George Comegys (b. 1827
- d. ?)
MSA SC 5496-51282
Fled from slavery, Caroline County, Maryland, 1850
Biography:
George Comegys ran away from his owner, William M. Hardcastle of Caroline County, in June of 1850. The fugitive would have been one of twenty slaves belonging to the elderly farmer that year.1 At the time, Hardcastle declined to publish a runaway advertisement in any local papers. In fact, he did not make official notice of the flight until October 1859, when he had it recorded in the Caroline County Court Minutes. Here the slaveowner described Comegys as being "a dark chestnut colour...having a small defect in one of his eyes."2 This document provides no hints as to his destination or his motivations for fleeing.
Comegys had belonged to
Hardcastle since 1843, when
he was sold by Richard Culbreth along with land and 12 other slaves.3
This
transaction also identifies George's parents, "my negro woman Tilly or
Matilda, wife of one Perry Comegys free negro." Furthermore, the
document
states that Tilly and two of her other children had been living outside
of Culbreth's property, possibly with her husband, which likely
afforded
them a degree of freedom.4 While George may
have been assisted or utilized
the contacts of his free father, the owner does not attempt to
implicate
any family members in the flight. Apparently, Hardcastle's feelings
were
not too hardened toward the black family because he would go on to sell
Tilly Comegys to her husband in 1852.5
However, there is no official
record of George Comegys' whereabouts after his successful escape in
1850.
Researched and Written by David Armenti, 2011.
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