Col. N. Goldsborough
MSA SC 5496-38746
Property Owner, Talbot County, Maryland
Biography:
Colonel Nicholas Goldsborough was a prominent property holder and farmer in Talbot County, Maryland. According to the 1850 census, he was born around 1787 as he was 63 years old at the time the census was taken. The 1850 census also shows that he had accumulated a significant real estate value of $36,000. His prominence within the county was displayed as he served as a captain in the 4th regiment of the Maryland militia during the War of 1812. 1 Goldsborough was one of four captains that formed companies within the Trappe district of Talbot County. 2
The Goldsborough's were one of Talbot County's more prominent families as they were not only wealthy, but consistently being elected for public office. 3 The family had settled in Talbot County going back to the 17th century. In 1678, Nicholas came to Maryland with his brother Robert and settled on a property known as "Ottwell," which was located near Oxford. 4 According to William H. Dilworth's 1858 map of Talbot County, the Goldsborough family had still owned various properties around the Oxford area.
Goldsborough and his wife Elizabeth formed a strong family as they had ten children together. Not only did Goldsborough have a large family, but he also had a large slave population within his farm. The 1850 slave schedule shows that Goldsborough owned a total of 36 slaves. These slave schedules are also significant because it notes that Col. Goldsborough had three fugitives from the state listed at the time the census was taken.
His estate was subjected to a group of slaves running away from the plantation in 1858. The group of slaves included five brothers and one woman. The eldest man, Allen Davidson was 28 years old and the one woman was his wife, Sylla or Priscilla. His wife also escaped with the couple's six to eight month old infant. There were also twin brothers who were 20 years old attempting to make a successful escape. Their names were Bob and Perry Davidson. The two other brothers were Horace who was 18 years old and Charles who was around 15 or 16 years old. The brothers all belonged to Col. Nicholas Goldsborough's estate, but he was deceased at the time of the escape. Allen Davidson's wife, Sylla belonged to Nicholas Goldsborough, Jr. According to the Dilworth map of Talbot County in 1858, Nicholas Goldsborough Jr. lived on the adjacent property from his father's. The 1850 census shows that Goldsborough, Jr. was 21 years old and his occupation was an engineer. The close proximinty between the two farms would have made it feasible for Sylla to escape slavery with the others as they were by all accounts well-acquianted with the area.
A family member, M. Tilghman Goldsborough placed the runaway ad in the Baltimore Sun on August 25, 1858 as he was an "Adm'r of Col. N. Goldsborough." M.T. Goldsborough was offering $200 for each of these slaves apprehended, but only if they were in Delaware or Maryland. He also expected to pay for all necessary expenses if they were jailed within the county or outside it. This large family was able to unite together as they plotted their escape from slavery. It is unknown, however, if their escape was successful or not.
The Talbot County assessment records for 1840 show that Goldsborough owned 39 slaves, which were valued at a total of $2,430. The assessment records also show the five slaves that belonged to Col. Nicholas Goldsborough. Each was listed by name and their ages, which match the ages of those listed in the runaway advertisement placed by M.T. Goldsborough. The Goldsborough family was able to acquire a substantial amount of property within the Talbot County, Maryland area, which continued to be passed down to future generations. The exact date of Colonel Nicholas Goldsborough's death is unknown at this time, but it was before 1858 as the runaway ad notes that he was deceased.
Endnotes:
1. Oswald Tilghman, "History of Talbot County, Maryland: 1661-1861, Volume II" (Baltimore, MD: Williams and Wilkins Company, 1915), 177.
2. Ibid., 158.
3. Dickson J. Preston, "Talbot County: A History" (Centreville, MD: Tidewater Publishers, 1983), 77.
4. Tilghman, "History of Talbot County, Maryland: 1661-1861,"29.
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