Aaron Cornish (b. circa 1822 - d.
?)
MSA SC 5496-8022
Fled from slavery, Dorchester County, Maryland, 1857
Biography:
Aaron Cornish was one of twenty eight slaves who successfully fled, en masse, from the Cambridge District of Dorchester County in 1857. Prior to his flight, Cornish was owned by William D. Travers of Cambridge, who had at least fifteen slaves.1 According to the fugitive's interview with William Still, Travers had expressed dismay over his daughter's marriage to Reverend Levi Travers, who was her cousin and the elder's nephew. Travers informed his slaves that he would rather set them free than transfer ownership to Levi upon his death. After Travers died in May of 1857, however, a will never surfaced and Levi D. Travers "inherited" the majority of his uncle's slaves.2
According to William D. Travers' estate inventory, Aaron Cornish was one of the most valuable slaves at $500, despite his somewhat advanced age. The document, filed on May 9, even specifies that the 40 year old Aaron had "runaway" 3 Freedom seekers often fled at times of confusion, such as the master's death. Cornish had little love for his deceased owner, since he would later tell William Still of the man's violent temper and alcoholism, as well as the sale of Aaron's borther. However, Cornish clearly dreaded the prospect of permanent ownership by the nephew, whose "increased oppression was exceedingly crushing" during that uncertain period after Travers' death. Cornish anticipated a lawsuit between Levi and William's widow, which may have been the strongest catalyst for his escape. Such affairs could stretch for years, often resulting in the separation family members and sales to far-off locales.4
Joseph Cornish, a possible relative of Aaron, had escaped in 1855 with information from Harriet Tubman. Joseph was owned by Samuel W. LeCompte, whose enslaved people also formed part of the 1857 "Cambridge Party." It is quite possible that information had been passed on to these freedom seekers via Cornish, or other relations who had fled previously.5 Immediately following their escape on October 24th, Rev. Levi Travers placed a runaway ad in the Cambridge Democrat noting the disappearance of Aaron and his wife, Daffney. Though Cornish mentioned "his wife's mistress (Miss Jane Carter, of Baltimore)," Daffney and their eight children were actually owned by Reuben E. Phillips, Jane Cator's stepfather. Before their escape, Phillips had allowed the family to live with Aaron on the Travers' property. The Cornishes were forced to leave their two eldest children behind as they joined the growing exodus from Cambridge.6 Phillips, along with two other aggrieved owners, filed his own runaway ad in the Baltimore Sun. This notice contained few specific details, but emphasized the great number of fugitives and the $3100 reward attached to the party.7
Unbeknownst to the Cornishes, their escape would stoke the divisions that were already developing in the Methodist Episcopal Church. Their former owner, Levi D. Travers became the target of a media campaign by abolitionist Rev. John Dixon Long. Dissatisfied with his church's lack of action against slaveholding members, Long began to publicly shame M.E. Marylanders in northern newspapers. In early 1858, he wrote in the Northern Independent, citing Travers' runaway advertisement as a notable example. Rev. Travers was equally vocal in attempting to defend himself in the press, saying with regards to Cornish that "I was acting as an administrator." He went on to blame inheritance and enslaved families' ties as the only reasons that "I hold twenty slaves (right or wrong)."8
The timing of the Cornishes flight was quite unfortunate as powerful storms pounded the mid-Atlantic region. The group, who were heavily armed for the perilous journey, even had a violent encounter with "several Irishmen" in Delaware. One of the white attackers was severely injured from either a stabbing or bullet wound from the determined fugitives. Somehow, nearly all of the freedom seekers were able to elude the slave catchers and make it to free soil. By the time Cornish and his family reached Pennsylvania, many were sick and nearly starved. A 14 year old boy, possibly one of the Cornish sons, was separated during the scuffle in Delaware and his fate is unknown. In Philadelphia, William Still and other Vigilance Committee members nursed the weary travelers back to health. They also provided further direction and connections to make it to Canada, which many of the Cambridge fugitives did.9 However, there is no documentation of the Cornish family's arrival or residence in the new country. In fact, he may have returned home, as an Aaron Cornish does appear back in Dorchester County in 1870.10
Footnotes -
1. Ancestry.com. United States Federal Census, Slave Schedule, Dorchester, Maryland, District 3, p. 8.
3. DORCHESTER COUNTY REGISTER OF WILLS (Inventories), William D. Travers, 1857, p 11, MSA CM434-8, CR9029-1a. - p. 17(Negroes Listed)
4. Still, p. 100.
5. Kate Clifford Larson. Bound for the Promised Land: Harriet Tubman, Portrait of an American Hero. Ballantine Books: New York, NY, 2004, p. 125.
6. Still, p. 99.
7. $3,100 Reward, Baltimore Sun, 28 October 1857.
9. Larson, pp. 146-148.
10. Ancestry.com. United States Federal Census, Cambridge, Dorchester County, Maryland, 1870.
Researched and Written by David Armenti, 2012.
Return to Aaron Cornish's Introductory Page
|
|| Search the Archives || Education & Outreach || Archives of Maryland Online ] Governor General Assembly Judiciary Maryland.Gov
|
