by Alvin Oickle
In a previous review of a book, The Hippocrene Guide to the Underground Railroad, I mentioned meeting and learning about a great-great-great uncle of mine, Jonathan Walker, who was branded in 1844 for attempting to help slaves escape Florida to the Caribbean. Since then, I have learned that this title was written about him, as well as Mr. Walker writing his own book, Branded Hand : Trial and Imprisonment of Jonathan Walker.
The author of this title, Alvin Oickle, was a journalist and his journalistic background is in evidence. He masterfully weaves the life of Jonathan Walker into the times in which Mr. Walker lived. He refers to Jonathan Walker's book as well as other primary sources to relate what Jonathan Walker saw, felt, and believed - in Massachusetts as well as in Florida. The fact that Jonathan Walker grew up in Massachusetts - both an anti-slavery state (John Adams from Boston wanted slavery eliminated when the Declaration of Independence was written) and a center of maritime commerce - serves to launch Mr. Walker's career as "Savior to the Slave." The book gives a masterful balance between the man and his times.
It is sad that not many people know of Jonathan Walker's sacrifice. Thanks to Alvin Oickle, it won't be forgotten.
Jonathan Walker:
The Man With the Branded Hand
Interviewed by John Hoh
Q: What prompted you to write about Jonathan Walker?
A: I was in Florida on vacation in 1991 when I ran across a reference to a sailor from Harwich, Massachusetts, who had been branded by a federal marshal in a Florida court. I lived in Harwich on Cape Cod at the time, and couldn't wait to get home. The library there had nothing on Walker. I began looking around and found Walker's own small record, "Trial and Imprisonment of etc." That he was unknown, and that such an atrocity (Frederick Douglass's word) should have occurred intrigued me. I am a writer, and I couldn't resist getting the full story.
Q: What did you learn in your research?
A: Walker lived through most of the 19th century, so my research covered that amazing period between Washington and Lincoln, and beyond. I discovered in American history so many fascinating and unfamiliar (to me) facts and anecdotes that I determined to put Walker in the full context of his time. In a way, you might say, I was showing off what I had learned, but reviewers have consistently remarked on how "full" this information makes the biography.
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