Runaway Advertisements
In colonial America’s earliest years, those with runaway slaves, indentured servants, apprentices, military deserters, escaped prisoners, husbands, wives, or children had to rely on broadsides or word of mouth to advertise a reward for their return. Unsurprisingly, few such broadsides (and no words of mouth) survive. With the advent of colonial newspapers in the early to mid-18th century, however, runaway ads began appearing there with great regularity. Thankfully, many of those papers have been preserved, along with personal details that are rarely found in any other source.
The typical runaway ad is somewhat like this one from the Carolina Observer in Fayetteville, North Carolina:
$25 Reward. RANAWAY from the Subscriber, on the 6th inst. [instant; the present month] fourteen miles below Asheville, N C., a negro man named JIM. He had on when he left, a pair of light red Pantaloons, light mixt Coat, with a Round Jacket over it; he is about 5 feet 10 inches high, has a fierce look, a naked forehead, and has lost some of his teeth, which affects his speech. He was carried from Duplin County, N. C., and will aim to get back again. The above reward will be paid to any man who will apprehend and lodge him in any Goal [Gaol/Jail] so that I get him again. For the above reward apply to J. P. Smith, of Wadesborough, N. C.
Some advertisements, however, include more remarkable details. We learn, for example, that apprentice John Shopman not only ran away in 1767, but that he spoke “very broad Yorkshire, being lately come over.”[2] We learn that the Welsh servants John Owens and Francis Nuttle were “both Perriwig-makers,” in 1752, “but may pretend to be sailors.”[3] And we learn that “a Negro man, named Jacob, belonging to Mr. George Wray of Albany . . . Broke Bridewell [escaped jail]” in 1764, “lately had the Small-Pox, and is very much Pock-broken,” and that he spoke “good English, some French, a little Spanish, but little or no Dutch.”[4]
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About Author
Aaron Goodwin
Aaron is a genealogist and house historian specializing in New York City research across all time periods, from the Dutch colonial era to the 20th century. His book, New York City Municipal Archives: An Authorized Guide for Family Historians, won the National Genealogical Society’s 2017 Award for Excellence: Genealogical Methods and Sources. He is also editor of NGS Monthly, former contributing editor of the New York Genealogical and Biographical Record, and former editor of the Pennsylvania Genealogical Magazine. In 2011, he received the American Society of Genealogists’ Scholar Award.
Thank you, Aaron! Sprightly prose, valuable information.
I’ll be honest, I had never thought of looking at “runaway” advertisements in regards of tracing family roots. That’s a fantastic idea and I’m glad you wrote about it! Here’s hoping I remember that trick when I need it.
A runaway advertisement recently provided a clue that’s helped me solve the biggest roadblock I’ve encountered in my many years of researching. I had an elusive relative that showed up in Pennsylvania records in 1761, but no idea who his parents were or where he came from. Information gathered from the advertisement, combined with other documents, allowed me to put it all together. My particular “runaway” was an indentured servant and the ad provided the information that he was Irish, a tailor, and it showed who and where he was indentured. More importantly, my elusive relative was listed as the person who would pay the reward for his return. I was able to connect the two men and find the “runaway” in Florida records from the late 1770’s that mentioned his parents and subsequently supported my other documents regarding where I thought my ancestor came from and who his parents might be. A fortunate find for sure!