WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) - A descendant of a Delaware man credited with helping more than 2,700 slaves reach freedom is asking Gov. Jack Markell to pardon his ancestor and two others.
Sixty-four-year-old Robert Seeley of Havertown, Pennsylvania, got the idea after outgoing Illinois' governor granted clemency on New Year's Eve to three abolitionists convicted for hiding and helping escaped slaves.
Seeley says he sent Markell his request on Facebook on New Year's Day, and then again in an email Monday.
The Wilmington News Journal reports that Seeley is a descendant of Pennsylvania-born Thomas Garrett, who moved to Wilmington, Delaware at age 33 in 1822 and is credited with helping more than 2,700 slaves.
Seeley is also asking for pardons for two other men who also helped slaves reach freedom.
It's unclear whether Markell is considering the request.
