David Knotts (b. 1800 -
d. 1874 )
MSA SC 5496-051276
Property Owner, Caroline County, Maryland
Biography:
David Knotts was a farmer and slaveowner, who lived in the Hillsborough District of Caroline County, MD. On September 1, 1849, one of his twelve slaves, John Stokes escaped from his property. There is no evidence that Knotts bought a runaway advertisement in order to retrieve his chattel. However, he did not simply accept the loss, as seen in his actions nearly 18 months later. Knotts became suspicious that a local free African-American, Isaac Gibson, had been an accomplice to Stokes' escape. Therefore, in Februrary or March 1851, he enlisted Sheriff Edward L. Young to apprehend the man, who was then working on Bayard Davis' farm.1
The charges of aiding and abetting were initially scoffed at by Davis and Young, who said of Knotts, "you know what a prejudiced old soul he is ... there is no such thing as to change him from his opinion be it ever so wrong."2 Furthermore, the white community seemed to have a favorable opinion of Gibson, who staunchly maintained his innocence throughout the proceedings. However, the trial occurred at a time of great anxiety for the Eastern Shore planter class. They had seen their authority over African-American lives diminish considerably, as the free population expanded and enslaved blacks risked everything to join them. Men like David Knotts were eager to suppress these developments, often by punishing alleged accomplices.
Knotts had apparently been tipped off about the Gibson's involvement by fellow free blacks Charles and Frances Burgess. These individuals' testimony formed the bulk of the prosecution's evidence in The State of Maryland v. Isaac Gibson.3 He was ultimately convicted in March, 1851, largely based on the witnesses' accounts, despite their ill repute in the community and their admitted prejudice towards the defendant. It is unclear what external issues Knotts or the couple had with Gibson, but their grudges directly led to his conviction and sentencing to 3 years at the State Penitentiary in Baltimore. A motion of appeal was denied.4 Even alongside the general anti-abolitionist fervor of the day, the decision provoked a considerable response in support of the inmate's innocence. Twenty six concerned white citizens, including four jurors and the prosecutor from the original court case, petitioned Governor E. Louis Lowe for a pardon.5 Several written petitions derided the credibility of David Knotts and the free black witnesses, while extolling Isaac Gibson's character. This effort resulted in his release on September 3, 1852.
There is no record of David Knotts' reaction to either the initial verdict or the eventual pardon. Nobody officially lobbied in opposition to Gibson's release, but we cannot presume that the community had a consensus opinion on the matter. Even those who supported Gibson were hardly crusaders for the rights of free or enslaved African-Americans. One petition letter from Matilda Davis clearly stated, "we are no abolitionists."6 Knotts may have succeeded in assigning blame, however fraudulently, for his lost property, but he would never again own John Stokes. When the farmer passed his property onto his son John Knotts in 1860, the runaway was not among the 11 "slaves for life," who were listed by name in the land record.7 Nor does David Knotts appear to have sold any negroes in the ensuing years, a practice that was commonly used to punish rebellious bondsmen. The father and son continued to conduct farm operations throughout the 1860's, largely on the backs of African-American laborers. David Knotts died in June, 1874, characterized in the account as a "well-known and influential citizen of Caroline County," for his role in developing the local railroad.8 However, his central role in the Gibson case may have been Knotts' most enduring legacy, as it highlighted white Marylanders' often arbritrary efforts to impose racial order in the rapidly changing society they encountered in the 1850's.
Footnotes -
1. Letter from Mrs. Matilda Davis to Gov. E. Louis Lowe, July 25, 1852 (page 1), SECRETARY OF STATE (Pardon Papers),1852, Folder 64 (page 2).
2. Ibid.
3. CAROLINE COUNTY COURT (Docket), 1851, March Term, Criminal Appearances, #17.
4. Ibid.
6. Davis Petition, p. 2.
7. CAROLINE COUNTY CIRCUIT COURT (Land Records), RJ 29, 1858-1861, MSA CE 95-4, p. 369.
8. "Maryland Items," Baltimore Sun, 27 June, 1874.
Researched and Written by David Armenti, 2011.
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