Harriet Tubman's family
Harriet Tubman's family refers to the relatives, spouses, adopted child, and descendants connected with the American abolitionist Harriet Tubman.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
Harriet Tubman's family was shaped by slavery, forced separation, escape, emancipation, and migration across the Eastern Shore of Maryland, Canada, and New York. Harriet Tubman was born Araminta Ross around 1822 in Dorchester County, Maryland, to Benjamin Ross, commonly called Ben, and Harriet “Rit” Greene Ross. Her parents were enslaved under different households before their lives became connected through the Thompson and Brodess families. Ben worked in timber and eventually became a foreman and lumber estimator, while Rit performed domestic labor. Their informal marriage, contracted under slavery, could not provide the legal protection available to free couples, and their children remained vulnerable to sale and separation by enslavers. Ben and Rit had nine children. Records and later accounts identify Tubman's siblings as Linah, Mariah Ritty, Soph, Rachel, Robert, Ben, Henry, and Moses, although Tubman also regarded her nieces Harriet and Kessiah Jolley as sisters. Several of the children were sold away. Tubman's sister Rachel died before Tubman could rescue her and Rachel's children, Angerine and Ben. These separations reflected the broader structure of American slavery, in which enslaved families could be divided through inheritance, sale, hiring out, or movement between plantations. Ben Ross obtained freedom in the early 1840s under the terms of Anthony Thompson's will and later used his earnings to purchase Rit’s freedom. Their legal and practical security remained precarious, however, and the family continued to live under the threat of re-enslavement or retaliation. Ben assisted freedom seekers and became associated with Underground Railroad activity. After local authorities increased their scrutiny, Ben and Rit moved north in 1857. They briefly lived in St. Catharines, Ontario, before settling near Auburn, New York, where they spent the remainder of their lives. William H. Seward helped facilitate the acquisition of land in the Auburn area. Tubman married John Tubman, a free Black man, in 1844. She escaped slavery in 1849 after fearing sale and later returned to Maryland repeatedly to guide relatives and other freedom seekers north. When she returned for John, she learned that he had married another woman. John Tubman was killed in Maryland in 1867 after a dispute with Robert Vincent; Vincent was acquitted at trial. Tubman later married Nelson Davis, a formerly enslaved man and Civil War veteran, in Auburn in 1869. They adopted a daughter, Gertie Davis, and operated a farm and other household enterprises, including the sale of eggs and butter. The family’s history is inseparable from Tubman’s public work. Over approximately a decade, she made numerous journeys into Maryland and helped bring roughly seventy people, including parents, siblings, nieces, nephews, friends, and other enslaved people, to freedom. She did not have biological children. Her Auburn home became a place where relatives, boarders, and people in need could find shelter. Later generations of relatives have contributed to preserving Tubman’s memory through writing, advocacy, commemorations, and efforts to secure institutional recognition of her military and abolitionist work. The subject is therefore a historical family network rather than a commercial brand.
History
Harriet Tubman's family originated in the intertwined enslaved communities of Maryland's Eastern Shore. Her father, Benjamin Ross, was enslaved by Anthony Thompson, while her mother, Harriet “Rit” Greene, was enslaved by the Pattison and Brodess families. Ben and Rit formed a family in 1808 through an informal marriage, one of the limited forms of marital commitment available to enslaved people. Their children could not rely on family unity as a legal protection because enslavers controlled residence, labor, inheritance, and sale. Rit and her children were moved to the Brodess farm around 1823 or 1824, separating them from Ben. The family experienced repeated threats of sale. Rit attempted to protect her son Moses when a trader sought to take him south, and several of her daughters were sold away. Tubman later remembered the destruction of family ties as a defining feature of slavery. Her siblings included Linah, Mariah Ritty, Soph, Rachel, Robert, Ben, Henry, and Moses; some records and family traditions vary in names and dates. Ben was freed in the early 1840s pursuant to Anthony Thompson's will. He worked in timber and saved money to secure Rit’s freedom. A bill of sale recorded in 1855 documented the transaction, although Maryland law complicated the emancipation of older enslaved people. Ben also helped freedom seekers and was regarded by local authorities as a significant participant in escape activity. In 1857, he and Rit moved north to avoid retaliation. Their first destination was St. Catharines, Ontario, but they later settled near Auburn, New York. Tubman's parents remained in Auburn for the rest of their lives; Ben died around 1871 and Rit died in 1880. Tubman married John Tubman in 1844 while she was still enslaved. She escaped in 1849 and subsequently returned to Maryland many times. Her family rescue efforts included the movement of her parents, brothers, nieces, and other relatives, although she was unable to reunite with every member of the family. Her sister Rachel died before Tubman could bring her north with Rachel's children. The Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 increased the danger of these missions and encouraged Tubman to extend routes toward Canada. Tubman established herself in Auburn and bought land associated with William H. Seward in 1859. Her household served both family and community functions. Nelson Davis became a boarder in the household in 1866, and he and Tubman married in 1869. Davis had served during the Civil War. The couple adopted Gertie and maintained agricultural activities, including raising pigs and chickens and selling eggs and butter. Tubman had no biological children. After Tubman's death, descendants of her siblings continued to participate in historical preservation. Ernestine Martin Wyatt advocated for recognition of Tubman and took part in later military commemorations. Other descendants, including Joyce Stokes Jones and Michele Jones Galvin, have contributed to published family history. The family story remains an important lens on the consequences of slavery and on the personal relationships underlying Tubman's abolitionist work.
- 2024
Descendant attends Maryland military commemoration
[1]A descendant of Tubman's sister Soph attended a ceremony recognizing Tubman posthumously as a Maryland Army National Guard brigadier general.
- 1869
Harriet marries Nelson Davis
[1]Tubman and Civil War veteran Nelson Davis married in Auburn and later adopted Gertie Davis.
- 1859
Tubman establishes an Auburn home
[1]Tubman acquired land in Auburn that became a base for family life and assistance to others.
- 1857
Ben and Rit relocate north
[1]The couple left Maryland after suspicion surrounding Underground Railroad activity and eventually settled near Auburn, New York.
- 1855
Ben purchases Rit’s freedom
[1]A recorded bill of sale documented Ben Ross's purchase of his wife's freedom, although legal restrictions continued to affect her status.
- 1849
Harriet escapes slavery
[1]Fearing sale, Tubman fled Maryland and began the series of rescue journeys associated with her Underground Railroad work.
- 1844
Harriet marries John Tubman
[1]Tubman married John Tubman, a free Black man living near her family in Maryland.
- 1823
Rit and her children are moved to the Brodess farm
[1]The move separated Rit and the children from Ben and intensified the family’s vulnerability to sale and forced relocation.
- 1808
Ben Ross and Rit Greene form a family
[1]Benjamin Ross and Harriet “Rit” Greene entered an informal marriage while enslaved in Maryland.
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