Item is a one-page letter in manuscript ink on blue wove paper from Tom Elice (or Ellis), a runaway slave from Kentucky, to Mary Warner.
Mr. Elice's letter expresses both the excitement of his freedom and the pain of leaving his loved one behind. He writes of his new country, tells of catching up with mutual friends from home, and mentions that 'the girls' have joined the Methodist Church. He asks to be remembered to his former owners, William and Betsy Ellis of Falmouth, Pendleton County, Kentucky.
Written from Chatham, Ontario, the letter appears to be a reassurance of safety after a journey via the 'underground railroad' through Ohio and Michigan, so-called 'free states' that nevertheless were bound by the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850, requiring all law enforcement officials to return runaway slaves. Bounties were posted on Tom and his six fellow fugitives, according to donor information.
The misspelling of the Ellis name suggests that the letter was written by someone else.
For a more detailed description, use this link to the Archives of Ontario's descriptive database: http://ao.minisisinc.com/scripts/mwimain.dll/144/PROV/PROV/REFD+F+4536?SESSIONSEARCH
Elice (Ellis), Tom