Wilmont Kreis

Detroit Leaders and Abolition:
In 1850, Detroit was a relative hotbed of the Abolition Movement. Slavery, even in the early days had been rare. The Northwest Ordinance of 1787 made Michigan a slave-free territory, and it was admitted to the Union as a slave-free state in 1837. Of course as with everything, the populace was not in unanimous agreement. However, the leaders of Detroit were historically vehement abolitionists, especially the women. Interestingly, its French-Canadian citizens were frequently in agreement, they had rarely owned slaves in the past and tended to obstruct anything that was or had been popular with the English-Americans. As a result the movers and shakers of early Detroit and its poorer French-Canadian farmer citizens became strange bedfellows. Read More 

The Blackburn Affair:
An early scene in Book Six is a famous piece of Detroit history from 1833, years before the Fugitive Slave Act. It seems a black couple, Thornton Blackburn and his wife, Ruthie had come to Detroit as runaway slaves a few years before. They had become members of the community and Thornton had a cart with which he did errands and odd jobs. Things were good until a southern sheriff arrived with a warrant for their arrest. You will need to read the book to get the wonderful details but suffice to say, the Blackburns make a daring escape to Canada aided by the abolitionists of Detroit. From there they went to Toronto where he formed the first taxi company in the Canadian city. I feel that with this event, a gauntlet was thrown down on the streets of Detroit where it would remain for years to come. Read More 

Abolition was a powerful movement in pre-Civil War Detroit, although it was not necessarily popular with the entire population. Among the proponents were a group of city leaders and their wives. As a result, Detroit was one of several northern cities that became places of refuge for runaway slaves. Initially, once a slave reached a slave-free state or territory, they were generally safe. But the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 changed everything. Now a slave could only be free by leaving the country, i.e. escaping to Canada. Detroit became one of several U.S. cities to play a major role in the Underground Railroad, both because of geography and a group of citizens faithful to the cause. Read More 

THE ALLARDS BOOK SIX: THE MEDALLION, covers the period 1833-1859, a very interesting time in the history of Detroit. The predominate thread is the abolition question and the underground railroad with its work smuggling runaway slaves across the border into Canada. As a boy I heard my Grandmother’s family tell stories of slaves hidden in barns, but my interest became acute during a special exhibit at the Detroit Historical Museum. Reading a collection of documents of the time, I happened upon a list of French-Canadian women, active in the movement. Scrolling down the list name hit me like lightning, Madame Balard (not to confuse with Allard). Elizabeth Balard was my Grandfather’s great-great grandmother. Born Elizabeth Thomas to a English man married to a French-Canadian Detroiter, she is “Mimi” Balard in the book and one of the most outrageous and loveable characters of the story.  Read More