Rhodes Family Incident

Rhodes Family Incident (HMII2)

Location: Westfield, IN 46074 Hamilton County
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Country: United States of America
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N 40° 3', W 86° 7.791'

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Inscription
Side A:
In 1837, an enslaved family of three escaped from Missouri; settled six miles north of here 1839 with name Rhodes. In 1844, Singleton Vaughn arrived at their home to claim them; family resisted until neighbors arrived. Vaughn agreed to take family to Noblesville for trial. In route, a crowd stopped Vaughn, demanding the family be taken to Westfield.
(Continued on other side)

Side B:
(Continued from other side)
Urged on by the crowd, driver of wagon carrying family sped to Westfield; family escaped before wagon reached town. Vaughn sued some in crowd, for interfering with his right to reclaim slaves. In Vaughn v. Williams, 1845, jury found defendants not guilty, finding Rhodes family had been freed when a previous owner moved them to Illinois, a free state.
Details
HM NumberHMII2
Series This marker is part of the Indiana: Indiana State Historical Bureau Markers series
Tags
, , ,
Marker Number29.2008.1
Year Placed2008
Placed ByIndiana Historical Bureau, Division of Historic Preservation and Archeology, Indiana Department of Natural Resources, and the Town of Westfield
Marker ConditionNo reports yet
Date Added Saturday, October 18th, 2014 at 4:06am PDT -07:00
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Locationbig map
UTM (WGS84 Datum)16T E 574222 N 4433669
Decimal Degrees40.05000000, -86.12985000
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 40° 3', W 86° 7.791'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds40° 3' 0.00" N, 86° 7' 47.46" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Area Code(s)317
Closest Postal AddressAt or near 205 W Hoover St, Westfield IN 46074, US
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