Henry A. Callis (b. circa 1789 - d. 1855)
MSA SC 5496-050679
War of 1812 Claimant, Prince George's County, Maryland
Biography:
Henry Addison Callis was born in Prince George's County to Eleanor Addison and Garland Callis. Callis was given Barnaby Manor through his uncle Anthony Addison's will. Barnaby Manor was the Addison family home and first belonged to Callis's grandfather, Rev. Henry Addison.1 He was sued in the Chancery Court by creditors Samuel Ridout and Tench Ringgold for this property.2 The creditors were trying to confiscate Barnaby Manor for Anthony Addison's debts. In 1808, the court ruled in favor of Callis since the debt was not his to incur. Henry Callis married Chloe Ann Tolson in 1810. Callis later married Eleanor Hanson at the Lodge in Prince George's County in 1832.
During the War of 1812, three of Callis's slaves were carried off from his property by the British.One slave, James Bruce, also called "Jim," was owned by Callis' uncle Anthony Addison, but lived and worked at Henry Callis's home. Jim left the Callis home to visit his wife at the home of Mrs. Coombs on the banks of the Potomac.3 Upon reaching Mrs. Coombs home Jim was informed that his wife, and children all escaped to the British army lying in the Potomac while they occupied Alexandria. Jim immediately went off to the British ships in search of his family whom he would escape with. In 1828, Anthony Addison filed a claim for reperations in his loss of his negro man Jim Bruce. Henry Callis was a deponent providing the background evidence in regard to Jim. Callis also filed a claim for three of his own slaves that escaped to the British. However, his claim was rejected because he wasn't able to provide a list of names and ages for his slaves.4
During the 1830's Callis sold off many of his slaves to settle debts that he obtained over the years. However, he purchased at least one slave, Peg Beall, in 1831 from Francis Kesly.5 The first sale was for his ten year old slave boy John, whom he sold to Joshua Masters in 1833.6 The following year he sold eleven slaves to George Semme's of Prince George's County.7 The slaves Thomas, Harry, William, Henrietta, John, Sophy, Mary, Lewis, Nora, Nelly, and Margaret, were listed by first name and gender. No age of surname was given to the group of slaves. By 1840 Callis owns twenty-three slaves comprised of ten males and thirteen females.8 In 1846 Callis sells his slave woman Mary who is twenty years of age to L. Addison.9 Although the relationship is unknown, L. Addison is likely a family member of Callis. In 1850 the United States Census Bureau creates a new form, slave schedule, that would record the number of slaves a property owner had in his/her possession. Henry Callis had twenty-five slaves.
Henry Callis died February 3, 1855 at Barnaby Manor.10 Henry
Callis donated two acre's of land from Barnaby Manor to be used for
the purpose of building St. Barnabas Episcopal Church.11 Callis
willed to his wife Eleanor all of his real estate in the County and stated
that the St. Barnabas Church was to receive $50 annually.12
Eleanor was also to recieve the following slaves Gerard, Chloe and her
children, Louisa and her children, which Callis inherited by marrying her.
He also devised to his wife an additional six slaves, Forrester, Sophia,
Mariah, William, Mary Hanson, and Lewis Hanson to have forever.13
2. Richard W. Gill and John Johnson, Reports of Cases Argued in the Court of Appeals of Maryland (Baltimore: William and Joseph Neal, 1838), 1-7.
3. Claim of Anthony Addison, Prince George's County, Case No. 701, Case Files, Ca. 1814-1828, 3.5 ft., entry 190, Record Group 76, National Archives, College Park.
4. Claim of Henry A. Callis, Prince George's County, Case No. 848, Case Files, Ca. 1814-1828, 3.5 ft., entry 190, Record Group 76, National Archives, College Park.
5. Prince George's County Register of Wills (Inventories), PC 2, folio 165-166.
6. Prince George's County Court (Chattel Papers), MSA C1174-12.
7. Ibid.
8. United States Census Bureau (Census Record, MD), Prince George's County, District 6, [SM61-114].
9. Prince George's County Circuit Court (Chattel Papers), MSA C1175-1.
10. Jean A. Sargent, Stones and Bones (Bowie: Prince George's County Genealogical Society, 1984), 163.
11. National Society of the Colonial Dames of America in the State of Maryland, 269.
12. Sargent, 163.
13. Prince George's County Register of Wills (Wills) 1854-1873, WAJ 1, folio 20.
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