Archives of Maryland
(Biographical Series)

Thomas Johnson (b. circa 1787 - d. circa ?)
MSA SC 5496-051220
War of 1812 Refugee, Talbot County, Maryland, 1813

Biography:

Thomas "Tom"Johnson was an enslaved man who was owned by Andrew Skinner of Talbot County, Maryland. Tom, a mulatto, was born about 1787 in Hopkins Neck.1 His father Phil was a free man who lived in St. Michael's, Maryland.2 Tom was enslaved at Skinners farm, Fairview, located at Miles River Neck in Talbot County, Maryland.3

In 1813, while America was at war with Great Britain, Tom escaped from Fairview.4 Andrew Skinner placed an ad in the local newspaper offering a reward for his return. Tom, joined the Colonial Marines, a group of former enslaved people who helped the British defend themselves against the American militia.5 He was seen by Skinners overseer, James Leverton, dressed in military clothing in the company of British officers and soldiers at Kent Island, Queen Anne's County, Maryland.6 After the war Thomas Johnson settled in Trinidad, where Colonial Marines were given land.7 However, by 1823 he was no longer in Trinidad.8 

1.    "Two Hundred Dollars Reward." Republican Star. 31 August 1813, p.  4.

2.    Claim of Andrew Skinner, Talbot County, Case #656, Case Files. Ca. 1814-28, 3.5 ft., entry 190, Record Group 76, National Archives, College Park

3.    "Two Hundred Dollars Reward," p. 4.

4.    Claim of Andrew Skinner, Talbot County, Case #656, Case Files. Ca. 1814-28, 3.5 ft., entry 190, Record Group 76, National Archives, College Park

5.    John McNish Weiss, "The Merikens: Free Black American Settlers in Trinida, 1815-1816," (London: McNish & Weiss,  1995), p. 37.

6.    Claim of Andrew Skinner, Talbot County, Case #656, Case Files. Ca. 1814-28, 3.5 ft., entry 190, Record Group 76, National Archives, College Park

7.    John McNish Weiss,  "The Merikens: Free Black American Settlers in Trinida, 1815-1816," p. 37.

8.    ibid.

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