"Nelson-Gant"

Was granted  his freedom  but according to Virginia law,he  was required to leave the state no more than a year after being freed.Nelson left,he promised his wife Maria he would return and rescue her.

In November,Nelson returned to Virginia in an attempt to buy his wife.
The offer was refused.Maria,managed to simply walk away from the plantation.

Nelson and his wife were later caught in Washington, D.C.,and  they were put in jail.A month later,they were taken to Virginia.
Maria was returned to her owner and Nelson was put in jail.On December 12,1846,Nelson was put on trail  for stealing his wife.He was acquitted of the charges since a wife could not be compelled to testify against her husband.Two  months
later,he returned  to  buy Maria's freedom.The Couple arrived back in Zaneesville in 1850 with their daughter.

Nelson eventually owned  three hundred acres of  land and  began making a living  farmer.He also owned a salt lick and a coal mine.The couple actively assisted fugitive slaves on the Underground Railroad.