Wallace Turnage (1846-1916) was one of the slaves from the South who escaped to freedom in the North. Turnage was born in North Carolina, the son of a fifteen-year old slave and a white man. His narrative describes his teenage years during which he was sold multiple times and made repeated attempts to run away. He finally succeeded in his attempt and lived the rest of his life in New York and New Jersey, working as a waiter, janitor, glass blower and watchman.

Turnage's narrative of his early life was kept by his daughter, Lydia Turnage Connolly (1885-1984). After her death, it was held privately for nearly 20 years. Turnage's narrative is now available to scholars and provides a means to understand the experience of slavery through the eyes of a young man. To read a portion of Turnage's narrative, click here.

Image, top: Wallace Turnage, n.d.; and image, right: Lydia Turnage Connolly, n.d. The Historical Society of the Town of Greenwich.