The Underground Railroad in Van Buren County

The State Historical Society of Iowa's collections include county-level inventories of people and places associated with the Underground Railroad. The following have been identified as associated with the Underground Railroad in Van Buren County:

 
INVENTORY OF PEOPLE
ABOLITIONISTS
Calhoun, Isaac NewtonKeosauqua
Calhoun, Esther SaundersKeosauqua
Gould, EbenezerUnion Township
Gould, SamuelUnion Township
Groesbeck, PeterUnion Township
Kneeland, AbnerFarmington (Salubria)
Lindsay, Rev. David A.Birmingham
ANTI-ABOLITIONISTS
Slaughter, SamuelVan Buren & Henry County
ANTI-SLAVERY
Dickey, Mr.Farmington 
Forbes, Mr.Keosauqua
Holbert, Mr.Keosauqua
Holden, Mr.Keosauqua
Manning, EdwinKeosauqua
Miller, Mr.Keosauqua
Pearson, Benjamin F.Keosauqua
Pruett, ElizaKeosauqua
White, Otto.Keosauqua
CONDUCTORS/STATION AGENTS
Calhoun, Esther SaundersKeosauqua
Calhoun, NewtonKeosauqua
Dickey, Mr.Keosauqua
Forbes, Mr.Keosauqua
Gould, EbenezerUnion Township
Gould, SamuelUnion Township
Groesbeck, PeterUnion Township
Holbert, Mr.Keosauqua
Holden, Mr.Keosauqua
Lindsay, DavidBaker Vicinity, Jackson Township
Miller, Mr.Keosauqua
Pearson, Benjamin F.Keosauqua
Pruitt, ElizaKeosauqua
White, OttoKeosauqua
FREEDOM SEEKERS
Aunt Maurin Bentonsport 
Aunt PolkaVicinity Unkown
LucyKeosauqua
Slaves of Ruel Daggs 
UNKNOWN STATUS
Collier, William 
INVENTORY OF PLACES
Bentonsport
National Register of Historic Places #72000482
Birmingham
Bonaparte
Des Moines River Primitive Baptist Church
Farmington
Franklin Pearson House
National Register of Historic Places #780001267
First Congregational Church of Farmington
Keosauqua
Lewis Mason House (Bentonsport)
Mount Zion
Negro Churches of Keosauqua, Baptist, Methodist, others?
“Nigger Hill” – post-Civil War Black community,
 including Afro-Masonic Lodge
Selma
Winchester

 

For additional info visit the SHSI Underground RR in Iowa Collection online.

Transcribed and contributed January, 2018.

 

Return to Van Buren County IAGenWeb Site