Harriet Tubman

Araminta Harriet Ross (later known as Harriet Tubman) was an African American who escaped from slavery on a plantation and became a conductor of the “Underground Railway” as well as an abolitionist, humanitarian, and a Union spy during the American Civil War. She is known as the most famous conductor of “Underground Railway.” Araminta Ross was born in Dorchester County, Maryland in 1820 (exact date not known) to enslaved parents Harriet “Rit” Green and Ben Ross. Her mother, Harriet Green, was a slave to Mary Pattison Brodess. Her father, Ben Ross, was owned by Anthony Thompson, who later married Mary Brodess. Araminta was of the eleven children born to Harriet and Ben. Three of Araminta’s sisters were sold to different plantations owned by the family when she was young and her youngest brother was almost sold to trader, but luckily wasn’t due to a plea made by mother, Harriet. As a slave’s child, Araminta began to work at a young age for her parent’s owners as a nursemaid. As a nursemaid she would stay up all night to make sure the baby wouldn’t cry and wake up the mother. If Araminta fell asleep on the job, she would have been whipped by the mother. After being a nursemaid, Araminta became a house servant and when she turned 11 she decided to change her name to Harriet, her mother’s name, to show her coming of age. At the age 12, she joined her family working in the fields; there she learned to identify herbs and plants. During her childhood, Araminta or “Minty” (a nickname from her parents) was often beaten by her owners and suffered permanent physical injuries due to these punishments. One of these injuries that stayed with her for life was scars from a lashing she took one day before breakfast. Her most severe beaten happened ...

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...r home and built a wooden structure that served as her home for the aged and indigent. The home was called the Harriet Tubman Home for Aged and Indigent Negros. She worked here until her death in 1913. Before she died, Tubman donated her home for the elderly to the Methodist Episcopal Zion Church. Tubman died on March 10, 1913, and was buried with military honors in Fort Hill Cemetery. The town of Auburn honored Tubman by declaring a one-day memorial to her on her first year death anniversary and by unveiling the Harriet Tubman Plaque, which remains on display at the entrance of the Cayuga County Court House. Her other honors include the Liberty Ship Harriet Tubman, christened by Eleanor Roosevelt in 1944, a civic holiday in her honor, a postage stamp released by the federal government bearing her name and image, and Freedom park, a park in honor of Tubman in Auburn.