Solomon Northup was a free-born African American born in Schroon, New York on July 10, 1807. His father Mintus Northup was a slave who was owned by the Northup family in Rhode Island. When the Northup slaver family moved to New York, Mintus was eventually freed upon the death of his owner. Solomon’s mother Susannah was of mixed ancestry and was considered a quadroon. He and his older brother Joseph received an education as young black men at their father’s direction learning to read and write. During his coming of age, Solomon took interest in the fiddle learning to play.
Solomon met Anne Hampton and they married on December 25, 1828 at Fort Edward, New York. They soon after rented a room in the Old Fort House, at Fort Edward, New York, until they moved to Kingsbury in 1830. It was there that Solomon and Anne began a family having their two daughters Elizabeth then Margaret.
In the spring of 1834, they sold their farm and moved to the spa-city of Saratoga Springs, New York to better their employment opportunities- by applying her culinary expertise and his violin playing at coffee houses, hotels and private homes. More than a year after their move, Solomon and Anne welcomed their third and last child Alonzo into the family.
Life for Solomon and Anne Northup was pleasant and full as they sought work as the seasons changed to care for their family. Having lived in Saratoga for about seven years, Solomon earned himself a sound reputation as a man of character and for his talent with violin playing.
In March 1841, all that was familiar to Solomon would soon change. One winter day near to month’s end, local tavern owner Mr. Moon introduced him to two men who claimed to be with a traveling circus headed to New York City.
Merrill Brown and Abram Hamilton (a.k.a. Alexander Merrill and Joseph Russell) offered Solomon a nominal fee to travel to New York City and play his fruitful violin. Having considered their offer, and returning in a day’s time, Solomon departed without leaving word with his wife. Leaving spa-city with Brown and Hamilton, Solomon did not know what fate was in store.
Solomon arrived in Washington City (now Washington, D.C.) on the eve of President William H. Harrison’s funeral on April 6, 1841. To ward off suspicion of their true intent, Brown and Hamilton treated Solomon to a fine meal and drink. It was during this encounter that Solomon began to fall seriously ill.
Unable to care for himself and losing veritable consciousness, many hours would pass the night into morning before Solomon would awaken- chained in William Williams’ slave pen. Brown and Hamilton were slave catchers who had kidnapped Solomon and sold him to slave trader James H. Birch for $250. With plans to sell Solomon south, Birch forced him a new identity as Platt Hamilton– a runaway slave from Georgia.
It was from Washington City, Solomon’s journey into slavery began as he and 40 other human chattel were shipped to Richmond on April 27, 1841 aboard the slave ship Brig Orleans. Destined for New Orleans and the largest slave market in the south, the brig arrived at Port Orleans on May 24.
Full Citation: Slave Manifest for the Brig Orleans; 4/27/1841–5/24/1841; May 1841; Slave Manifests, 1817 – 1861; Records of the U.S. Customs Service, Record Group 36; National Archives at Fort Worth, Fort Worth, TX. [Online Version, https://www.docsteach.org/documents/document/slave-manifest-brig-orleans, May 25, 2023]
After arrival at New Orleans, Platt (Solomon) was taken to the slave pen of Theophilus Freeman. Shortly after his arrival he had taken ill and was diagnosed with chicken pox. Platt (Solomon) was hospitalized on June 1 for about two weeks at Charity Hospital. Upon his recovery, he was returned to Freeman’s slave pen where he was sold to planter William Ford on June 23, 1841 for $1,000. Ford collected his slaves and returned home to Rapides Parish.
Citation: Notarized act of sale of Harry, aged about twenty; Platt [Solomon Northup], aged about twenty-three; and Dradey [Eliza], aged about twenty, by Theophilus Freeman of New Orleans to William Prince Ford of Rapides Parish June 23, 1841; Notarial Archives Division, Dale N. Atkins, Clerk of Civil District Court, Parish of Orleans
Platt (Solomon) worked Master Ford’s plantation in the Great Pine Woods until 1843. That same year, he was sold for $1,500 to Edwin Epps in Bayou Boeuf where he would spend nearly twelve years illegally enslaved on central Louisiana sugar and cotton plantations, serving as a slave driver many of those years. As a slave driver, Northup’s chief responsibility was to get the maximum productivity from the slaves, many times whipping them harshly to get the desired work completed. Yet there were times that Northup risked losing his favored status as a slave driver when he faked or—at times—refused to whip other slaves.
In the winter of 1842, Platt (Solomon) was sold by Master Ford to John Tibaut (Tibeats) for a chattel mortgage of $400. Platt (Solomon) described him as “cowardly and malignant tyrant”. On April 9, 1843, William Ford sold Solomon to Edwin Epps and under his ownership he would remain until his rescue.
In June 1852, Platt (Solomon) was introduced to Canadian carpenter Samuel Bass, who had been employed by Master Epps to build him a new house, and he was assigned to assist him. During the time in which Bass and Solomon interacted, it became clear to Solomon that Bass could be trusted with learning of his condition as a kidnapped free man. Through his learning of Solomon’s extreme discourse, Bass consented to get word to Solomon’s family and friends in the North. As promised, Bass wrote on August 15, 1852 three letters to the Collector of Customs at New York City, friend Judge Marvin and to shopkeepers Cephas Parker and William Perry all of Saratoga Springs indicating Solomon’s present state and whereabouts. Over the course of the next several months, Bass had concluded his work on the Epps property and moved onward to other work. It was not first without promising to Solomon he would return at Christmas to learn if his family & friends in New York had received the letters. Bass kept his word and returned, yet, no word from the North had been received and no one had arrived to rescue Solomon from such misery.
