- John Hunn (farmer)
Infobox_Politician
name = John Hunn
width = 125
height = 126
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birth_date = birth date|1818|6|25|mf=y
birth_place = Kent County,Delaware
residence = Camden,Delaware
death_date = death date and age|1894|7|6|1818|6|25|mf=y
death_place = Camden,Delaware
office =
salary =
term_start =
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predecessor =
successor =
party =
religion = Quaker
constituency =
majority =
spouse = Mary Jenkins Swallow
children =
website =
footnotes =John Hunn (
June 25 ,1818 –July 6 ,1894 ) was an Americanfarmer andabolitionist from Odessa, in New Castle County,Delaware . He was a "station master" of theUnderground Railroad inDelaware .Early life and family
Hunn was born
June 25 ,1818 in Kent County,Delaware , son of Ezekiel and Tabitha Newell Hunn. He married Mary Jenkins Swallow and among their children was John, later theGovernor of Delaware . Their farm, "Happy Valley," was near Cantwell's Bridge, now Odessa,Delaware and they were members of the Appoquinimink Meeting of theReligious Society of Friends or Quakers.Abolitionist
Hunn was the Chief Engineer of the
Underground Railroad inDelaware . He was responsible for the operation of a portion of the network that transported thousands of escapees throughDelaware to Wilmington,Delaware and thence toPennsylvania and freedom. A man of great modesty, he declined to take credit for his heroic efforts.In 1845 he assisted Samuel Hawkins in the escape of his family from slavery in
Maryland . Along withThomas Garrett , he was convicted and fined in 1848 by theU.S. District Court , presided over byU.S. Supreme Court Chief JusticeRoger B. Taney . Later he was fined twice for $10,000.00 each by the State ofDelaware , but was advised the fines wouldn’t be imposed if he would promise not to continue his efforts to aid fugitives in their escape from slavery. Instead, Hunn "vowed never to withhold a helping hand from the down-trodden in their hour of distress." His land holdings and all his possessions were sold at sheriff’s sale and his family was left utterly destitute, but he continued his efforts to abolish slavery.Following this eviction, he lived for a time with family at Delaware,
Delaware . During the Civil War he worked with theFreedmen's Bureau in Port Royal,South Carolina .Death and legacy
Hunn died
July 6 ,1894 at Camden,Delaware and is buried at the Quaker Meeting Yard, Camden.References
*The Harriet Tubman Historical Society (2005). [http://www.harriettubman.com/camden.html Camden Friends Meeting] .
*Friends Intelligencer (1898). [http://www.swarthmore.edu/library/friends/URR_maryland_kelley.htm William T. Kelley: The Underground Railroad in the Eastern Shore of Maryland and Delaware] .External links
*Aboard the Underground Railroad. [http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/travel/underground/de1.htm Appoquinimink Friends Meetings House] .
*State of Delaware. [http://www.state.de.us/sos/dpa/markers/kc/CAMDEN%20FRIENDS%20MEETING%20KC-73.shtml Camden Friends Meeting Marker] .
*U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. [http://www.epa.gov/region03/revitalization/newsletter/underground_rr.htm Underground Railroad Museum] .
*Russ Ricket. [http://www.russpickett.com/history/garrbio.htm Thomas Garrett biography] .
*Wilmington Monthly Meeting of Friends. [http://www.wilmingtondefriendsmeeting.org/history.htm History of Wilmington Friends Meeting] .
*Whispers of Angels [http://www.whispersofangels.com/index.html A Story of the Underground Railroad] .
*State of Delaware [http://www.destatemuseums.org/information/under_rail.shtml The Underground Railroad] .
*Blue Hen's Chicken, June 6, 1848 [http://www.ded.uscourts.gov/History/HistMarshal.htm U.S. Marshall's Service]
*Find A Grave. [http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSln=Hunn&GSfn=John&GSbyrel=all&GSdyrel=all&GSst=10&GSob=n&GRid=7782424& John Hunn] .Places with more information
* [http://www.lib.udel.edu/ University of Delaware Library] 181 South College Ave., Newark, Delaware (302) 831-2965.
* [http://www.co.new-castle.de.us/libraries/newark/library1.asp Newark Free Library] 750 Library Ave., Newark Delaware (302) 731-7550.
* [http://www.corbitlibrary.org/ Corbit-Calloway Memorial Library] 2nd and High St. Odessa Delaware (302) 378-8838.
* [http://www.hsd.org/ Historical Society of Delaware] 505 Market St., Wilmington, Delaware (302) 655-7161.
* [http://www.destatemuseums.org/information/Museums/ncch/nc_courthouse.shtml New Castle County Court House Museum] Delaware Street, New Castle, Delaware (302) 323-4453
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