source of history. William Still died on July 14, 1902 in Philadelphia.

32 related questions found

Is William Grant Still related to William Still?

William Grant Still was born on May 11, 1895, in Woodville, Mississippi, the only son of William Grant Still Sr.

How did William Still get his freedom?

Meanwhile, William Still was born into freedom in Burlington County, New Jersey, a free state. His father, Levin Steel, purchased his freedom while his mother, Sidney, had escaped slavery. He was still a young boy when he first helped a man he knew was being hunted by enslaved catchers.

Was William Still a free man?

Who is William Still? William Still, a free-born Black, became an abolitionist movement leader and writer during the antebellum period in American history. He was also one of the most successful Black businessmen in the history of the City of Philadelphia.

How many slaves did Levi Coffin help escape?

In 1826, he moved to Indiana and over the next 20 years he assisted more than 2,000 enslaved persons escape bondage, so many that his home was known as the "Grand Central Station of the Underground Railroad."

Who was the guy that helped Harriet Tubman?

During her second trip, she recovered her brother Moses and two unidentified men. Tubman likely worked with abolitionist Thomas Garrett, a Quaker working in Wilmington, Delaware. Word of her exploits had encouraged her family, and biographers agree that with each trip to Maryland, she became more confident.

Who was the most important person in the history of the Underground Railroad?

HARRIET TUBMAN – The Best-Known Figure in UGR History

Harriet Tubman is perhaps the best-known figure related to the underground railroad. She made by some accounts 19 or more rescue trips to the south and helped more than 300 people escape slavery.

How many people were still enslaved at the time of the Civil War?

Of the 4.4 million African Americans in the US before the war, almost four million of these people were held as slaves; meaning that for all African Americans living in the US in 1860, there was an 89 percent* chance that they lived in slavery.

What was William Still's role in the Underground Railroad?

William Still (October 7, 1821–July 14, 1902) was a prominent abolitionist and civil rights activist who coined the term Underground Railroad and, as one of the chief "conductors" in Pennsylvania, helped thousands of people achieve freedom and get settled away from enslavement.

Who led slaves through the Underground Railroad?

Our Headlines and Heroes blog takes a look at Harriet Tubman as the most famous conductor on the Underground Railroad. Tubman and those she helped escape from slavery headed north to freedom, sometimes across the border to Canada.

Who helped Harriet Tubman in the Underground Railroad?

Over the next 10 years, Harriet befriended other abolitionists such as Frederick Douglass, Thomas Garrett and Martha Coffin Wright, and established her own Underground Railroad network.

What is William still considered the father of?

William Still: Father of the Underground Railroad. William Still was a prominent abolitionist and businessman in 19th Century Philadelphia. The son of former slaves, he helped more than 600 slaves escape. He was known as the father of the Underground Railroad.

Did William Grant Still Have Kids?

On October 4, 1915, Still married Grace Bundy, whom he had met while they were both at Wilberforce. They had a son, William III, and three daughters, Gail, June, and Caroline. They separated in 1932 and divorced February 6, 1939.

Which work made William Grant Still Famous?

Though a prolific composer of operas, ballets, symphonies, and other works, he was best known for his Afro-American Symphony (1931).

Who was William Grant Still inspired by?

Although his abilities as a performer and arranger led to many opportunities for him beyond the concert hall, he was inspired by the career of Samuel Coleridge-Taylor to become a composer of concert music and opera.

How old was Harriet Tubman when her sisters were sold?

SOPHIE ROSS, Harriet Tubman's older sister, was 11 years old when Hatt was born. They lived together as any other slave family on a Maryland tobacco plantation until Sophie was suddenly sold South at auction when Hatt was ten. For slaves, plantation life was filled with hardship.

What happened to the Brodess family?

On March 7, 1849, Edward Brodess died on his farm in Bucktown at the age of 47, leaving Tubman and the rest of her family at risk of being sold to settle his many debts.