Samuel D. Burris

Kent County · dedicated 2015 · Intersection of Henry Cowgill Road and Willow Grove Road, Camden

Samuel D. Burris, a free African-American conductor on the Underground Railroad resided in the Willow Grove area during the 1840s. He helped enslaved people find their pathway to freedom in Philadelphia. Caught for aiding and abetting runaway slaves in 1847, Burris was tried and convicted in the Kent County Court of General Sessions. He was imprisoned in accordance with the law and sold into servitude. Purchased with abolitionist funds, he was taken to Philadelphia. The family moved to San Francisco shortly after California was admitted as a free state. he continued to help others gain their freedom by raising funds for the cause until his death in 1863.

David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries

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