Category Archives: Underground Railroad

Finding the Huggins Family

Posted on August 8, 2012 by Carrie Zeman

Last Friday morning, six inches of copies richer for having spent Thursday in the library of the Ohio Historical Society in Columbus, Lois and I headed south to Highland County, Ohio. The 1832-35 Highland County Court House, Hillsboro, Ohio Thanks … Continue reading →

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The Beacon on the Hill

Posted on August 7, 2012 by Carrie Zeman

High atop the bluff above Ripley, Ohio, stands the John Rankin House with its front windows looking out over the Ohio River Valley into Kentucky. A lantern placed in this window at night beckoned people fleeing slavery. The out-buildings are … Continue reading →

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Gathered at the River

Posted on August 4, 2012 by Carrie Zeman

Friday evening after two great days of research, we arrived in Ripley, Ohio, where hundreds of people have gathered to celebrate the 200th anniversary of its founding. I have no genealogical ties to Ripley. But as Mary Butler Renville’s biographer, … Continue reading →

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Dreaming in Digital

Posted on July 30, 2012 by Carrie Zeman

Lydia Pettijohn Huggins, who, last night, told me something in my sleep. Lydia was the daughter of abolitionists in Highland County, Ohio. She married Alexander Gilliland Huggins, the son of abolitionists, and hid a fleeing slave in their home at … Continue reading →

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