William Hales (b. circa
1846 - d. 1913)
MSA SC 5496-51313
USCT Soldier, Kent County, Maryland
Biography:
William Hales was born in Kent County, Maryland on May 10, 1846. 1 Hales felt this was his date of birth because his slave owner’s daughter (Annette) was born the same day. 2 However, the death certificate for Hales shows that his birth year was 1845, according to the informant, Chas. J. Keller. 3 Regardless, he was born sometime around 1845 and 1846. According to the bounty rolls, he was born a slave and owned by a lawyer named George Vickers. 4 Vickers was a wealthy property owner who also had 23 slaves, five of which joined the USCT. 5 Vickers received $100 in compensation for each of those slaves who enlisted in the USCT, after he submitted a sworn affidavit that proved his ownership of the slave. 6
According to the 1870 census, Vickers’ real estate was listed at $77,000. 7 His personal estate value was listed as $7,000. 8 William F. Tillman states in an affidavit that William Hales was the slave of George Vickers while he was the slave of a Mr. Lusby who was four miles from Chestertown. 9 On the Simon J. Martenet 1860 map of Kent County in District 4, there is a T. Lusby who lives nearby to Vickers and is approximately four miles from Chestertown. 10 Tillman never knew Hales before the war or during the war. It was not until they both moved to Baltimore that they became acquianted and friends. 11
William Hales enlisted as a private in Company F of the 7th United States Colored Troops regiment for a term of three years on September 27, 1863. 12 During the war, Hales endured a gunshot wound to his right thigh which occurred at Deep Bottom, Virginia in 1864. 13 On October 13, 1866, Hales was honorably discharged from the service at Indianola, Texas. 14
The post-war life for Hales led him to eventually moving to the city of Baltimore. From the years 1866 to 1870, he lived in Chestertown, before deciding to move to Baltimore for the remainder of his life. 15 His first wife, Annie Marie Blake, passed away during child birth. 16 According to an affidavit given by Thomas Hanson, Annie Blake died sometime in 1869. 17 On October 10, 1876, William Hales and Annie Howard were married by Reverend J.S. Thompson at the Bethel A.M.E. Church. 18 His occupation after the war consisted of a farmer and then a “teacher of vocal music,” a skill that Hales had likely sharpened during his time in the Regiment Band. 19 He stated on a questionnaire that he labored for as long as he could before being physically unable to work. 20
William died in Baltimore on February 11, 1913 of what was termed an “organic heart disease.” 21 He had lived at his residence in Baltimore on 881 Tyson Street for 40 years before passing away. 22 He was subsequently buried at the Loudon Park National Cemetery in Baltimore, Maryland. 23 According to the nationwide gravesite locator, Hales was buried in Section C, Site 1519. 24 Hales experienced many things throughout his life, including being a slave in Kent County, fighting in the Civil War for his freedom, and moving to Baltimore in search of opportunity.
For a visual representation of William Hales's journey from slavery to freedom, please click here. Users must have access to Google Earth in order to utilize this file, which includes landmarks(pins) in Hales's life from circa 1846 to 1913. You may take the tour and investigate individual sites under the "Places" tab on the left of the screen, or you may navigate using the slider and cursor on the map itself.23. "William Hales." Nationwide Gravesite Locator. United States Department of Veteran Affairs. http://gravelocator.cem.va.gov/j2ee/servlet/NGL_v1.
24. Ibid.
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