William Brown (b. ? - d. ?)
MSA SC 5496-8385
Fled from Slavery, Prince George's County, Maryland, 1855
Biography:
After a confrontation with his owner, William “Bill” Brown decided
to flee slavery.
William “Bill” Brown, enacted an act of rebelliousness
and insubordination by refusing, in all probability violently, to be
flogged.
He though that he might be sold South as punishment. He learned,
however, that he was to be worked cruelly as to make an effective
example
of him to the other slaves on William Elliot's Prince George's County
plantation. Brown fled on November
17, 1855, traveling for five weeks to Philadelphia. Fearing that
Brown was “making for a free state,” Elliott advertised for the
fugitive
in the Baltimore Sun (rather than more nearby press).1
In his ad, William Elliot assured readers that, “he [Brown] went off
without the
slightest provocation.” When Bill Brown fled, he was perhaps
aided
by his father, six siblings, and a grandparent who he left behind in
slavery.
His owner, William Elliott, was representative of many young slave owners during the 1850s as he attempted to control a labor force who he perceived as growing ever-restless with their condition. Contrary to the state-wide decline in tobacco production, in Prince George’s County tobacco planters were stabilizing and expanding their operations. Elliott, who was in his mid-twenties at the time had a wife and daughter, held real property valued at $9,600 and a plantation on a 224 acre lot called Cool Spring Manor. Cool Spring Manor was situated in the easternmost part of the county near the Patuxent River, on the boundary between Queen Anne’s District and Marlborough. Part of Elliott’s personal property was held in chattel slaves – 25 blacks, most under the age of 15. By 1860, however, his real holdings had expanded to $18,000, and the worth of his personal holdings, including now 35 enslaved blacks, was $20,000.2
1 "$100
Reward," Baltimore Sun, November 26,
1855
2 It appears that the 1850 census enumerator mistakenly listed William Elliott in the Marlborough District. His residence was indeed near the border with Queen Anne’s District. The Prince George’s County Levy Court, in its 1850 Tax Assessment places him in Queen Anne’s District, were all other sources indicate he resided. See U.S. Census, 1850, Prince George’s County, Maryland; 1860; Prince George’s County Levy Court (Assessment Record)1850, MSA C1163-31
Return to William Brown's Introductory Page
|
Tell Us What You Think About the Maryland State Archives Website!
|
