Lewis Garrard Clarke (1815-1897) and Milton Clarke (1817(?)-1901) were brothers born to a slave mother, Letitia, in Madison County, Kentucky. For the first few years of their lives, they lived on a plantation belonging to Samuel Campbell, who was Letita's owner and father.

When Lewis was approximately seven years old, he was given to Betsey, one of Campbell's married daughters. For the next several years, Lewis was subjected to cruel treatment at the hands of Betsey and her children. At fifteen or sixteen years of age, he was sold to Mr. K., and later, Mr. K's son acquired him. After enduring years of abuse, Lewis made a successful escape from Kentucky to Ohio and Canada. He later returned to Kentucky to aid his brother, Cyrus, in a risky escape. Cyrus's wife joined them shortly after.

Milton and Lewis had been separated as young children. When Milton was six years old, he, his mother, brother Cyrus, and sister Delia were sold to Joseph Logan. Milton's account of his life depicts his master's wife as a harsh mistress. After Logan's father purchased him in 1838, Milton began to work for hire on steamboats plying the Ohio and Mississippi rivers, which eventually provided him with the opportunity to escape. He went to Oberlin, Ohio, and reunited with his brothers, Lewis and Cyrus. They remained in Ohio for a time, before finally settling in New York. Milton and Lewis gave frequent lectures about their experiences in slavery in both places.

The book Narratives of the Sufferings of Lewis and Milton Clarke (1846) is an expanded version of Lewis Clarke's original Narrative of the Sufferings of Lewis Clarke (1845), and the larger edition is based mainly on the issues he discussed during his lectures and his answers to the most common questions asked at his lectures. The 1846 Narratives also includes a short history of his immediate family, a variety of documents relating to slavery, and four parody poems by John G. Whittier, the famous American poet. Milton's account describes his experiences in slavery, including a kidnapping attempt he endured at the hands of slave hunters in Ohio.

Monique Prince