Charity Still

American abolitionist

Charity Still, from a 1902 publication

Charity Still (c. 1765 – 1857) was an American abolitionist, and the matriarch of the American abolition movement. Her son William Still became a well-known abolitionist in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; her children Peter, James, John, and Mary played roles in the abolitionist movement. She is also known as Sidney Steel,[1] and Sidney Charity Still.

## Early life

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Sidney (later renamed Charity) was born enslaved in the eighteenth century on a plantation owned by Saunders Griffin in the Caroline County, Maryland.[1] When she was a child, their enslaver killed her father.[2]

Sidney met Levin Still (or Steel) while enslaved in Maryland. They had four children together before Levin bought his freedom and moved to Shamong Township, New Jersey.[3] She escaped with her four children, all very young, and reunited with Levin Still in New Jersey. A few months later, Charity and all the children were kidnapped and reenslaved in Maryland. On her next escape, she left behind her two sons, Levin Jr. and Peter, and reached New Jersey again with her two daughters, Mahalah and Kitturah. The older sons remained enslaved; one died from cruel treatment, and the other, Peter, eventually gained his freedom and reunited with Charity Still in 1850.[4] He purchased his freedom and was reunited with his mother in 1850. He lived the rest of his life in Burlington Township, New Jersey.

She gave birth to 18 children, and 4 of those children are assumed to have died at childbirth.[5]

## Life in the North

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Levin and Charity Still moved into a secluded area of the Pine Barrens, Shamong Township, New Jersey, where their other children were born to prevent another kidnapping. Their youngest son was William Still (c. 1821–1902), a Philadelphia businessman who worked with the Pennsylvania Society for the Abolition of Slavery. In his obituary in The New York Times, William was described as "The Father of the Underground Railroad".[3][6] The term "Underground Railroad" for the network of people, vehicles, and buildings used to aid people escaping slavery. He assisted hundreds of people seeking freedom. Another son, James Still, was denied formal medical training and worked as an herbalist healer in the African-American community.[7] James's home and medical office were located in Medford, New Jersey.

Charity Still died in 1857 at the age of about 92. One of Charity Still's granddaughters was William's daughter, Caroline Still Anderson (1848–1919), who became a physician.[3]

## References

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1. ^ a b "Sidney Still MSA SC 5496-015226". Archives of Maryland, Maryland State Archives. Retrieved 2024-10-04.
2. ^ James P. Boyd, William Still: His Life and Work to This Time, Extracted from William's Still The Underground Railroad Records ( Philadelphia: William Still Publisher, 244 South Twelfth Street,1886/ Republished by the South Jersey Culture & History Center, 2023). ISBN 9780997669954
3. ^ a b c Andrew Diemer, Vigilance: Life of William Still, The Father of the Underground Railroad. (Published Alfred A. Knopf, 2022) [1]ISBN 9780593534380
4. ^ Pickard, Kate E. R.; Furness, William Henry (1856). The Kidnapped and the Ransomed: Being the Personal Recollections of Peter Still and His Wife "Vina," After Forty Years of Slavery. W. T. Hamilton.
5. ^ "Family record ("Catalogue of Children of Leven Still and Charity his wife")". Special Collections and University Archives, Rutgers University Libraries. Retrieved 2023-02-20.
6. ^ "William Still Dead.; Negro Known as 'Father of the Underground Railroad' -- Once a Slave, He Died Very Wealthy.", The New York Times, July 15, 1902. Accessed February 18, 2025.
7. ^ Still, James Dr. Early Recollections and Life of Dr. James Still Dr. Early Recollections and Life of Dr. James Still (J.B. Lippincott & CO. 1877. Originally published by author./ Republished by South Jersey Culture & History Center, 2015)

## External links

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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Charity Still.

* Francine C. Still Hicks, A Girl Named Charity (Balboa Press 2015). ISBN 9781504327244. A picture book for young readers based on the life of Charity Still.
* Lurey Khan, William Still and the Underground Railroad: Fugitive Slaves and Family Ties (iUniverse 2010). ISBN 9781440186264

*[c.]: circa