Connect with us

New Hampshire

The enslaved girl who found freedom in New Hampshire’s oldest historic house

Published

11 months ago 

on

Wikimedia Commons/Greencan7

Isabelle Tilley’s Four Decades in America’s Oldest House

Isabelle Grimes fled Virginia at just twelve years old, riding the Underground Railroad to New Hampshire in search of freedom.

Yet instead of the promised education, she washed clothes for white families and slept in barns. Life got even harder when the 1850 Fugitive Slave Act put a price on her head.

Still, she built a life, married fellow escapee Jacob Tilley, and raised five children.

In 1897, she moved into America’s oldest house – the Richard Jackson House – where she lived for forty years, paying just $1 weekly rent.

The historic home stands today as a powerful reminder of one woman’s extraordinary journey to freedom.

Wikimedia Commons/Eyre Crowe

Shackles to Freedom: Isabelle Grimes’ Early Life in Virginia

Isabelle Grimes was born a slave around 1825 in Richmond, Virginia.

From birth, she lived under Virginia’s tough plantation system where slaves had no rights to their bodies or futures. Her childhood was filled with hard work, family breakups, and fear.

Like other slave children, Isabelle faced a future of endless service, though she later heard she might get schooling if she went north with her owner’s son.

Wikimedia Commons/Internet Archive Book Images

Midnight Journeys on the Underground Railroad

Around 1840, twelve-year-old Isabelle left Virginia, heading north through the secret network called the Underground Railroad. Thousands of slaves risked their lives on these dangerous paths each year.

Helpers moved runaways between safe houses marked with quilts, lanterns, or other secret signs. Isabelle likely hid in barns, moved at night, and lived in fear of getting caught.

Family stories tell how her owner’s son brought her north with empty promises of schooling and better treatment.

Wikimedia Commons/Ruger, A.; Stoner, J. J.; D. Bremner Co.

Broken Promises in the "Free" North

Freedom wasn’t what Isabelle expected. Instead of school, she washed clothes for white Portsmouth families, her small hands sore from harsh soap and cold water.

She slept in barns and sheds until she got a tiny shack around age 14. The "free" North gave little real freedom to a young Black girl alone.

She worked long hours as a house servant, saving pennies for basics while white bosses paid her less than white workers.

Wikimedia Commons/Scan by NYPL

Love Blooms Against All Odds

Jacob Tilley met Isabelle in Portsmouth sometime in the 1860s. Like her, Jacob had run from slavery, risking everything for freedom in New Hampshire.

They bonded over shared pasts – both knew the fear of being chased, the tiredness of always being on guard, and the struggle to build new lives in the North.

Their bond grew despite the challenges they faced as Black Americans in a divided society.

Wikimedia Commons/Daderot

A Family Takes Root in Portsmouth

Isabelle and Jacob married and made a home filled with children’s laughter despite their struggles. They had three daughters and two sons.

Jacob lovingly raised Isabelle’s son Clarence as his own.

The Tilleys built what many former slaves saw as the ultimate dream – a stable family with children who would never know slavery. They taught their kids how to survive while sharing family stories.

Wikimedia Commons/Internet Archive Book Images

Federal Law Puts Freedom at Risk

The 1850 Fugitive Slave Act hit the Tilley family hard. This new law let slave catchers grab escaped slaves even in free states like New Hampshire.

Anyone who helped runaways could get six months in jail and a $1,000 fine. Officials got more money for sending people back to slavery than for freeing them.

Many Black families ran to Canada as slave catchers searched Northern cities. The Tilleys stayed but lived in fear of losing everything.

Shutterstock

Clarence Carries a Complicated Heritage

In 1870, Isabelle had a son named Clarence from a relationship with George Fisher, a white man who lived nearby.

Mixed-race children faced tough challenges after the Civil War, often rejected by both white and Black communities.

Despite these problems, Clarence grew into a respected man who later played a key role in his family’s tie to the historic Jackson House.

His life showed the complex racial issues in New Hampshire, where racial lines existed even in the "free" North.

Wikimedia Commons/Greencan7

America’s Oldest House Welcomes the Tilleys

Mary Jackson Brown made an unusual choice in 1897 when she rented the Richard Jackson House to Clarence and Isabelle Tilley. Built in 1664, this wooden house was the oldest standing home in New Hampshire.

Eight generations of the white Jackson family had lived there before the Tilleys moved in. Seeing a Black family in this colonial landmark showed changing times, though still rare in New England.

The Tilleys took care of the historic property while making it their home.

Wikimedia Commons/InAweofGod'sCreation
Shutterstock

Dollar-a-Week Rent and a Garden to Tend

Isabelle paid just $1 weekly to rent her small house on the Jackson property until she died in 1937.

She kept a beautiful vegetable garden into her 90s, growing tomatoes, beans, and herbs using methods passed down through generations. Local newspapers noted her as Portsmouth’s oldest resident.

She often told visitors about meeting President Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War, a memory she treasured.

Her small home became a gathering place where she shared family recipes and stories with children and grandchildren.

Shutterstock

Her Story Lives On in Portsmouth Today

Isabelle Tilley died in 1937 after living more than 80 years in freedom. Her journey spanned from slavery through Emancipation, Reconstruction, and into the modern era.

Family oral histories preserved her remarkable story for future generations.

Isabelle represents thousands of formerly enslaved people who found new lives in New Hampshire despite overwhelming odds. Her connection to the Jackson House links America’s colonial past with its complex racial history.

Today, visitors to Portsmouth can learn about both the Jackson family and the Tilleys who called America’s oldest house their home.

Shutterstock

Visiting Richard Jackson House, New Hampshire

You can visit the Richard Jackson House at 76 Northwest Street in Portsmouth to learn about Isabelle Tilley’s escape from slavery through the Underground Railroad.

She lived in America’s oldest house for over 80 years, even after the 1850 Fugitive Slave Act made it more dangerous. The house is open June through October on 2nd and 4th Saturdays from 11:30am to 2:30pm.

Admission costs $10 for adults, with discounts available.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

Read more from this brand:

Related Topics:

John Ghost is a professional writer and SEO director. He graduated from Arizona State University with a BA in English (Writing, Rhetorics, and Literacies). As he prepares for graduate school to become an English professor, he writes weird fiction, plays his guitars, and enjoys spending time with his wife and daughters. He lives in the Valley of the Sun. Learn more about John on Muck Rack.

Trending Posts