ARCHER ALEXANDER

Greenup Slave Revolt

In 2019, my research of Archer Alexander led me to follow his pathway from Virginia to Missouri, in hopes of understanding his experiences on that journey better, and perhaps find more information. My source was William Campbell’s journal of that journey, a day by day account, which shared the following on September 12, 1829.

Passed by the spot where two negro traders had been murdered by their chained slaves 2 or 3 weeks before. The torn fragments of their clothes were scattered about, the bushes beat down, the grass and leaves torn up, and other marks of a violent contest. Seven of the negroes are in jail and six of them will be hanged. We crossed a steep mountain, the dividing line between the Greenup and Lewis Counties, came down the valley of Montgomeries Creek and again came to the Ohio River. Traveled several miles down the river to Vanceburg, a small trifling village, on the Ohio River, of 14 houses. Saw a steamboat packet going the river, We encamped 1/2 mile above the town, near some salt furnaces which make about 100 bushels per day.*

September 12, 1829 – Seventeenth Entry

This brief account of a group of freedom seekers seeking to escape, moved me to investigate the incident further. An earlier post ( https://archeralexander.blog/2023/09/12/12-september-1829/ ) carries much more of the story.

History happened and we are all part of a much bigger story. History is bigger than all of us. There are more than 800 sites on the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom, and the Greenup Slave Revolt story is another one of them. https://www.nps.gov/orgs/1205/index.htm

Source

*This is the journal of William Campbell (1805-1849) leading four families from Lexington, in Rockbridge County, Virginia to St. Charles County Missouri, written in 1829. Among the enslaved is Archer Alexander, born in 1806. This journal is located in the collections of the Leyburn Library, Special Collections and Archives, located at the Washington and Lee University, in Lexington, Virginia, and for which we are deeply indebted to Lisa McCown. Editor and author is Dorris Keeven-Franke. The next journal entry is September 13…https://archeralexander.blog/2023/09/13/13-september-1829/

The burial location of Archer Alexander at St. Peter’s U.C.C. Cemetery in St Louis at 2101 Lucas and Hunt Drive was added to the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom in September 2023.

Dorris Keeven-Franke
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3 responses to “Greenup Slave Revolt”

  1. mnaeemnash Avatar
    mnaeemnash

    Dear Ms. Keevan, While I’ve found your entries about Archer Alexander interesting, they have brought up feelings of curiosity, anger, sadness and hope. Archer’s pathway from Virginia to Missouri, from the start, made me curious about who the man was and a possible connection he may have had to my ancestor, William B. Nash, who was born in Va. in 1822, but was taken away from Va. to S. Carolina at around 13 years old. He was the slave of William Campbell Preston, a S. Carolina state senator.

    Reading your entries that referenced the racial violence of that period sparked feelings of anger and sadness. They are not easy to read. Since I was very young, almost anything that references Muhammad Ali, gave me a feeling of pride and even hope as a young African American. The public image of this single historical figure may have even been responsible for my conversion to Islam in 1986.

    I have a question regarding Archer’s pathway from Va. to Mi and William Campbell’s journal. WCP, the state senator I reference in the first paragraph, was the owner of WBN, my ancestor, who also became a S.C. State Senator after the Civil War. WCP died in 1860, a year before the start of the CW. My question: I’m wondering if your William Campbell is the same William Campbell Preston who owned William B. Nash?  And, if so, how did WCP acquire ownership of WBN? Was this by inheritance? Thank you for the opportunity to comment and ask a question. Mikal Naeem Nash, 9-27-25

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    1. Dorris Keeven-Franke Avatar
      Dorris Keeven-Franke

      William Campbell who authored the journal was not William C Preston, but may have been a relative. William Massilon Campbell was the son of Stephon LeGrand Campbell and Sally Alexander of Lexington, Rockbridge County, Virginia, born 1806, and died in St. Louis MO in 1859. However, he DID have relatives with the surname of Preston, and naming practices back then could suggest a cousin. Thank you for your comments. Contact me directly if you want to discuss further.

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  2. mnaeemnash Avatar
    mnaeemnash

    Thank you, Ms. Dorris! Will do. Mikal Naeem

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