Samuel Edmonson (b. circa 1827 - d. 1907)
MSA SC 5496-047819
Fled from slavery (recaptured), Montgomery County, Maryland, 1848
Fled from slavery, New Orleans, Louisiana
Biography:
Samuel Edmonson was born in Montgomery County, Maryland around 1827 to Paul and Amelia Edmonson. Samuel's father, Paul, was a free black and his mother, Amelia, was a slave, which by law made Samuel and his 13 siblings slaves as well. The Edmonson family was owned by Rebecca Culver, whose affairs were handled by Francis Valdenar. Most of the Edmonson children were hired out in the District of Columbia. Samuel worked at the home of Joseph Bradley, a prominent lawyer in Washington, DC.
Samuel was one of the key figures in the promotion of the escape attempt from Washington, DC on the schooner Pearl headed by Daniel Drayton. Samuel convinced five of his brothers and sisters (Richard, Ephraim, John, Mary and Emily) to board the ship, along with 71 others, in hopes of obtaining their freedom. Subsequently, the Pearl was captured as the ship rested in the Potomac because of the adverse winds and tides and it is suspected that the betrayal of a fellow black, Judson Diggs. After their capture, Samuel and his brothers and sisters were transported on the Union - a steamboat bound for New Orleans, Louisiana to be sold in the New Orleans slave market. Samuel was sold to Mr. Horace Cammack, a successful cotton merchant in the area, with the help of his older brother Hamilton. Samuel was placed in the position of butler and eventually, upper houseman because of his proficiency as a butler. Even with the advancement in status within the Cammack household, Samuel never gave up on the idea of acquiring his freedom.
When Mr. Cammack was killed in a boating accident, his son, Tom, took over as head of the household and almost immediately displayed his dislike and disdain for Samuel. This provided Samuel with the motivation to pursue his freedom and so, Samuel impersonated a West Indian merchant and talked his way aboard a ship headed to Jamaica, which at the time was a free English colony. While living in Jamaica Edmonson left and went to Liverpool servicing a wealthy English merchant and then to Australia where he and his family took passage under the protection of his Liverpool employer.
While in New Orleans, Samuel courted and married Delia Taylor, who worked as a maid for Mrs. Cammack. Before Samuel set sail for Jamaica, his first son David was born. Samuel and Delia had three children (David, Amelia and Robert) and after a brief time in Australia, finally settled back in Washington, DC. Samuel could not read or write, but he found work as a waiter in a hotel. According to bank records from the U.S. Freedmen's Bank, Samuel and his family lived on L St. between 18th St. and Connecticut Ave. in 1870, which was the home of his brother in-law, John Brent and sister, Elizabeth Edmonson Brent. From there Samuel moved his family to Anacostia where purchased land in present day Barry's Farm. Samuel in his Anacostia home according to John Paynter, relative of the Edmonson family and author of the book, Fugitives of the Pearl. Samuel Edmonson died in 1907 at the age of 80
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