To free a family : the journey of Mary Walker

To Free a Family tells the remarkable story of Mary Walker, who in August 1848 fled her owner for refuge in the North and spent the next seventeen years trying to recover her son and daughter. Her freedom, like that of thousands who escaped from bondage, came at a great price--remorse at parting without a word, fear for her family's fate.

• Prologue: A Secret Striving p. 1
• 1 Reluctant Runaway p. 9
• 2 Sanctuary p. 31
• 3 "In the Midst of Friends" p. 52
• 4 "Never Reject the Claims of the Fugitive" p. 78
• 5 The Rescue Plot p. 90
• 6 "A Spirit Like a Dove" p. 117
• 7 A Season of Silence p. 134
• 8 "A Case of Heart Breaking Distress" p. 151
• 9 If They Die for Their Freedom, Amen p. 166
• 10 "The Welfare of Her Race" p. 191
• 11 "To Part No More" p. 217
• Epilogue: "Their Works Do Follow Them" p. 253
• Notes p. 263
• Acknowledgments p. 309
• Index p. 317