Unknown to Solomon, his letters had been received and his wife Anne had quickly sought out slaver relative and attorney Henry B. Northup for help. It was on the November 23, 1852, New York Governor William Hunt, under the seal of the State, “constituted, appointed, and employed Henry B. Northup, Esq., an agent, with full power to effect” Solomon’s restoration, and to take such measures as would be most likely to accomplish it, and instructing him to proceed to Louisiana with all convenient dispatch. A law established in May 1840, known as “An act more effectually to protect the free citizens of this State from being kidnapped or reduced to slavery” permitted Hunt to act upon such findings made known to Henry of Solomon’s kidnapping.
Henry, a relative of the family that had owned Solomon’s father, traveled south to gain Solomon’s release. “He left Sandy Hill, in New York, on the 14th of December last, and came to the city of Washington, and stated the facts of the case to Hon, Pierre Soule, of Louisiana; Hon. Mr. Conrad, Secretary of War, from New-Orleans, and Judge Nelson, of the Supreme Court of the United States, and other gentlemen. They furnished Henry B. Northup, with strong letters to gentlemen residing in Louisiana, urging their assistance in accomplishing the object of restoring the man to freedom. From Washington, Henry B. Northup went, by the way of Pittsburg and the Ohio and Mississippi rivers, to the mouth of the Red River.”
On January 1, 1853, Henry B. Northup, acting as Agent of the State of New York by appointment of Governor Hunt arrived at Marksville. There he employed local attorney John P. Waddill to assist him in locating the whereabouts of Solomon Northup unknowing that his identity had been forcefully changed. Waddill notated in his diary business engagements with Henry Northup. Henry and Waddill’s brother searched Bayou Boeuf for Solomon daily. It was a discussion on politics and the mention of Free Soilers and Abolitionists that Waddill mentioned Sam Bass as such an eccentric creature. Upon locating Bass, Henry inquired of his knowledge of Solomon and said “I last saw him Christmas, a week ago to-day. He is the slave of Edwin Epps, a planter on Bayou Boeuf, near Holmesville. He is not known as Solomon Northup; he is called Platt.”
On January 4, 1853, Edwin Epps, with his counsel, came to Marksville and called upon Mr. Henry Northup, who exhibited to them the commission which he had received from the Governor of New-York, and the evidence in his possession relating to the man’s being a free citizen of New-York.
Epps’ counsel, after examining it, stated to his client, that the evidence was ample and satisfactory; that it was perfectly useless to litigate the question further, and advised him by all means to deliver the colored man up, in order that he might be carried back to the State of New-York, in pursuance with the Governor’s requisition. An article was drawn up between the claimant and Mr. Henry Northup, the counsel for the colored man, and recorded in accordance with the laws of the place, showing that the colored man was free.
Solomon’s status as a free citizen of New York had been legally authenticated and Epps’ claims to his chattel property were null and void. Never to be called Platt again- Solomon and Henry B. departed Marksville for New York and stopping in New Orleans.
Having departed Marksville within hours of his being freed, Henry and Solomon stopped at New Orleans to where Recorder Genois issued free papers for Solomon’s return journey to New York. Their passage north would include stops at Charleston, Richmond, Washington City, Philadelphia, New York City, Albany, Sandy Hill (now Hudson Falls). On January 22, 1853, after more than 11 years of wrongful enslavement, Solomon arrived home in Glens Falls, NY and reunited with his family.
In the months that followed his return home, Solomon’s enslavement became national news with front-page headlines of the New York Daily Times (New York Times) stating, “The Kidnapping Case. Narrative of The Seizure and Recovery of Solomon Northrup. Interesting Disclosures” and published on January 20, 1853.
His wicked and profound experience enthralled Abolitionists who encouraged him to write an account of his years in bondage. And only weeks after his rescue, he began to work with local lawyer and fledgling writer, David Wilson, to write a book. His best-selling memoir Twelve Years A Slave was published on July 15, 1853 by Derby & Miller of Auburn, NY, for which he was paid $3,000 to forfeit his rights of ownership. The sales and his fee allowed his family to enjoy a modest life for a time.
Solomon Northup became a leading face of the movement against slavery. He wrote two plays titled ‘The Free Slave,” which were performed around New England in 1854-55. In March 1855, he appeared before the Massachusetts Legislature at Boston on Senator Sumners anti-slavery campaign alongside enslaved Anthony Burns and a young slave girl Mary Mildred Botts otherwise known as Little Ida May. During the period of 1854-55, he brought his kidnappers Alexander Merrill and Joseph Russell to trial in Ballston Spa, NY. To his dismay, the court hearings became twisted in delays and the men went free with only a minor jail stay.
Solomon continued to speak on anti-slavery platforms throughout the North and into Canada. It was reported that after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed in 1863, Solomon visited a Vermont minister while helping other slaves to freedom on the Underground Railroad. In the years to follow, his whereabouts was unaccounted for leaving the date and place of his death unknown to present day. A tribute to Solomon is affixed to the headstone of his father in Hudson Falls, NY.