Basil Dorsey

Basil Dorsey (c. 1808 – February 15, 1872) was a self-emancipated slave born in Libertytown, Maryland. He fled to Bristol, Pennsylvania, and later moved to Florence, Massachusetts, where he lived for the remainder of his life. Early life in Maryland Basil Dorsey was born in 1808 in Libertytown of Frederick County, Maryland. He was known at the time as Ephraim Costly, and was enslaved by Sabrick Sollers. Dorsey married an enslaved woman named Louisa, and together they had two children while in Maryland, Eliza (born November 3, 1834) and John Richard (born May 18, 1836). Dorsey had been promised freedom upon Sollers' death, but when it came on July 17, 1834, Dorsey was instead purchased by Sabrick's son, Thomas Sollers, for $300 (~$ in ). Thomas Sollers offered to sell him his freedom for $350, but when Dorsey found Richard Cole, who agreed to be his bondsman for the sale, Sollers raised the price to $500. Cole encouraged Dorsey to escape by foot, and on May 14, 1836, he set out North with his brothers Thomas, Charles, and William. Thomas became a famous caterer in Philadelphia who had a son William Henry Dorsey who was an artist and major collector of Black history. William produced scrapbooks of articles and other materials that chronicled the lives of Black people in the 18th century.