THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD IN CEDAR COUNTY
The State Historical Society of Iowa's has a collection which includes county-level inventories of people and places associated with the Underground Railroad. The following have been identified as associated with the Underground Railroad in Cedar County.
(**) indicates the individual has been researched by the Iowa Freedom Trail Project and a biographical form is on file at the State Historical Research Center in Des Moines.
For additional info visit the SHSI Underground Railroad in Iowa Collection online at
https://history.iowa.gov/history/research/collections/featured-topics/underground-railroad-iowa
Transcribed and submitted by Lynn McCleary, February 22, 2018
Abolitionist: One who either demanded the immediate abolition of slavery or who showed ferocious hostility to the institution of slavery. Individuals who were both antislavery and abolitionist are listed only as abolitionist.
| ** | Alden, Rev. Ebenezer | Tipton ~ Congregational / Iowa Band |
| ** | Butler, Rev. Pardee | Disciples of Christ ~ Posten's Grove |
| ** | Byers, Moses Watson | Farmington Township |
| ** | Casebeer, John | Center Township, Tipton Vicinity |
| ** | Casebeer, Jonathan Jr. II | Sugar Creek Township |
| ** | Casebeer, Lurenda Humphrey | Center Township, Tipton Vicinity & Sugar Creek Township |
| ** | Cattell, Jonathan W. | Springdale Township & Tipton |
| ** | Church Moses B. | Rochester Township |
| ** | Cross, Rev. Moses Kimball | Tipton Congregational |
| ** | Daniels, Samuel Pitkin | Tipton |
| ** | Gue, Benjamin | Posten’s Grove Vicinity |
| ** | Gue, David | Tipton |
| ** | Hay, Lucinda Humphrey | Tipton |
| ** | Huber, John S. | Tipton Vicinity |
| ** | Humphrey, Aaron Case | Tipton Vicinity |
| ** | Humphrey, Ann Maria | Center Township Tipton Vicinity |
| | Heald, Wilson | Springdale |
| | James, Thomas | Springdale |
| ** | Kent, James Marshall | Clarence |
| ** | Kent, Mary Ferguson | Clarence |
| | Kirk, Wilson T. | Springdale |
| ** | Leonhardt, Charles F. W. | Springdale/West Branch |
| | Leonhardt, Esther Lewis | Springdale/West Branch |
| ** | Lewis, Griffith | Springdale/West Branch |
| ** | Maynard, Joshua | Tipton |
| ** | Maynard, Mary Smith | Tipton |
| | Maxson, Jonathan | Springdale/Peedee Vicinity |
| | Rood, Emmor | Springdale |
| | Shaw, Alonzo | Tipton |
| ** | Spicer, Wells | Tipton |
| ** | Thompson, John | Rochester Township |
| ** | Wiggins, William | Tipton |
| ** | Wolf, Judge William P. | Tipton |
| ** | Wright, Col. Ed | Springdale |
Anti-Abolitionist: One who opposed the abolition of slavery—this could include slave owners, slave catchers, states' rights supporters, or anyone who simply opposed the views of abolitionists and other anti-slavery people.
| ** | George Frain | Rochester |
Anti-Slavery: One who disliked slavery but did not necessarily demand the immediate abolition of slavery. Individuals listed as anti-slavery were not known abolitionists.
| ** | Casebeer, Susan Long | Sugar Creek Township |
| ** | Gibson, Joseph M. | Springdale Township |
| ** | Gibson, Pamela Wright | Springdale Township |
| ** | Holtslander, Alonzo | Tipton |
| ** | Huber, Harriet A. Newell | Tipton Vicinity |
| ** | Posten, James | Posten’s Grove, Inland Township |
| ** | Posten, Rhoda Shaffer | Posten’s Grove, Inland Township |
| ** | Smith, Ethan | Center Township |
Associated with John Brown: One who assisted John Brown while he was conducting fugitive slaves out of Kansas and through Iowa during the 1850s. This could be direct help, financial assistance, or other networking.
