WHEN THE FIRST FREEDOM SEEKERS: CAME TO FORT WAYNE.

The article focuses on the 1799 escape of two enslaved African American men, Bill and John, from Kentucky to Fort Wayne, then a military and trading outpost in the Northwest Territory. Their arrival, documented in a runaway slave advertisement by Indian agent William Wells, represents the earliest known instance of freedom seekers reaching this region, predating previously held beliefs that such movements began decades later. Bill and John likely traveled along established trails through Ohio and Indian country, aiming ultimately for Canada, where slavery was being gradually abolished. The article also contextualizes Fort Wayne’s role as a frontier outpost and highlights the complex interactions among Indigenous peoples, U.S. military forces, and enslaved African Americans during this period.