The Kidnapped and the Ransomed: Being the Personal Recollections of Peter Still and His Wife Vina, After Forty Years of Slavery (Classic Reprint)

From a quiet doorstep to a life spent fighting for freedom, this is the true story of one man’s years in slavery and his bold quest to reunite with his family.

A careful, humane account that sheds light on the harsh realities of slavery while highlighting endurance, courage, and practical steps toward liberty. The work presents a historical narrative drawn from a remarkable life and offers readers a clear window into the experiences of enslaved people and the people who aided them.

In a sequence of vivid episodes, the book follows Peter Still—from his early childhood through years of bondage in Kentucky and Alabama, to the steps he takes to secure his own freedom and eventually rescue his loved ones. It combines personal testimony with social context, illustrating how ordinary acts of kindness and steadfast resolve can shape extraordinary outcomes.

• Realistic portraits of slavery’s daily life and the long road to freedom.
• Insights into relationships between enslaved people and their enslavers, and the role of allies.
• Snapshots of 19th-century American life, law, and abolitionist currents that influenced the journey.
• A narrative that centers family, resilience, and the pursuit of liberty.

Ideal for readers drawn to historical narratives of courage, perseverance, and the fight for human rights.

"Mrs. Pickard's ability to turn Peter Still's life into a narrative that faithfully reflected the miseries and the horrors of plantation slavery places it among the outstanding accounts of slave life."--Maxwell Whiteman, in his introductory essay