Rockville Speaker Series Explores the Weems Family’s Fight for Freedom
February 3, 2026
A Rockville family’s powerful story of their struggle for freedom, separation and reunion anchors a virtual program that will celebrate Black History Month, part of the Glenview Mansion-Peerless Rockville Speaker Series.
“Shadow on the Household,” 7-8 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 12, will explore the story of John and Arabella Weems and their children, whose lives were shaped by enslavement, sale and forced separation across the American South.
Presented by Canadian historians Bryan and Shannon Prince, the program traces the Weems family’s journey through a wide network of slave traders, Underground Railroad operatives and abolitionists spanning Canada, Great Britain, Jamaica and the United States.
The presentation highlights both the hardships the family endured and the collective efforts that helped reunite them.
Their daughter, Ann Maria Weems, later became one of the most well-known freedom seekers connected to Rockville’s Underground Railroad history.
For more information, visit peerlessrockville.org or register with course #37309 at rockvillemd.gov/registration.