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Primary sourceNewspaper article3 October 1849

Three Hundred Dollars Reward Notice

Eliza Ann Brodess · 3 October 1849

An 1849 newspaper advertisement offering a reward for the return of 'Minty' (Harriet Tubman) and her brothers after they escaped slavery.

This notice documents Tubman's escape from slavery under the name 'Minty' and reveals how her enslaver described her.

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Scan of an 1849 newspaper runaway-slave reward notice headed 'Three Hundred Dollars Reward', offering rewards for three runaways named Harry, Ben and Minty, signed by Eliza Ann Brodess near Bucktown, Dorchester County, Md.
Reward notice for Harry, Ben and Minty (Harriet Tubman), Cambridge Democrat, 3 October 1849.

About this source

What it is

This is a runaway-slave reward notice printed in the Cambridge Democrat in October 1849. It was placed by Eliza Ann Brodess, who enslaved Harriet Tubman (called 'Minty' in the notice) and her brothers Harry and Ben, near Bucktown, Maryland.

Why it matters

The notice is one of the only surviving documents from Tubman's time in slavery, written from the enslaver's point of view. It shows how enslaved people were described as property, with physical details listed so they could be captured and returned. It marks the moment Tubman began her escape, which led to her later work on the Underground Railroad.

Look closer

  • Why does the notice describe people by physical features instead of their own words?
  • What does the reward amount tell you about how enslavers valued human beings?
  • Whose voice is missing from this document?

This newspaper article is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Harriet Tubman on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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