| ** | Boynton, Benjamin L. | Tipton (wife was a relative of John Brown) |
| ** | Boynton, Mary Farnham | Tipton (relative of John Brown) |
| ** | Casebeer, John | Center Township, Tipton Vicinity |
| ** | Casebeer, Lurenda Humphrey | Center Township, Tipton Vicinity |
| | Coppoc, Barclay | Springdale/Peedee Vicinity |
| | Coppoc, Edwin | Springdale/Peedee Vicinity |
| | Coppoc, Joseph | Springdale/Peedee Vicinity |
| ** | Gibson, Joseph M. | Springdale Township |
| ** | Gibson, Pamela | Springdale Township |
| ** | Hay, Lucinda Humphrey | Tipton relative of John Brown |
| | Heald, Wilson | Springdale |
| | Hecht, Margaret E. Bossert | Tipton (claimed to be a student at Tipton Union when John Brown spoke at the school, this has not been verified yet) |
| ** | Humphrey, Aaron Case | Tipton Vicinity (relative of John Brown) |
| | James, Thomas | Springdale |
| | Kirk, Wilson T. | Springdale |
| ** | Leonhardt, Charles F. W. | Springdale/West Branch |
| ** | Lewis, Griffith | Springdale/West Branch |
| | Maxson, Elza | Springdale/Peedee Vicinity |
| | Maxson, William | Springdale/Peedee Vicinity |
| | Maxson, Thaddeus | Springdale/Peedee Vicinity |
| ** | Painter, John | Springdale/Peedee Vicinity |
| | Pearson, John | Springdale |
| ** | Posten, James | Posten’s Grove, Inland Township |
| ** | Posten, Rhoda Shaffer | Posten’s Grove, Inland Township |
| | Raley, Ann L. Coppoc | Springdale/Peedee Vicinity |
| | Raley, Joseph | Springdale/Peedee Vicinity |
| | Rood, Emmor | Springdale |
| ** | Taylor, Steward | West Liberty |
| | Tatum, Lawrie | Springdale/Peedee Vicinity |
| ** | Wright, Col. Ed | Springdale |
| ** | Wolf, Judge William P. | Tipton |
| ** | Varney, Charlotte | Springdale/Peedee Vicinity |
| ** | Varney, Moses | Springdale/Peedee Vicinity |
Station Agent/Conductor: One who worked as an Underground Railroad agent by hiding fugitive slaves in their homes, barns, or elsewhere on their property. One could be both a conductor and a station agent but not necessarily both.
| | Ball, Charles | West Branch (known activity was in Kansas and Missouri) |
| ** | Casebeer, John | Center Township, Tipton Vicinity |
| | Casebeer, Jonathan | Rochester Vicinity |
| ** | Casebeer, Jonathan Jr. II | Sugar Creek Township |
| ** | Casebeer, Lurenda Humphrey | Center Township, Tipton Vicinity |
| ** | Casebeer, Susan Long | Sugar Creek Township |
| | Cattell, Jonathan W. | Springdale Township and Tipton |
| | Coppoc, Barclay | Springdale/Peedee Vicinity |
| | Coppoc, Edwin | Springdale/Peedee Vicinity |
| | Coppoc, Joseph | Springdale/Peedee Vicinity |
| ** | Cousins, James | Red Oak Township |
| ** | Cross, Rev. Moses Kimball | Congregational Tipton |
| ** | Daniels, Samuel L. | Tipton |
| ** | Daniels, Simeon S. | Tipton |
| ** | Gibson, Joseph M. | Springdale Township |
| ** | Gibson, Pamela Wright | Springdale Township |
| ** | Gill, Dr. Henry | Springdale/Peedee Vicinity |
| ** | Green, William | Rochester |
| | Hoover, Rev. John Y. | West Branch |
| ** | Huber, Harriet A. Newell | Tipton Vicinity |
| ** | Huber, John S. | Tipton Vicinity |
| ** | Humphrey, Aaron | Tipton Vicinity |
| ** | Humphrey, Ann Maria | Center Township, Tipton Vicinity |
| ** | Leonhardt, Charles F. W. | Springdale/West Branch |
| ** | Lewis, Griffith | Springdale/West Branch |
