one enslaved family's incredible struggle for freedom
John Weems, a former slave, was a peaceable hard-working farmhand. His wife, Arabella, and their seven children were slaves of Adam Robb who allowed the family to live together under the same roof for a price. When Robb died in 1847, his debt-ridden heirs cared more about the family's auction value than keeping them together. As John watched, they were sold and split apart. He resolved to buy all of them back before they left the area forever. As the news spread, the family's plight captured the imagination of abolitionists in the United States and Britain. In the meantime, they did not wait for John to accumulate the money to purchase their freedom and many of them attempted escape. The Weems' story has been painstakingly researched by the Canadian author, himself a descendant of former slaves who made it to Canada.
