Born into slavery on a Maryland farm, Josiah Henson fled with his family to Ontario. Avid readers of his 1849 memoir included Harriet Beecher Stowe, who acknowledged its influence on Uncle Tom's Cabin.
Josiah Henson (1789-1883) was an author, abolitionist, and minister. Born into slavery in Charles County, Maryland, he escaped to Upper Canada (now Ontario) in 1830 and founded a settlement and laborer's school for other fugitive slaves.