Skip to content

Biography · History & Culture

Francis Jackson (kidnapping victim)

1817–

United States

BIOGRAPHYPortrait not availableExplore the life, work and source references.
Visit the source record ↗

Biography

Francis Jackson (born between 1815 and 1820), also known as Frank Jackson, was an African-American victim of kidnapping into slavery. He was born free, but enticed into helping to drive horses to Virginia, a slave state, and was sold into slavery in early 1851. Besides escaping a number of times over seven years, there were three legal cases fought in Virginia and North Carolina. It seemed to be settled with the Francis Jackson vs. John W. Deshazer case when he was ruled to be free in 1855, but he was held as a slave until 1858. Jackson lived a continual cycle of being sold to new slaveholders, running away, getting caught, and then being returned to his latest owner. He was sold to as many as 12 slaveholders in Virginia, South Carolina, and ultimately in Moore County, North Carolina.

Sources & collection details

Wikipedia contributors — original record ↗

Black heritage reference ↗

Biography text · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source checked 2026-10-20

Continue exploring Series 1

Slavery, Resistance & Freedom →

Explore all Series 1 cards →