I also have seen occasional references of early (1600s) women colonists preferring to live with more egalitarian Native communities, and poorer colonists preferring to run away from the civilized areas 'Where the beatings will continue until morale improves!' For obvious reasons, the establishment would have insisted they 'rescued' people from the 'kidnapping.'
Also look up Newton Knight, more oft recalled as 'that guy with the scruffy beard in Free State of Jones, and his band of guerilla deserters. (Essentially, whitefolk deserted the Confederate army, and joined escaped slaves hiding in a swamp.) From the film: "They runaways?" "Ain't you?" https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newton_Knight
Re: Possibilities
I also have seen occasional references of early (1600s) women colonists preferring to live with more egalitarian Native communities, and poorer colonists preferring to run away from the civilized areas 'Where the beatings will continue until morale improves!' For obvious reasons, the establishment would have insisted they 'rescued' people from the 'kidnapping.'
Also look up Newton Knight, more oft recalled as 'that guy with the scruffy beard in Free State of Jones, and his band of guerilla deserters. (Essentially, whitefolk deserted the Confederate army, and joined escaped slaves hiding in a swamp.) From the film:
"They runaways?"
"Ain't you?"
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newton_Knight