Love Stories from The Underground Railroad is a yearly event held on Feb. 14 to highlight one of the stories of love and community shining through one of our most divided eras.
This year Professor of History Roy E. Finkenbine took the audience on a journey into the lives of Adam and Sarah Crosswhite, a couple who escaped from enslavement, faced recapture and found safety through the help of a community in Marshall, Mich.
The story of the Crosswhites begins in Carroll County, Kentucky, the meeting place of Adam and Sarah. Bought by the same enslaver, the two met and had children. The Crosswhites began to hear talk of their eldest boy being sold. With this their family planned to escape.
They were able to make their way to Indiana by boat before having to hide due to the pursuits of their previous captors. After staying with Quakers for many days their supporters were able to lure away the enslavers allowing the Crosswhites to make their way to Michigan.
Fearing drawing suspicion, the family split up. It was a little over a month before they finally reconnected and settled in a small community in Marshall, Mich.
The family lived happily for a little more than two years. In this time, they had their first freely born child, as well as began their kids in schooling.
Knowing their past would come back to haunt them Adam urged the neighborhood to rush to the families aid if ever they were signaled by his pistol.
Sure enough, the Kentuckian slavers made their way to Michigan hoping to reclaim their “lost property.” Seeing four armed Kentuckians coming, Adam fired a single shot and waited. The men approached the house, claiming they were taking all but the youngest born freely.
The community instantly sprang to action, with over 100 residents blocking the captors from the Crosswhite’s home. Arriving after the band of slavers had already broken into the home, the community began to aid the Crosswhites, leading to the arrest of the slavers responsible for breaking and entering.
With a local attorney backing the family, they were able to secure their rights in the now free North, as well as persecute the slavers for breaking down the door, brandishing weapons and attempting to separate the youngest from the family. After this trial, the Crosswhites secured passage through Detroit and into Ontario where they would finally be able to live safely in Canada.
The slavers uncontented with the outcome sued the people of Marshall for obstructing the reclamation of their assets and the damages to property they faced. Though the town was fined, most felt it was a small price to pay for the family’s freedom
This event was a way to celebrate both Black History Month and Valentine’s Day, as it highlights both justice for those wrongly treated, as well as a family whose love carried them through every mountain they faced.
LaDonte Hartfield, a UDM freshman said, “It’s good to see a story where family wasn’t just blood; it was the everybody that supported them.”
That sentiment was echoed by others.
UDM student Katherine Mutschler said, “The world could use a few more happy endings.”
