Harriet Tubman's family

Uncommon card · No. 147017

Harriet Tubman (1822–1913) was an American abolitionist and political activist. Tubman escaped slavery and rescued approximately 700 enslaved people, including members of her family and friends. Harriet Tubman's family includes her birth family, her two husbands, John Tubman and Nelson Davis, and her adopted daughter, Gertie Davis. Tubman's parents—Ben Ross and Harriett "Rit" Gene Ross—were enslaved by two different families. Their lives came together when Mary Pattison Broadness, Rita's enslaver, married Anthony Thompson. Ben Ross, enslaved by Thompson, met and married Rit Greene. They lived together until about 1823 or 1824 when Rit and their children went to the Brodess farm. Ben was a timber estimator and foreman, and Rit was a domestic servant. After Ben was freed, he bought his wife's freedom. Ben was a conductor on the Underground Railroad, and enslavers became suspicious of his role in escapes in the area. Tubman, having freed other family members, rescued her parents. After a short...

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