Ellen Craft (1826–1891) and William Craft (September 25, 1824 – January 29, 1900) were American abolitionists who were born into slavery in Macon, Georgia. They escaped to the Northern United States in December 1848 by traveling by train and steamboat, arriving in Philadelphia on Christmas Day.

Freedom seeker and abolitionist, Ellen Smith Craft notably disguised herself as a sickly, White gentleman in order to escape to freedom. Born in 1826, Ellen Smith grew up as the daughter of a White slaveholder and an enslaved mother in Clinton, Georgia. 1 Due to this parentage, she appeared "almost white." According to her husband William Craft,

Jun 16, 2010 · One of the most ingenious escapes was that of a married couple from Georgia, Ellen and William Craft, who traveled in first-class trains, dined with a steamboat captain and stayed in the best...

Feb 28, 2020 · In 1848 William and Ellen Craft blurred the lines of race and gender in order to escape slavery.

Growing up enslaved in Macon, Georgia, William and Ellen Craft hoped to one day escape. In December 1848, they devised a plan to disguise Ellen, who had lighter skin, as a sickly white male slaveholder, with William as "his" faithful enslaved man.

William and Ellen Craft Foundation is preserving and amplifying the historical legacy of William and Ellen Craft who escaped from slavery outside of Macon, Georgia in December of 1848.

2 days ago · Ellen Craft (l. 1826-1891) was born in Clinton, Georgia, to a light-skinned slave and her White master, and so was light-skinned herself and could pass as a White woman. William Craft (l. 1824-1900) was born in Macon, Georgia, where Ellen arrived in the company of her new mistress after the wife of her previous owner presented her to her ...

Feb 3, 2023 · Ellen and William Craft posed as master and slave to escape bondage. Their great-great-granddaughter, a civil rights activist, reflects on their legacy.

Dec 3, 2007 · William and Ellen Craft were born into slavery. William was born in Macon, Georgia to a master who sold off his family to pay his gambling debts. William’s new owner apprenticed him as a carpenter in order to earn money from his labor.

Ellen and William Craft escaped from slavery in Macon, Georgia to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in four days. Their story of traveling in the open, on railroad and steamship through five slave states was remarkable.