Eve Ford
MSA SC 5496-50844
War of 1812 Refugee, Calvert County, Maryland
Biography:
Eve Ford was an enslaved woman who was owned by Elizabeth Ballard of Calvert County, Maryland. Eve worked as a cook in the home of Elizabeth Ballard. She had four siblings Adam Green, Sarah Stewart, Mary Smith and Phillis Green, who were all owned by Elizabeth Ballard. Eve was the wife of Harry Ford who was enslaved by Robert H. Smith another resident of Calvert County.
In 1814, America was at war the Britain. During this time British Admiral Alexander Cochrane issued a proclamation offering immediate emancipation to any person wishing to take up arms with the British military or relocate to a British territory. Many enslaved people in Maryland fled to the British who were blockading waterways including the Chesapeake Bay, Patuxent River, and Potomac River. In June of 1814, while the British vessels were lying in the Patuxent River, Eve escaped from Ballard. Eve Ford was lead to freedom by her brother Adam Green and her brother in law Charles Stewart, who came to her mistresses house armed and accompanied by British soldiers. Eve's husband Harry Ford also escaped from his master Robert Smith with two enslaved men Dick Ford and Jack. On December 24, 1814 the Treaty of Ghent was signed ending the war. At the end of the war, Maryland residents were devastated by the loss of property, especially their slaves.
After the war, a
commission was organized through the Department of State to handle
Maryland slaveholders filed claims seeking compensation for the loss of
their property, including slaves, tobacco, livestock, and household
items. The commission decided that Maryland slave owners would be
compensated $280 for each slave they lost to the British regardless of
how much their estimated value was. Eve who was 25 years old when she
escaped, was worth $350. Levin W. Ballard filed a claim with the
Department of State as acting executor of his mother Elizabeth Ballard.
Once the evidence was submitted the commission awarded Elizabeth
Ballard $3,640 for the slaves she lost.
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