Cass County

The landscape of 19th Century Cass County was one of natural prairies, fertile soil, flowing streams, small inland lakes, abundant wildlife and hearty woodlands. A population of indigenous Native Americans was present and had lived there for centuries. In the late 1820s, the land, which was offered at affordable price, became tempting to early settlers. Many of these settlers were abolitionists and members of the Society of Friends, also known as Quakers. These Quakers settled near an area known as Young's Prairie, in Penn, Calvin and Porter Townships of Cass County. In the 1830s, free Blacks also began to purchase property in Calvin Township, in search of agricultural opportunities. With both of these populations in such close proximity and forging peaceful relationships, the area became a haven for African Americans escaping enslavement in the American South. Many stayed, living and working in the community, while others continued onto other destinations. The township of Calvin became a thriving community with African American churches, organizations, businesses and integrated schools.

The Quaker community also assisted those escaping enslavement, by offering temporary use of land and resources in exchange for manual labor. One such settlement, known as "Ramptown" on Young's Prairie, was owned by Quaker James Bonine. Bonine offered 5-10 acre plots of wooded land in exchange for manual labor for a 5-10 year period. While the individuals cleared wooded land for potential farmland, they could construct a home, have animals or gardens, hold other jobs, as well as a variety of other community functions. When the time period of 5-10 years had passed and the land was cleared, the individuals would vacate the cleared land, moving somewhere else.

The community wasn't always peaceful. On at least two separate occasions, enslavers arrived in Cass County in an attempt to re-enslave individuals who had escaped from plantations in Kentucky. These events resulted in highly publicized court proceedings that influenced the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850. The Kentucky Slave Raid of 1847 is undoubtedly one of the most highly publicized events in Cass County history. In the years leading up to the raid, the number of enslaved blacks escaping Kentucky increased. Rogers suggests that in particular, Bourbon County, Kentucky, had a particularly large number of escaping individuals who were destined for freedom via the Quaker Line. Abolitionists William Jones and Wright Maudlin frequented Bourbon County, Kentucky, bringing enslaved men and women back with them to Michigan. Frustrated with the constant loss of their property to Jones, Maudlin, and others, and in an attempt to recover their lost investments, Kentucky planters banded together in hopes of retrieving their slaves, rumored to be living amongst the Quakers in Michigan.

In August of 1847, several Kentucky enslavers arrived in Cass County to retrieve what they considered to be their human property that had escaped to the region. The group of thirteen men broke into smaller parties and proceeded to various settlements, including the Bogue, East, Osborn, and Shugart properties in a successful attempt to capture escapees. Word of the kidnapping spread quickly, and numerous people gathered to stop the Kentuckians. A confrontation ensued and the Kentuckians brandished weapons. William Jones disarmed a man who drew a revolver on him. The Quakers present at the confrontation were credited with calming the situation before it escalated into further violence. The Kentuckians agreed to a trial in Cassopolis. Jones then forced one of the Kentuckians to dismount his horse to allow one of the kidnapped women to ride the four-mile journey to Cassopolis. Jones, who insisted on being shackled to the woman, coerced another Kentuckian to carry one of the small children who was kidnapped. Upon arriving, the Kentuckians were jailed for "their own safety" and the group of individuals they had kidnapped was removed to a nearby tavern.

In a three-day trial the Kentuckians were required to prove that the individuals they kidnapped were indeed their property. In the meantime, the nine individuals who had been kidnapped, along with nearly forty other escapees, assembled at the home of Ishmael Lee and then traveled from Cass County to Canada with UGRR conductor Zachariah Shugart. The Kentuckians, losing the trial, returned home empty handed. They regrouped and filed an appeal with the U.S. Circuit Court for the Eastern District in Detroit, suing several individuals and abolitionists who derailed their efforts to capture their former slaves. They were hoping to recover the monetary value of the escapees, legal fees, and expenses for undertaking the raid. Despite several court delays and problems, a settlement was reached between D. T. Nicholson, a local abolitionist supporter, and the Kentuckians for $2,755. Legal fees absorbed most of the award and the Kentuckians did not receive any of the settlement.