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5. Destinations of Runaways Sylvia has been “lurking” about the head of the Wakulla River. —Tallahassee Floridian and Journal, November 22, 1851 Questions related to where enslaved blacks fled have occupied historians of the southern experience for generations. Traditionally, the answers reached have pointed to the majority absconding to other southern states as opposed to the northern states.In that vein,John Hope Franklin and Loren Schweninger focused in one recent and respected study on fugitives who fled, primarily, from one place in the South to another in the same region.Florida’s situation, however,offers a somewhat different view.Although considerable numbers of its fugitives replicated the traditional patterns noted by Franklin,Schweninger, and other historians, a significant number possessed or, at least, gained exposure to what could be described as an Atlantic worldview. This is to say that they sought freedom in various parts of the Atlantic and Caribbean regions, particularly in the Bahamas.1 An explanation of context will help to set the stage for an understanding of Florida’s runaway story. Dating back to the Spanish era and its centuries of experience,Florida bondservants—especially those in East and West Florida— lived in a world often dependent upon and circumscribed by ocean travel, connections, and communications. Many of them had worked as artisans, longshoremen, and hirelings in and around ports and other locations up and down the Atlantic coastline, on the Gulf of Mexico, or on rivers or streams emptying into one or the other.Laboring in,and in proximity to,the maritime industry,they routinely came in contact with people coming in and departing from Florida in Atlantic and other oceangoing vessels. From this and other connections,these slaves knew or learned that freedom could become a reality beyond Florida’s shores. Many particularly comprehended that the Bahamas Rivers_Text.indd 64 3/22/12 10:11 AM Destinations of Runaways 65 and other islands in the Caribbean—especially after the early 1830s—offered freedom if they could get to them.2 By no means, of course, did the Atlantic world dominate as a geographical factor in flight. Florida itself took that honor. The colony, territory, and state covered an immense area.In fact,during the early statehood period that began in 1845,it claimed precedence as the second largest state east of the Mississippi River. After Virginia divided during the Civil War, Florida became the largest . It meanwhile possessed vast tracts of unpopulated or sparsely populated territory.If fugitives succeeded in fleeing their owners,havens almost without limitation awaited them in the panhandle and especially in the peninsula.They could run in any number of directions and remain undetected for months or, in some cases, for years.3 As Florida fugitives moved out from their domiciles toward freedom or some other object, wherever that might be, their destinations were many. Reasons and motivations for flight also varied significantly. One group, as mentioned earlier, consisted of truants who “lurked” around neighborhoods to be with loved ones and friends. Another comprised “disgruntled absconders” who fled from their venues to “cool off” or to seek temporary refuge from work routines, material conditions, or abuse. Some 90 percent of those who made up these groups stayed out for sporadic periods of time and typically returned to their homes voluntarily.Like lurking truants,disgruntled absconders stayed within relatively close proximity to those home places or else ventured only to adjacent counties.4 Sometruefugitives,unlikethelurkersanddisgruntledabsconders,soughtto break the chains of slavery completely by fleeing as far away from their venues as possible. Most of these persons held no intention of ever returning to their homes.The research data base referred to previously assists in drawing a true picture. By focusing on use of English, physical features, skin complexion, dress,and emotional state in 711 notices in newspapers and 1,403 probate records ,journals,diaries,and other sources dating from 1821 to 1865,its outlines can be discerned. Slaveholders, in fact, revealed much about themselves in their characterizations of their bondservants. Of course, we also learn as well about the slaves they described. Much like eighteenth-century masters, nineteenth-century slaveholders continued to praise their bondservants’ physical features, skills, occupations, and character. Of the 1,009 runaways identified in the newspaper and documentary accounts from 1821 to 1865,192 (19 percent) reportedly possessed one or more skills.This included 9 fugitives described as house servants,of which 7 were females. The percentage of skilled runaways was much lower than the Rivers_Text.indd...

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