A Conductor of the Underground Railroad
Seymour Finney
Early Life
Seymour Finney was born in 1813 and raised in New Windsor, Orange County, New York where he was apprenticed to become a tailor. Finney’s father moved to a farm in Redford, Michigan, just outside of Detroit in Wayne County. In 1834, at the age of 21, Seymour also moved to Michigan. He became manager of the Franklin House where he, his wife, Mary, and six children lived. In 1853, Seymour owned a tavern, a hotel, and a horse barn located on Woodward and Gratiot in Detroit, Michigan. He remained in Detroit until his death in 1899. He is widely known for being a "conductor" in the Underground Railroad.
The Underground Railroad
The Underground Railroad was an 1800s network of assisting escaped slaves on their path from plantations in the American south to freedom in Canada. Detroit was one of the last “stops” on the Railroad, before escaped slaves could find their freedom in Canada. The Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 ensured that even if slaves arrived in free states in the North, they could be captured and sent back to their slave masters. However, Canada, which lay only one mile across the Detroit River prohibited slavery.
The Underground Railroad was a secret network of financial, spiritual, and material aid for slaves. Fugitives generally made their way on foot, often at night, from one town to the next. Upon arrival, they were met by sympathizers known as “conductors” or “stockholders”, stock being a term used to indicate faith in the abolitionist struggle. Conductors of all backgrounds risked their livelihood for human freedom by hiding slaves in their houses, barns, attics, cellars, churches, shops and sheds. In direct defiance of the Fugitive Slave Act, these brave individuals provided runaways with food and a place to sleep. They also facilitated slaves’ transfer to the subsequent “stop,” or Underground Railroad shelter.
Detroit's Role in the Underground Railroad
Detroit was one of the most exciting stops on the Underground Railroad, because it was generally the final stop before achieving freedom. There are at least seven known paths that led slaves from various points in Michigan to the Canadian shore and it is estimated that 200 Underground Railroad stops existed throughout Michigan between the 1820s and 1865. The last runs on the Underground Railroad ended in 1865 with the end of the Civil War and the 13th Amendment’s abolishment of slavery.
Seymour Finney's contribution
Detroit was one of the busiest stopping points in the Underground Railroad for escaped slaves. Seymour Finney aided escaped slaves beginning in 1834 and continued until national emancipation. He would aid fugitives in his hotel and horse barn in any way that he could until they were able to safely cross into Canada.
Seymour Finney's Clever Tricks
As Seymour Finney hid fugitive slaves in his horse barn, he would often entertain slave catchers in his hotel across the street. Finney would pretend to sympathize with their frustrations and eventually draw out the slave catcher's plan. He would then use this information to warn the people who were escaping.
Historical Impact
