RUSHVILLE, Ohio – Several of the graves in Fairfield County’s Pleasant Hill Cemetery date back to the 1800s and the Underground Railroad.
- History’s Underground Railroad had stops throughout Ohio, as fugitive slaves from the south moved north toward freedom.
- Many of those slaves never made it, and now their journey and final resting spots are remembered in the town of Rushville and their stories remembered around the state.
- Pleasant Hill Cemetery is the final resting place for Joe Selby, Dr. Simon Hyde, and several members of the Hanby family.
Among them is the grave of Joe Selby, a freedom-seeking slave from Kentucky.
“He and another slave by the name of Nelly Gray had been given permission to get married. Nelly was sold very suddenly at a slave auction, so Joe had escaped, hoping he could get across the state of Ohio, reach Canada where he could live as a free man, earn enough money to go back to Georgia --find Nelly and buy her freedom,” says Civil War Historian Steve Ball.
Joe passed away just a few days after he reached Rushville, under the care of Dr. Simon Hyde, who treated many freedom seekers of the time.
Today, a marker shows the spot where Selby and seven others died in their quest for freedom.
Civil War historian Steve Ball spearheaded the drive for donations.
"I always kinda had it in the back of my mind, it would be great to get a group of folks together and come up with a way that we could mark this spot. Course their names, the dates are unknown and they will be unknown but to God. At least we have something here to let everybody know they existed, they passed through here,” says Ball.
In 1856, Selby's story was immortalized in the powerful anti-slavery anthem “Darling Nelly Gray” written by Benjamin Hanby, son of Dr. Hyde's friend, Bishop William Hanby.
“Benjamin's father was an absolute crusader for the abolition of slavery in our country and for helping these people, for keeping them hidden and making sure they had safe passage getting across the state. That was a federal crime to help an escaped slave, with the 1850 Fugitive Slave Act. So they had a lot on the line,” says Ball.
This past week, two dozen descendants of the Hanby family from all across the country gathered in Westerville, some 50 miles from Rushville and the homestead of Benjamin Hanby to share old photos and stories. They also visited the newly marked grave in Rushville.
“I hope they see the rich history they come from and it gives them a moment to pause and think about how their lives have been shaped by the family history behind them,” says Hanby House Director, Pam Allen.
Hanby descendant Diana Sanders of Iowa and Miller descendant Jeff Mason of Michigan made the trip to Ohio for this year's ceremonies.
“To know that we were part of this is amazing to me. I work really hard at keeping it going, knowing that we've made a big contribution to the country,” says Sanders.
“I really want my children, grandchildren, and descendants further on down to be able to remember who their ancestors are and what they did, how they were important and kind of weaved into the landscape of America,” says Mason.
Historians and Hanby family members agree; the new grave marker is an appropriate gesture for those who gave their lives in search of freedom.
“I get concerned when history is pushed aside. If we don't know our history, then we don't know how we got here. How do we know who we are and how we became the way we are,” says Allen.
For more information on the Hanby House: http://hanbyhouse.org/