William Grimes was the son of Benjamin Grymes, a plantation owner in King George County, Va., and an enslaved servant of Grymes's neighbor, a Dr. Steward. He served at least 10 different masters in Virginia, Maryland, and Georgia, working in various positions and was often severely mistreated. He escaped slavery in 1814 by stowing away on a ship bound for New York and became an entrepreneur and barber working throughout New England, eventually settling in New Haven, Conn. Grimes married Clarissa Caesar in 1817 and they had 18 children, twelve surviving. After finding a small measure of success, he lost all his property when his master a Mr. Wellman, of Georgia, discovered his location and forced him to buy his freedom or risk being returned to slavery. Grimes wrote the Life of William Grimes, the first full length autobiography written by a fugitive American slave, and published it in 1825, hoping to regain some of his lost funds.
From the description of Abel Catlin letter, 1823. (Litchfield Historical Society). WorldCat record id: 767588476
