A Brief Biography Of Margaret Garner

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Margaret Garner, an enslaved African American woman in pre-Civil War America, was born on June 4, 1834, at Maplewood plantation in Boone County, Ky. Her parents were slaves belonging to the owner of Maplewood, so this made her a slave from the moment she was born. When she was old enough, she became a household domestic, waiting on the family and performing cleaning chores.
Her married master A. K. (Edward) Gaines forced her into a relationship with him. People said he was more than likely the father of at least two of her children.
Garner became widely known when she and her family rebelled against their bondage and made a brave escape to freedom. In the winter of 1856, she and her husband Robert, their four children, and Robert’s parents carried out their bold plan. The family fled the plantation and got away by crossing on foot the frozen Ohio River from Covington, Ky., to Cincinnati, Ohio. They sought out their family friend, a black freeman named Elijah Kite, for protection. He turned to noted Quaker abolitionist, Levi Coffin, for help. Many referred to Coffin as the president ...

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