Solomon Harness, a son of John Harness (one of old Michael Ernst's sons) owned a fairly extensive plantation in Wood County, VA in the 1840's, and some of his slaves escaped. It is an interestng story and has historical significance:

Solomon Harness (born about 1772 in VA or PA ; died in September,1850 in Wood County, VA) purchased 1800 acres of land on Bull Creek in Virginia (located near present day Waverly in Wood County, WVA) in 1810. The land had once belonged to George Washington, first president of the United States.

Solomon owned from 30 to 40 adult slaves and he kept them busy year around on his plantation, raising tobacco, corn, flax and wheat.

About the time Solomon purchased the land that became known as the Solomon Harness Plantation, a man named Ephrian Cutler of Constitution, Colonel John Stone of Belpre and some other Washington County residents began to encourage slaves on various Virginia plantations to escape by helping them move north where they would eventually cross Lake Erie and find freedom in Canada.

This practice of helping runaway slaves became known in U.S. history as the Underground Railroad. No one is quite sure exactly how many runaway slaves crossed the Ohio river from Virginia and Kentucky over a period of about 60 years, but estimates range from 25,000 to 50,000. The Ohio river was much different then than it is now. It was not nearly as wide and during the dry season the river level in places often dropped to a depth that allowed runaway slaves to actually wade across it.

The Underground Railroad era in Ohio lasted from about 1800 to 1863. During that time Washington County, Ohio bordered Wood County "western"Virginia, along the Ohio river boundary between the North and the South. The Ohio river was the Mason-Dixon line.

On or about August 23, 1843, eleven slaves escaped from the Solomon Harness Plantation, crossing the Ohio river. Among the escapees was a 50 year old slave woman named Jane and her seven children, ranging in age from 25 down to 16. Two of the men were caught the day after the escape and it is believed that another slave drowned.

However, with the help of Daniel Strawther, a slave from down river in Williamstown,VA named Josephus, and a white abolitionist from Marietta, Ohio named David Putnam,Jr., Jane and her children all made good their escape. Jane's story has been made into a book entitled "The Escape of Jane."

There were relatively large rewards posted around the area for fugitive slaves. In1843, Solomon Harness advertised a reward of $450 for the return of the 8 slaves who escaped from his plantation. That is $450 multiplied by 15 at today's economy! Even people who had no feelings about slavery one way or another, were constantly on the look out for fugitive slaves, just to collect the reward. Due to the fact that slave owners had the right to come into "free" or "Northern" states and bring back their slaves if they could find them, generally speaking fugitive slaves didn't hang around the Ohio River after they had crossed. Once across the river, conductors on the Underground Railroad escorted them to a station that was located 10 to 15 miles from the river on the first night. The following night they continued north as fast as they could, continuing to travel at night and hiding during the day

A Day in the Life of a Slave on the Solomon Harness Plantation in Va about 1840

The following account of a slave's life on the Solomon Harness Plantation in Virginia about 1840 is part of information entitled "Along the Mason-Dixon line by Henry Robert Burke. It has been one of the chief obsession's of Mr. Burke's life to document information about slaves in the mid Ohio river valley. Here is his account:

I first visited the Harness Farm when I was 13 years old. I became acquainted with Bill Harness, he lived in the old house on the left going south on Rt. #2 , just before the Pleasants/Wood County line near the bridge over Bull Creek. Gave me my first real clue that there were ever any slaves in the Mid-Ohio River Valley of "western" Virginia. Since that time I have pursued nearly every story associated with slavery here, that I could find.

I also know/knew Douglas Foley, a fine gentleman, but have not heard from him for a few years. Himself a former teacher, Doug also told me a great deal about Solomon Harness, his ancestor who founded the Harness Plantation at Bull Creek According to Doug, the old log house was occupied by Solomon Harness's slave blacksmith.The original farmhouse and the slave quarters are long gone, but Doug showed me the spot where they had been located.

A Day in the Life of a Slave on the Harness Plantation

The slaves were required to be in the field in the mornings, as soon as it was light, and with the exception of ten or fifteen minutes, which was given them at noon to swallow their allowance of cold bacon, they were not permitted to be idle for a moment until it was too dark to see. When the moon was full, they often labored till the middle of the night. They did not dare to stop even at dinner time, nor return to the quarters, however late it might be, until the order to halt had been given by the overseer. The day's work in the field over, the last tobacco leaves were all tied to sticks, loaded on the wagon and sent to the tobacco sheds, where the leaves were then hung up to cure. No matter how fatigued and weary the slaves may have been; no matter how much he/she longed for sleep and rest; if the slaves had not fully performed all of their appointed tasks, he/she would suffer. And if he/she had somehow exceeded at some task, in all probability the overseer would measure the next day's task accordingly. So, whether the slave has done too little or too much, the approach to the overseer was always filled with fear and trembling. Most frequently the slaves that had done too little, were the least anxious to leave the fields. After the days work had been measured, followed the whippings administered by the overseer to those he suspected of shirking their tasks.

This done, the labor of the day was not yet ended, by any means. Each slave must then attend to his additional chores. One slave had to feed the mules, another the swine- - another slave cut the wood, and so forth. Finally, at a late hour, the slaves reached their quarters, sleepy and overcome with the long day's toil. Still a fire had to be kindled in the cabin, the corn ground in the small hand mill, then supper and dinner had to be prepared for the next day in the field. The only food allowed them was corn and bacon, which was given out at the corncrib and smoke- house every Sunday morning. Each slave's weekly ration was three and a half pounds of bacon and enough corn for a peck of meal. That was all! No tea, coffee, sugar, and with the exception of a very scanty sprinkling now and then, no salt!

An hour before day light a horn blows the call to labor! The slaves arose, quickly prepared their breakfast, filled their gourds with water, in another gourd deposited their dinner of cold bacon and corn cake, and hurried to the fields before daybreak. It was an offense that incurred a flogging, to be found in or near the slave quarters after daybreak. Then for the slaves, the rigors of another day, and until its close there was no such thing as rest.

In the month of October, generally, the tobacco season was completed. Then commenced the work of clearing land, sawing and stacking the timber, loading firewood and lumber on the riverboats. Then when spring returned, came the plowing, planting, suckering tobacco plants. Summer brought hoeing corn, pulling weeds, burning stalks, drawing and cutting wood, making clothing, fattening and killing hogs were but incidental labors. If work ever grew slack, the slaves were hired out to work for farmers across the Ohio River in Ohio, where owning slaves was illegal. For most slaves, work occupied everyday of the four seasons of the year except sometimes on Sundays!

Given what slaves had to endure, it is small wonder that escape was on the mind of every slave. But closely watched, the opportunity to escape didn't come easily. Slaves on plantations near the Mason-Dixon Line in "western" Virginia, were more fortunate than slaves in other parts of the South, for the tracks of the Underground Railroad ran right up to the door of the slave quarters!