1. These two blocks show the route that Steven Todd took as he escaped from slavery in Kentucky, briefly lived in Indiana, escaped capture by fleeing to Canada, and eventually settled in Mecosta County, Michigan.

"The map traces the steps of Steven Todd. He was born a slave in Gerrard County, Kentucky, and as the story goes, he tried to escape three times. I don't really know how he escaped. My aunt told the story that he saw a woman, a medicine woman or something, who gave him something to rub on his feet so the dogs couldn't track him...He made it across the river; went into Indiana, where he mustered in and out of the service in Indianapolis. He went to Peppertown, Indiana, where he met Caroline Kaeler. As the story goes, he was working on her father's farm and they ran away to Canada where they were married, and then back to Remus, Michigan. She was sixteen, I believe, and he was in his sixties." --- Deonna Green (great, great granddaughter of Steven and Caroline), East Lansing, Michigan, January 26, 1991.

2. This block depicts the former slave, Steven Todd, and his white wife-to-be, Caroline Kaeler, fleeing from her father who chased them to the shores of Michigan. Steven and Caroline are shown on a raft as they cross the river from Port Huron, Michigan to safety in Sarnia, Ontario in Canada. The story of this escape is often-told by descendants of the Todd family.

"As the story goes, when Steven and Caroline ran away together, Mr. Fred Kaeler [Caroline's father] was right behind them, I guess chased them down all the way from Indiana to Port Huron, Michigan. He had two horses. He ran one horse to death, they said. When he got to the water at Port Huron the other horse collapsed and died. When he got to Port Huron, Steven and Caroline were already on a river raft [fleeing to Sarnia, Canada] and Mr. Kaeler was hollering at the raft driver, "If you bring back that black man so I can shoot him, I'll give you a hundred dollars.

Steven Todd told that story to his son William, my grandfather. And Daddy told that story. I guess when we were making the quilts, and I'd tell Daddy, tell me a story or something, he told me this." --- Deonna Green (great grand daughter of Steven and Caroline), East Lansing, Michigan, January 26, 1991.

3. This block shows the house that Steven and Caroline Todd lived in when they settled in Mecosta County, Michigan in the late 19th century. Deonna Green, the quilt block maker and great, great granddaughter of Steven and Caroline, has this to say about the house and her work on the block:

"This is on section 29 of Sheridan Township, what would be the last plat there that little piece of land. My cousin drew the picture of the house. I just traced it, embroidered it. It took me about a hundred hours to do that, too." Deonna Green, East Lansing, Michigan, January 26, 1991.