Character guide

Josiah Henson

major

Also known as Father Henson, Henson, Rev. Josiah Henson, the said Josiah Henson

Born enslaved in Maryland, he turns remembered brutality into a lifelong testimony, becoming a preacher and Underground Railroad conductor in Canada.

Amos Riley

major

Also known as Master Amos, master Amos, Mr. Amos Riley, Riley, Mr. Amos, Amos Riley, poor Amos

A slaveholder whose whims and debts scatter Josiah's family, forcing the narrator to weigh obedience against the survival of those he loves.

Isaac Riley

supporting

Also known as Riley, old Riley, Isaac

Amos's brother and Josiah's immediate master, a man whose violence and financial ruin make every season on his farm a gamble with separation.

Charlotte

supporting

Josiah's wife, whose steadiness across forced separations turns a marriage into a quiet act of resistance and a destination worth escaping toward.

James Lightfoot

supporting

Also known as the James Lightfoot

A fellow enslaved traveler whose companionship on the road tests how much trust one man can extend to another under constant threat.

Mr. Francis Newman

supporting

Also known as Mr. Newman, Newman, Francis, Frank, Mr. Frank, Master Frank

The Maryland farmer who owns Josiah's father and later employs him, embodying the unreliable kindness that makes bondage feel almost bearable.

Samuel Gurney

supporting

Gurney belongs to the network of English abolitionists and Quaker reformers who receive Henson when he carries his community's freedom and its debts across the Atlantic. His wealth and reputation give Henson access to audiences and supporters he could never reach alone, yet the relationship rests on a delicate exchange: a self-taught fugitive must prove himself worthy of English charity while Englishmen measure his cause against their own reputations. He matters because he turns Henson's journey from a personal escape into a public mission, widening the story's horizon beyond the American South.

Bryce Litton

minor

Also known as Litton

A slave trader who purchases Josiah and takes him south.

Mr. Hibbard

minor

Also known as a Mr. Hibbard

A white man who hires Josiah and treats him relatively well.

Little Tom

minor

Also known as Tom, Thomas Binney, Rev. Messrs. Thomas Binney

A young enslaved boy who becomes a friend to Josiah in childhood.

David

minor

Josiah's brother, also enslaved, who appears early in the narrative.

Robb

minor

A fellow enslaved man on the Riley plantation.

Mrs. Riley

minor

Also known as Riley

Wife of Amos Riley, who manages the household slaves.

Mr. Frank Taylor

minor

A white man who assists Josiah during his escape.

Amos Lawrence

minor

Also known as Hon . Charles Sumner and Amos Lawrence , Esq . , of Massachusetts, Charles Sumner

A Massachusetts philanthropist who supports abolitionist causes.

Victoria

minor

Queen Victoria, mentioned in connection with Josiah's visit to England.

Dr. Josiah McPherson

minor

Also known as Dr. McPherson, Josiah, McPherson

A doctor who treats Josiah after a severe injury.

Lord John Russell

minor

British statesman who meets Josiah during his London visit.

Mr. Isaac

minor

Also known as Isaac

A slaveholder who briefly owns Josiah after a sale.