Once again free, Kitty and her children returned to Adam’s County in Pennsylvania after spending the winter in Loudon County, Virginia.[1] In 1847, Kitty was remarried to a man named Abraham Brian who had three children of his own. Abraham and Kitty had two more children together (the last did not live long), and around 1850, Kitty passed away.[2]
Kitty’s story lives on today through her descendants. It is a story that has been orally passed down through the generations. One of Kitty’s descendants, her great granddaughter Mary Goins Gandy, wrote a book Guide My Feet, Hold My Hands, with the written story of Kitty Payne.[3] In 2007, some of Kitty’s descendants gathered together beginning in Gettysburg and then going to Rappahannock County to learn more about Kitty and to see the places Kitty had been.[4] They were able to see houses Kitty had lived in, where she was buried, the farmhouse Kitty grew up in, and the jail Kitty and her three children stayed in.[5] In 2008, Kitty’s great-great granddaughter, Sandy Kasabuske, returned to do more research on Kitty.[6] She saw a Quaker friendship quilt that Kitty’s daughter Mary (Kasabuske’s great grandmother) had signed.[7] Kasabuske also returned to Bendersville, Pennsylvania in 2010 to be a part of the re-enactment of Kitty’s kidnapping and the opening display of the marker that was made in memory of Kitty Payne.[8]
Kitty’s story is a story that is similar to many of the slaves at this time. The slaves, like any other person, wanted to be free and not owned by other people. Slaves would attempt escapes while others were granted their freedom. However, being a free slave was not easy. As seen with Kitty’s story, freed slaves still encountered legal issues and fears of being kidnapped. Even though Kitty’s story is not thoroughly and abundantly documented, her story still lives on through her descendants who will never forget the story of their ancestor.
Lee, Honoring Their Paths, 242.
__________________________ [1] Lee, Honoring Their Paths, 35. [2] Bishop, “Slave to Freewoman and Back Again,” 98-100. [3] “The Rappahannock Story: African American Heritage,” Rappahannock County Office of Tourism, Accessed 15 April, 2015, http://www.visitrappahannockva.com/the-rappahannock-story/. [4] Lee, Honoring Their Paths, 241. [5] Ibid. 241. [6] Ibid. 241. [7] Ibid. 241-242. [8]Kitty Payne Kidnapping 1845- Part 3, directed by Debra McCauslin (2010; Bendersville: For the Cause Productions, 2010.), YouTube. (Picture): T. Prudente, "Kidnapped Slave's Descendant Honored During Re-enactment," The Evening Sun, Accessed 15 April, 2015 http://www.eveningsun.com/ci_15595139.