Alford Fisher(b. 1833 -
d. ?)
MSA SC 5496-51283
Fled from slavery, Caroline County, Maryland, 1852
Biography:
Alford Fisher ran away from his Caroline County master, William M. Hardcastle, in June of 1852. However, Alford was not technically a slave and had actually been born free. His situation arose from the limited economic opportunities available to free African-Americans during the 19th century. His mother, Melisa Fisher, may have been one of the many blacks who had to make heart-wrenching decisions in order to keep their children from abject poverty. She chose to bind Alford out as an indenture to a local white farmer, Alexander Jump.1 Alford was not even four years old when the transaction was made in December, 1837. He would be an apprentice, "to learn the art and mystery of farming," under Jump until he reached twenty one years old. Such contractual relationships were often not much different than slavery, as apprentices were obligated to obey their masters with the threat of extended service, sale, or physical punishment hanging over their heads.
It is unclear how long young Alford labored under Jump, or how he was passed on to his next "owner". He must have come into the employ of William M. Hardcastle some time before 1852. Despite his semi-free status, Alford may have been the 18 year old slave, one of twenty total, listed in the elderly farmer's 1850 census record.2 At the time of Alford's disappearance, Hardcastle declined to publish a runaway advertisement in any local papers. In fact, he did not make official notice of the flight until October 1859, when he had it recorded in the Caroline County Court Minutes.3 Here it is alleged that Fisher "owed service and labor to the said William Hardcastle for life," despite the language of his original indenture. Though we cannot discern his exact motivations, Alford must have sensed that the freedom promised to him at age 21 was not going to come to fruition. It was not uncommon for a formerly free African-American to find himself labeled a "slave for life," especially when multiple transactions were involved. White owners, with the help of the local court systems, routinely cheated blacks of their legal rights by citing misbehavior or ignorance of pre-existing contracts.
There is no record that Hardcastle's efforts led to the man's capture. Nor does any Alford Fisher appear in the Federal Census for 1860 or 1870. This is not surprising considering that runaways tended to adopt aliases in order to avoid being found. Fisher's case exemplifies the corrupt nature of the indenture system, which would be utilized similarly in the post-bellum period to exact control over the newly freed black population. Eastern Shore whites willingly used deceit and faced little legal opposition from African-Americans, who saw flight as the most viable option for escaping such oppression.
Researched and Written by David Armenti, 2011.
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