Samuel Burris (1813-1863) Burris was born a free black man in Delaware when slavery was abundant. He lived in Delaware until he moved to Philadelphia with his wife and five children. While living in Philadelphia, Burris made many trips to the south to free other blacks from slavery.
In 1845 he became a conductor for the underground railroad, assisting slaves from Delaware and Maryland to escape safely. Burris knew of the risk that he was taking and the severe consequences that could be bestowed upon him when captured. The Delaware state law stated that African Americans convicted of such a crime were fined, imprisoned, and sold as servants to the highest bidder for seven years.
Burris was captured in June 1847 while helping a slave woman name Maria escape from slavery in Dover, Delaware. He was imprisoned in Dover and convicted and sentenced to be sold at an auction. While imprisoned, he wrote letters about his situation in which one of them was published in an abolitionist newspaper, The Liberator. The Pennsylvania Anti-Slavery Society heard about his situation and his pending auction after he was convicted on November 2, 1847. They decided to intervene and rescue him by sending Isaac Flint, an abolitionist from Wilmington, Delaware, to the auction. Flint purchased Burris for $500, and instead of serving as a slave for 14 years, Flint brought him to Philadelphia, where he was able to reunite with his wife and children. Burris and his family moved to San Francisco, where he lived the rest of his life as a free man.
This is a time that slavery was high, and even though Delaware had passed laws making it illegal to sell slaves out of state, they had not made it illegal to own slaves yet. The fight to end slavery in Delaware began around the same time Delaware entered the State of Union as the First State in 1787. This fight went on until the late 1800s.
On November 2, 2015, Delaware’s Governor Jack Markell issued Burris a pardon. This pardon came 168 years after Burris was convicted and imprisoned. Governor Jack Markell stated, “while we cannot change what was done more than 150 years ago, we can ensure that Mr. Burris’ legacy is appropriately recognized and celebrated. We affirm today that history will no longer record his actions as criminal, but rather as acts of freedom and bravery in the face of injustice.” Burris’s descendants attended the ceremony that also included the unveiling of a historical marker honoring the noted Underground Railroad conductor. The marker stands near Burris’ home near Camden, Delaware.
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