Isaiah Hemsley (b. 1842
- d. 1909)
MSA SC 3520-4608
USCT Soldier, Queen Anne's County, Maryland
Biography:
Isaiah Hemsley was born on September 22, 1842 in Queen Anne's County, Maryland.1 His parents were Isaiah Hemsley and Violet Wilson who were both born in Maryland.2 As a slave, Isaiah Hemsley was owned by Sallie Bryant.3 Sallie H. Bryant, of Caroline County, was bequeathed the ownership of Hemsley around 1850 through her grandmother's last will and testament.4 Her grandmother was Marietta Cook of Queen Anne's County.5 Marietta was married to Clinton Cook and they lived on Front Street in the town of Centreville.6 Their dwelling house and land adjoined the property of Dr. Robert Goldsborough and George C. Palmer.7 The also had a ten acre wood lot which was purchased from James M. Seegar that situated on the "new road from Centreville to Halls X Roads."8 It is possible that Hemsley spent a portion of his slave days in this area. It appears that Caroline County was where he spent the rest of his time as a slave under the control of Sallie Bryant.
Sallie H. Bryant would eventually "manumit, set free, and release" Hemsley from the institution of slavery with "his freedom to commence from the date of his enlistment."9 Bryant didn't officially witness and seal this manumission until April 21, 1864.10 Hemsley's freedom commenced on September 19, 1863, which was the date of his enlistment.11 Bryant was awarded a payment amount of $300.00 from the Board of Claims for the loss of her slave.12 She was entitled to this sum under the provision of General Orders, War Department, No. 329, 1863.13 However, according to the Act of 1864, Chapter 15, Section 4, "to the owner of every negro slave who shall agree to the enlistment of his slave as above, the sum of one hundred dollars shall be paid when such owner shall file with the proper authority a good and valid deed of manumission."14 This law states that she would be entitled to $100.00 as compensation and the bounty roll states that she was paid said amount on May 16, 1865.15
Bryant, like many slaveowners, may have viewed this as their final opportunity to receive compensation for the loss of their slaves as the institution of slavery was rapidly deteriorating. Not only were slaveowners entitled to compensation, but free blacks and slaves also counted towards the state and county quota, which meant many slaveowners could have protected their family members from having to join the war. Although Bryant was a resident of Caroline County, Hemsley was credited to Queen Anne's County.16 After being manumitted from slavery, Hemsley was able to join the United States Colored Troops. His service record states that he was a farmer by occupation.17 He enlisted as a private in Company B of the 7th regiment on September 19, 1863 in Baltimore, Maryland.18 He mustered in September 26, 1863 by Colonel Wm. Birney.19 An affidavit from George Cooper states that the men were both raised together as slaves and they both enlisted in the same company and regiment.20 Hemsley and Cooper had different slave owners, but they were most likely nearby one another.
During the war, the 7th regiment was exposed to numerous battles as they fought for their freedom. They fought in campaigns, such as Baldwin, Florida, White Point, South Carolina, Petersburg, Virginia, and Appomattox Court House in Virginia.21 When the war ended in April 1865, the 7th regiment served out the remainder of their three year enlistments in Indianola, Texas acting as a garrison.22 While in Texas, Hemsley's company was sent to Lavaca where they patrolled prisoners, administered the oath of allegiance and acted as magistrate in cases of dispute where Civil authorities were not present.23 Isaiah Hemsley, along with the rest of the 7th regiment was officially discharged from the army on October 13, 1866 at Baltimore, Maryland.24 Hemsley went from being a slave to fighting for his freedom in the Civil War, which was the case for many African Americans at this time. Although the war was successful in liberating African Americans, Hemsley felt the effects from the war up until his death.
His postwar life consisted of moving to Baltimore, Maryland where he would reside for 41 years.25 He married Rebecca Fisher in Baltimore City, Maryland on December 12, 1867 by Reverend Henry Hutton.26 This was also confirmed in an affidavit by George Cooper as he was also married in the same year. After serving in the Union army for three years and ten days,27 Isaiah and Rebecca Hemsley made their residence at 603 Pierce Street in Baltimore.28 As of July of 1895, Hemsley was granted an increase in pension from $8.00 to $12.00 for the disabilities he received from the war.29 He was able to gain an increased pension because of the testimony of a childhood friend named Matthew Griffin.30 Griffin notes in an 1895 affidavit that he is in contact with Hemsley "almost daily" and Hemsley suffered with "rheumatism, lumbago, and heart disease, he is also hard of hearing and has bad eyesight. He suffers from what I can see almost continually - he certainly is not able to do any manual labor."31 Another affidavit came from John C. Kineyea who served in the same company and regiment.32 Kineyea outlines Hemsley's disabilities in an 1890 document and when he began to experience them, which was at Powder Horn, Texas around 1865-1866.33 Several other affidavits came to Hemsley's defense in proving that he was in poor condition and could not provide a living for his family.34
By 1908, his health had rapidly declined as he was diagnosed with "carcinoma of stomach and liver."35 He survived for a year with carcinoma until he died on January 6, 1909, at the age of 66.36 According to his death record, the primary cause of his death was old age.37 Three days later, on January 9, he was buried at Mount Auburn Cemetery in Baltimore.38 His wife, Rebecca, was able to continue receiving a pension of $12.00 per month, which commenced on January 14, 1909.39
For a visual representation of Isaiah Hemsley'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 Hemsley's life from around 1842 to 1909. 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.2. Ibid.
7. Ibid.
8. Ibid.
10. Ibid.
15. COMPTROLLER OF THE TREASURY (Bounty Rolls) Isaiah Hemsley, Page 153, [MSA SM183-1].
16. Ibid.
18. Ibid.
19. Ibid.
20. SPECIAL COLLECTIONS (U.S. Colored Troops Pension File Collection) Isaiah Hemsley, Page 22.
21. Agnes Kane Callum. Colored Volunteers of Maryland, Civil War: 7th Regiment United States Colored Troops 1863-1866 (Baltimore, MD: Mullac Publishers, 1990), 41.
22. Ibid., 34.
23. Ibid.
24. Ibid.
25. BALTIMORE CITY HEALTH DEPARTMENT BUREAU OF VITAL STATISTICS (Death Record), Isaiah Hemsley, MSA CM1132-100.
26. SPECIAL COLLECTIONS (U.S. Colored Troops Pension File Collection) Isaiah Hemsley, Page 14, 16.
28. SPECIAL COLLECTIONS (U.S. Colored Troops Pension File Collection) Isaiah Hemsley, Page 2.
29. Ibid., 5.
30. Ibid., 6.
31. Ibid.
32. Ibid., 17.
33. Ibid.
35. BALTIMORE CITY HEALTH DEPARTMENT BUREAU OF VITAL STATISTICS (Death Record), Isaiah Hemsley, MSA CM1132-100.
36. Ibid.
37. Ibid.
38. Ibid.
39. SPECIAL COLLECTIONS (U.S. Colored Troops Pension File Collection) Isaiah Hemsley, Page 24.
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