Manuscript Discovery Reveals 19th Century Escape from Slavery and Global Life

A 41-page handwritten manuscript detailing the escape from slavery of Thomas White in the mid-1800s was discovered in Rhode Island. Found among family documents on a screened porch by Cindy Elder, the papers were brought to Roger Williams University for study. Undergraduate researcher Rachel Fortuna Cabral and historian Charlotte Carrington-Farmer led an investigation into the narrative, which describes White's perilous journey from Maryland to Massachusetts with abolitionist assistance. The manuscript, likely transcribed by multiple hands while White worked as a ship's cook, provides a rare first-person account of self-emancipation and subsequent global travels. Scholars, including Deborah Plant, emphasize the importance of such narratives for enriching historical understanding and fostering empathy.