Osbourne Wheeler
MSA SC 5496-50887
War of 1812 Refugee, Prince George's County, Maryland
Biography:
Osbourne Wheeler was the enslaved property of Charles and Ursula Bowie of Prince George's County. He was the son of Ned Wheeler, an enslaved man who was the property of William M. Bowie (son of Ursula and William Bowie). In 1814, during the War of 1812, Wheeler escaped from Charles and Ursula Bowie with two other enslaved men Toby Forrester and Samuel Beanes.
Following the war, Charles Bowie and his mother Ursula submitted a claim under the Treaty of Ghent to be compensated for the losses he suffered at the hands of the British. Ned Wheeler, father of Osbourne, gave a deposition stating that he saw his son and two acquiantances, Toby Forrester and Samuel Beanes, on board a British vessel. According to Ned Wheeler, he was allowed to go on board the British vessel to see his son, but declined because he feared that he would be carried away by the enemy.Ursula Bowie died in 1824 before the reparations were awarded.Osbourne Wheeler's owner Charles Bowie was compensated $280 for each of the three enslaved men who escaped from him.
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