William Green was a slave in the 19th century. He wrote a narrative of his life as a slave, and his subsequent escape from his master. His narrative was published in 1853. There is currently no record of his date of birth.

Childhood

William Green was born in Oxford Neck, Maryland

Maryland

Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...

. He was born three months before his mother was freed and so he was brought into the world a slave. At the death of his mother's old mistress he became the property of Mr. Nicholas Singleton. Mr. Singleton was planning on going to New Orleans and he was going to take the young William with him. William's mother did not want him to go that far south, so she managed to convince Mr. Singleton to sell William to Edward Hamilton. A man who William described in his narrative as: "...one of those quiet, peaceable kind of people, who mind their own business, and let other people's alone." William came into Mr. Hamilton's possession at the age of eight.

A New Master

When Mr. Hamilton's daughter Henrietta Hamilton

Henrietta Hamilton

Lady Henrietta Martha Hamilton was the wife of Sir Charles Hamilton, Governor of Newfoundland, and is best known for her miniature portrait entitled Mary March. The painting is a watercolour on ivory of Demasduit and it was painted in 1819 at St. John's while she lived with her husband during his...

 married some years later, William became a part of her dowry

Dowry

A dowry is the money, goods, or estate that a woman brings forth to the marriage. It contrasts with bride price, which is paid to the bride's parents, and dower, which is property settled on the bride herself by the groom at the time of marriage. The same culture may simultaneously practice both...

 and was given to her husband Dr. Solomon Jenkings. William found the doctor to be a very mean-spirited man when compared to Mr. Hamilton and openly opposed him on some occasions. William was safe from any punishment the doctor may have inflicted on him however. Because William was Henrietta's favorite slave and she would berate her husband for harming him. William's opposition to the doctor included ignoring his commands, sneaking out at night to watch "Husking Matches", showing up late for work, and on one occasion, savagely beating the doctor when he cracked a whip at William. William was not safe forever as Henrietta soon died and he no longer had the protection from her husband that he once had.

Escape

One day the doctor ordered William to retrieve a box from the local jail, and to bring it back to him in a wheelbarrow. William new full well what the doctor was planning and went off on his errand. He did not go to the jail and instead went to a friend where he hid for a few days and planned his escape. He and two other slaves decided they would make their way to Philadelphia by crossing the countryside and catching a boat along the Delaware river

Delaware River

The Delaware River is a major river on the Atlantic coast of the United States.A Dutch expedition led by Henry Hudson in 1609 first mapped the river. The river was christened the South River in the New Netherland colony that followed, in contrast to the North River, as the Hudson River was then...

. From there they would catch another boat to New York and attain their freedom. The night they departed they paddled across a small river and started heading north towards a friend who could help them to the boat known only as "Aunt Sarah". When they arrived at her house she was not there and they needed to catch the boat that day or else it would be about a month before it would return. To their dismay William and his companions missed the boat but were told that they could catch it if they ran another five miles up the river. They managed to overtake the boat and the captain hauled them on. It took two days to reach Philadelphia, and another two on a separate boat going to New York. After reaching New York they were harbored by Dr. Osgood until he could find them a place to work.

Later life

Thirteen years later William was working a stable job and had gotten himself married. His narrative gives no information as to whom he married and what job he was holding down but he did state he was doing well and been "...blessed with four fine children." The date of his death is unknown.