Harriet Tubman's birthplace

Harriet Tubman, ca. 1868–1869

Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge marshland and forests

Main article: Harriet Tubman § Birth and family

Harriet Tubman's birthplace is in Dorchester County, Maryland. Araminta Ross, the daughter of Benjamin (Ben) and Harriet (Rit) Greene Ross, was born into slavery in 1822^[1][2][3][4] in her father's cabin.^[2][3][5][a] It was located on the farm of Anthony Thompson at Peter's Neck, at the end of Harrisville Road, which is now part of the Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge.^[2][8][b]

After a few years, she lived on the Brodess farm with her mother and siblings.^[2][8] In the early 1840s, her father was emancipated and received 10 acres of land following Anthony Johnson's death. She was married in 1844 to John Tubman,^[3][4] at the same time, she changed her given name, becoming Harriet Tubman.^[2] Realizing she was to be sold following her enslaver's death, Tubman escaped in 1849, when she was 27 years of age.^[4][8][c] A conductor on the Underground Railroad, she made 13 return trips over 10 years to lead her parents, siblings, and friends to freedom.^[4][6]

In March 2021, archaeologists excavated what they determined to be the site of Ben Ross's cabin. They found artifacts from the 1800s, including broken dish ware, glass, a button, and nails.^[2][d] In April 2021, it was said that the site was to be added to the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Scenic Byway. It is a scenic drive with more than 30 stops over 125 miles.^[2]

See also

• List of Underground Railroad sites

Notes

1. A historic marker, located on Maryland 397 near Bucktown states: "Tubman was called 'The Moses of Her People' because of her courageous work on the Underground Railroad. She helped more than 300 slaves escape to freedom."^[6][7]
   
   Some people take this to be a marker for her birthplace. The most recent information by historians is that she was born in 1822, in her father's cabin on Anthony Thompsom's farm at what is now Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge, and moved with her mother and siblings to the Brodess farm (near the placement of the marker) when she was several years of age.^[2][3][5][8] Further defining her year and place of birth, Anthony Thompson hired a midwife in March 1822 for Harriet "Rit" Ross, taken in conjunction with the timing of her sibling's life events.^[5]
   
   Dates of birth were typically not recorded for enslaved people. In addition, most parents were unable to record key events. They did not celebrate their birthdays.^[9]
2. The coordinates are based upon this description. There is no United States Geological Survey (USGS) record for the Harriet Tubman birthplace. There is, though, a record for Peters Neck, which is 38°27′54.44″N 76°12′45.8″W
3. She may have escaped by following a trail or by following the Transquaking River north of Bucktown to Choptank River about 15 miles from the farm.^[6]
4. Patricia C. Guida received the 2008 Heritage Researcher award for her research into the 2,167 acre farm owned by Anthony C. Thompson, which is mentioned in Harriet Tubman's autobiographies.^[10]

References

1. Holtz, D.; Markham, A.; Cell, K.; Ekwurzel, B. (2014). "Monument to Harriet Tubman's Legacy Is Vulnerable to Rising Sea Levels". National Landmarks at Risk: How Rising Seas, Floods, and Wildfires Are Threatening the United States' Most Cherished Historic Sites. Union of Concerned Scientists. pp. 10–12. JSTOR resrep00036.9. Retrieved May 26, 2021. {{cite book}}: |journal= ignored (help)
2. "Historic Find: Archaeologists discover home of Harriet Tubman's father". The News Journal. 2021-04-25. pp. A26. Retrieved 2021-05-26. Ross and his family were enslaved on the Thompson farm, where Tubman was born in 1822. Tubman and her mother were enslaved by the Brodess family a few years later and forced to move away from the Thompson farm.
3. "Inspiration along Tubman byway". The Atlanta Constitution. 2017-03-09. pp. E4. Retrieved 2021-05-26. The exact date of her birth is unknown, but historians generally agree that Tubman, who had eight siblings, was born Araminta Ross in 1822 to Benjamin and Harriet (Rit) Greene Ross, taking on her mother's first name when she married in 1844. Many have incorrectly cited her birthplace as Bucktown. She was actually born in nearby Peters Neck, on a farm owned by Anthony Thompson, a medical doctor and timber magnate, and was later moved to Bucktown.
4. "Harriet Tubman (U.S. National Park Service)". www.nps.gov. Retrieved 2021-05-26.
5. Larson, Kate Clifford (2009-02-19). Bound for the Promised Land: Harriet Tubman: Portrait of an American Hero. Random House Publishing Group. pp. xiv, 16, 18–19, 297, 305. ISBN 978-0-307-51476-9. On March 15, 1822, Anthony Thompson paid a midwife $2 to assist Harriet "Rit" Green in childbirth.
6. "Underground Railroad - Special Resource Study - 42 UGRR sites" (PDF). National Park Service. pp. 49, 146, 166. Retrieved 2021-05-25.
7. "Birthplace Marker of Harriet Tubman". VisitMaryland.org. Retrieved 2021-05-26.
8. "Presidential Proclamation -- Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Monument". whitehouse.gov. 2013-03-25. Retrieved 2021-05-26.
9. "Tubman, part 2". The Star-Democrat. 2002-07-30. p. 10. Retrieved 2021-05-28. Part 1 of the article.
10. "ESHI salutes individuals, organizations". The Kent Island Bay Times. 2008-12-03. p. 12. Retrieved 2021-05-26.

Further reading

• "Senate Report 112-105 - Harriet Tubman National Historical Parks". www.govinfo.gov. Retrieved 2021-05-26. Born circa 1822 as an enslaved person in Dorchester County, Maryland.

• Holt, Dustin. "National historical park considered for Tubman". My Eastern Shore Maryland. Retrieved 2021-05-26. Harriet Tubman was born enslaved in 1822 in Dorchester County... the Anthony Thompson home site at Peters Neck, where Tubman was probably born.

External links

• Clues of Harriet Tubman's birthplace found in Dorchester County, WBAL-TV 11 Baltimore on YouTube

38°28′36.07″N 76°12′56.11″W