The Case of Mary Gilmore: The Curiously Strange Yet True Case of Mary Gilmore, the Irish Girl Accused of Being a Runaway Slave and Captured on the Reverse Underground Railroad

The case of Mary Gilmore illustrates the social context of race in the 1800's. Abolitionist William Jay related Gilmore’s story in his 1838 pamphlet “The Condition of the Free People of Color.” An alleged fugitive slave from Maryland, Mary Gilmore was arrested in Philadelphia for being a runaway slave. Her parents were impoverished Irish immigrants. Her father had abandoned the family. Her mother had died an alcoholic in a Philadelphia hospital. As an infant, Mary had been taken in and raised by a prosperous African American family who owned a bakery in Philadelphia, which, according to Jay, perhaps explains the attempt by slave catchers to enslave her. Nowhere is any mention made of Mary Gilmore’s having any physical characteristics attributed to African Americans. Rather, she was part of an African American family, was therefore assumed to be African American, and thus became a target for kidnapping and enslavement in what is known as "The Reverse Underground Railroad." This biography was carefully put together from years of research into old newspapers, court documents, and other antislavery materials of the time. The book itself includes numerous primary source documents pertaining to this case. It was written by a professional researcher and librarian to support the numerous biography projects that our school age children are required to do for school assignments with a very narrow selection to choose from. Mary Gilmore's life is fascinating and a real page turner.