Archives of Maryland
(Biographical Series)

James Powell (b. circa 1844 - d. 1890)
MSA SC 3520-11320
USCT Soldier, Talbot County, Maryland

Biography:

    James Powell was born a slave around 1844 in Talbot County, Maryland.1 As a slave, he was owned by William Hollyday.2 Hollyday had a farm in the Easton District of Talbot County, just outside the downtown Easton.3 After serving as a slave for nearly twenty years, James Powell was relieved from his enslavement after Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863.4 However, it was not until May that slaves were eligible to join the United States Army.5 On September 27, 1863, Powell enlisted as a private in Company E of the 7th U.S. Colored Troops regiment under the direction of Col. William Birney.6 Powell was involved in several engagements, which included at John's Island, South Carolina on July 9, 1864 and Deep Bottom, Virginia on August 14, 1864.7

    After being honorably discharged from the army on October 13, 1866 at Fort Federal Hill in Baltimore, he moved from the Eastern Shore of Maryland to Baltimore, Maryland.8 The 7th regiment was technically discharged at Indianola, Texas after serving as a garrison for 18 months.9 After gaining his discharge, he returned to his wife, Annie. Mary J. Smith (well-acquainted with Annie Powell), provided testimony in defense of Annie Powell when she confirmed their marriage by stating "the marriage of the claimant Annie Powell and James Powell who were joined in the bonds of Holy Matrimony during slave time by Constable James Thornton on or about 1860 and they lived together as man and wife and were recognized as such in the community."10 The widow's pension stated that she was married under the name of Annie Smith and they were married in North Carolina.11

    James and Annie Powell moved from Talbot County to Baltimore, Maryland soon after the war to begin a new life. This was a common occurrence among many slaves from the Eastern Shore of Maryland. While living in Baltimore, he was a sailor by occupation.12 After residing in Baltimore for nearly 30 years, James Powell died on March 26, 1890 while at City Hospital suffering from fractured ribs and hemmorage.13 He was buried at the U.S. National Cemetery on March 26, 1890.14 The Nationwide Gravesite Locator shows the James Powell was buried at Loudon Park National Cemetery in Section R, Site 307.15 After her husband's death, Annie Powell continued receiving a pension of $8.00 per month until her death in 1906.16 Her last payment came on September 4, 1906.17

  For a visual representation of James Powell's journey from slavery to freedom, click here. Users must have access to Google Earth in order to utilize this file, which includes landmarks(pins) in Powell's life from circa 1844 to 1890. 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. 
Endnotes:

1. Ancestry.com. National Archives and Records Administration. U.S., Colored Troops Military Service Records, 1861-1865. Record for James Powell. Company Descriptive Book. Company E. 7th Regiment. Page 1158.

2. COMPTROLLER OF THE TREASURY (Bounty Rolls) MSA S629. James Powell. Volunteers. Dates: 1864-1880. Page 157. MSA S629-1.

3. William H. Dilworth. Map of Talbot County. 1858. Easton District. District 1. Library of Congress. MSA SC 1213-1-456.

4. Agnes Kane Callum. Colored Volunteers of Maryland: Civil War 7th Regiment United States Colored Troops, 1863-1866 (Baltimore, MD: Mullac Publishers, 1990), 1.

5. Ibid.

6. Ancestry.com. National Archives and Records Administration. U.S., Colored Troops Military Service Records. James Powell. Company Descriptive Book. Page 1158.

7. Ibid.

8. SPECIAL COLLECTIONS (U.S. Colored Troops Pension File Collection) [MSA SC 4126] James Powell. Box 05. Folder 56. Page 7.

9. Ancestry.com. National Archives and Records Administration. U.S., Colored Troops Military Service Records, 1861-1865. Record for James Powell. Muster Out Roll. Company E. 7th Regiment. Page 1178.

    Callum. Colored Volunteers of Maryland, 34.

10. SPECIAL COLLECTIONS (U.S. Colored Troops Pension File Collection) James Powell. Page 5.

11. Ibid., 11.

12. BALTIMORE CITY HEALTH DEPARTMENT BUREAU OF VITAL STATISTICS (Death Record) James Powell. Dates: 12/1889 - 04/1890. CR 48082. MSA CM1132-38.

13. Ibid.

14. Ibid.

15. "James Powell." Nationwide Gravesite Locator. United States Department of Veteran Affairs. http://gravelocator.cem.va.gov/j2ee/servlet/NGL_v1.

16. SPECIAL COLLECTIONS (U.S. Colored Troops Pension File Collection) James Powell. Page 12.

17. Ibid.

Written and Researched by Tanner Sparks, 2012.

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