William Grimes (1784 – August 20, 1865) was an African American barber and writer who authored what is considered the first narrative of an American ex-slave, Life of William Grimes, the Runaway Slave, published in 1825,[1] with a second edition published in 1855.[2] Another revised edition was published by one of his descendants in 2008.[3]

Biography

Grimes was born into slavery in King George County, Virginia, in 1784.[4][5] His father was Benjamin Grymes, a wealthy plantation owner; Grimes' mother was a slave on a neighboring plantation. During his years of slavery, Grimes was owned by at least ten different masters, in Virginia, Maryland, and Georgia. He worked as a house servant, valet, field worker, stable boy, and coachman. In 1814, at the age of 30, Grimes escaped from slavery by stowing away on a ship that sailed from Savannah, Georgia to New York City.^{[citation needed]}

Grimes settled in New Haven, Connecticut, where he was a successful barber.[6][7] His clients included students from nearby Yale College and Litchfield.[7] Grimes married Clarissa Caesar in 1817. [8] Grimes' former master tracked him down and demanded that Grimes purchase his freedom with "my house and land, all I had," or else face arrest and re-enslavement.[6] Grimes had no choice but to pay, and wrote his memoir in hopes of recovering his finances.[6] Grimes fled New Haven to live in Litchfield, Connecticut due to his former master tracking him down. After living 4 years in Litchfield, Grimes moved back to New Haven. Where he lived the rest of his years. [9]

Grimes died on August 20, 1865, about 81 years old, in New Haven, Connecticut. On his death, his obituary was published as far away as Brooklyn, New York.[5]

Family

A great-great-great-granddaughter of Grimes, Regina Mason, was an editor of the 2008 edition of Grimes' book. Mason talked about her ancestor's life in an interview with Terry Gross on the Fresh Air radio program on January 18, 2016.[7][10] A 2017 film by Sean Durant entitled Gina's Journey: The Search for William Grimes documents her experiences of tracking down information about Grimes over a fifteen-year period. It includes reenactments of scenes from both Mason's and Grimes's lives with narration by Keith David.[11]

See also

• Fugitive slaves in the United States
• Slave narrative

Notes

External links

• Text of Grimes' memoir
• Grover, Kathryn (2001-07-12). The Fugitive's Gibraltar: Escaping Slaves and Abolitionism in New Bedford, Massachusetts. University of Massachusetts Press. pp. 86–92. ISBN 9781558492714.
• Gates, Henry Louis Jr.; Higginbotham, Evelyn Brooks, eds. (2004-03-23). African American Lives. Oxford University Press. pp. 357–358. ISBN 9780199882861.
• Gates, Henry Louis Jr.; Higginbotham, Evelyn Brooks (2008-02-18). African American National Biography. Oxford University Press. pp. 653–654. ISBN 9780195160192.
• Winter, Kari J. (Summer–Fall 2009). "Life of William Grimes, the Runaway Slave (review)". African American Review. 43 (2–3): 509–511. doi:10.1353/afa.2009.0027. S2CID 162046274.
• Snodgrass, Mary Ellen (2015-03-26). The Underground Railroad: An Encyclopedia of People, Places, and Operations. Routledge. pp. 235–236. ISBN 9781317454168.
• Hinks, Peter. "William Grimes". Underground Railroad. Oxford University Press. Archived from the original on 2016-12-03. Retrieved 2016-01-27.