| | Maxson, Delilah Bowland | Springdale/Peedee Vicinity |
| | Maxson, Elza | Springdale/Peedee Vicinity |
| | Maxson, Hannah Keislar | Springdale/Peedee Vicinity |
| | Maxson, Jonathan | Springdale/Peedee Vicinity See also Muscatine County |
| | Maxson, William | Springdale/Peedee Vicinity |
| | Maxson, Willard H. | Springdale/Peedee Vicinity |
| | Maxson, Thaddeus | Springdale/Peedee Vicinity |
| ** | Maynard, Dr. Joshua | Tipton |
| ** | Maynard, Mary Smith | Tipton |
| | McBride, Thomas | Springdale |
| | Minthorn, Dr. Henry J. | West Branch |
| ** | Painter, John | Springdale/Peedee Vicinity |
| | Peet, John | Yankee Grove |
| ** | Posten, James | Posten’s Grove, Inland Township |
| ** | Posten, Rhoda Shaffer | Posten’s Grove, Inland Township |
| | Raley, Ann L. Coppoc | Springdale/Peedee Vicinity |
| | Raley, Joseph | Springdale/Peedee Vicinity |
| ** | Safley, John | Red Oak Township |
| | Smith, Ethan | Tipton? |
| ** | Tatum, Lawrie | Springdale/Peedee Vicinity |
| | Tatum, Mary Ann Dean | Springdale/Peedee Vicinity |
| ** | Taylor, Steward | Springdale |
| | Todd, Shannon | Springdale/Peedee Vicinity |
| ** | Townsend, James | West Branch |
| | Townsend, Susannah B. Rogers | West Branch |
| ** | Varney, Charlotte | Springdale/Peedee Vicinity |
| ** | Varney, Moses | Springdale/Peedee Vicinity |
| ** | Wolf, Judge William P. | Tipton |
| ** | Wright, Col. Ed | Springdale |
| ** | Yule, Samuel | Red Oak Township |
Free African-Americans: One of a relatively small number of African-Americans who were not slaves. They may have been granted their freedom from their owners, bought their freedom, or by a grant of freedom from the state of residence.
| ** | Lett, Abraham Mixed race | Tipton |
| | Lett, John Mixed race | Tipton |
Freedom Seekers: A modern term to describe the same thing as the traditional term, fugitive slave.
| | Honesly, Albert | Tipton |
| | Jenkins, Thomas | Springdale |
| | Montgomery, Calvin | Tipton |
| | Potts, Andrew | Tipton |
| | Potts, Lucy | Tipton |
| | White, Alexander | Mechanicsville |
Unknown Status: People who have been identified as somehow connected with abolitionists, antislavery people, associates of Jim Lane or John Brown, anti-abolitionists, slaves, fugitive slaves, or bounty hunters/kidnappers/slave catchers, but whose identity has not been clearly established as falling in any of these categories.
| | Aikins, E. W. | Iowa Township |
| ** | Boynton, Benjamin | Center Township |
| ** | Boynton, Mary Farnham | Center Township |
| ** | Casebeer, Charlotte Goddard | Sugar Creek Township |
| ** | Casebeer, Jonathan III | Sugar Creek Township |
| ** | Clapp, Daniel P. | Tipton |
| ** | Humphrey, Aaron Gordon | Center Township, Tipton Vicinity |
| ** | Lett, Abraham | Tipton |
| | Lewis, J. D. | Not known |
| | Mitchell, Charles Warren M. | Tipton |
| ** | Randall, Laura Humphrey | Center Township |
| ** | Tuthill, John S. | Tipton |
Inventory of Places
| ** | African Methodist Church at Tipton |
| ** | Congregational Church at Tipton |
| ** | Gray’s Ford |
| | Gower’s Ford |
| | John Peet’s Mill |
| ** | Mechanicsville Railroad Depot |
| ** | North Liberty Cemetery |
| ** | Springdale |
| ** | Tipton Union School |
| | William Maxson House (non-extant) |
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