06/19/2026
As we commemorate Juneteenth today, we remember the story of Mary King, whose enslavers concealed her legally free status from her. In some ways, her story mirrors the experiences of enslaved people in Galveston, Texas, nearly two decades later, who were denied their freedom until the day that became known as Juneteenth.
When Thomas King, Mary's enslaver, died in 1846, his will manumitted Mary - but his executor and son Benjamin King didn't tell Mary that in the eyes of the law, she was free. Benjamin kept Mary in bo***ge for ten more months - until after she had given birth to another child so Benjamin could claim that child as his property.
Once the court finally enforced Mary’s freedom, she stayed and worked in Greenup County, Kentucky, where she had been enslaved, so she could buy her family's freedom. The emancipation deed ended up in the hands of Mary's grandson, Henry Wheatley Jr. Wheatley grew up and lived much of his adult life here in Westerville.
Henry donated Mary’s emancipation deed to the Hanby House, where he had lived in the early 1900s when it was still a residence and boardinghouse. Today the Ohio History Connection holds the original deed.
Pictured: a copy of Mary King's emancipation deed, dated 1847
