When slaves fled American and British farms and townhouses, their owners often placed detailed newspaper ads offering rewards to anyone who returned the fugitives. The written notices described the runaway slaves' mannerisms, clothes, hairstyles, skin markings, teeth and skills, as well as information about plantations that the escapees might have tried to reach, hoping to reunite with family members or less cruel past owners.

Source: New Databases Offer Insights Into the Lives of Escaped Slaves – The New York Times