Bayard Davis (b. 1804 - d. )
MSA SC 5496-51382
Property Owner, Caroline County
Biography:
Though not a slaveholder himself, Davis found himself involved in disputes that highlighted the peculiar racial dynamics of the Eastern Shore. He operated a relatively small farm in the Whitleysburg area of Caroline County. By 1840, there were less than 1000 enslaved African-Americans in the county, while free blacks accounted for about 20 percent of the total population.1 Therefore, local farmers were very much reliant on free black labor, and Bayard Davis was no exception. The 1830 Census indicated that four of eight residents in his home were "free colored persons," all males under 23 years old.2 Davis was also known to have been utilizing free black labor in later years, when he had a near-violent confrontation with one of the men.
In 1838, a black man named George White accused Bayard Davis of threatening to assault him. At the time, White was one of several farm laborers who worked for Davis. The only remaining testimony about the incident comes from William H. Oxenham, presumably a fellow worker or neighbor. According to the witness, "Davis undertook to whip him because he was not there[at work] sooner in the morning." Perhaps while invoking his rights as a free man, George White refused to take the punishment, infuriating the white boss. He tried to go back to work but Davis told him to leave the property, saying "if ever he caught him there again he would shoot him." Before taking off, White attempted to obtain a settlement from his employer, which only prompted more threats of violence.3
The black man then made the extremely rare and courageous decision to take Davis to court. Even free African-Americans in Maryland were still legally barred from testifying in court "wherein any Christian White Person is concerned."4 Therefore, any decision would have to rely on the testimony of Davis or any other white man who was present during the incident. It is unclear whether the civil case was filed simply to obtain lost wages, or it also included compensation for the criminal threats. Either way, in 1841 the Caroline County Court ordered Bayard Davis to pay George White fourteen dollars and ninety three cents.5 Oxenham's testimony probably provided the damning evidence against Davis. He appealed the fine shortly after, but there is no record of a resolution. The written appeal makes no mention of any race-specific motives, only that "Davis thinks himself aggrieved by a judgement rendered against him."6 However, it must have been unusual, and likely disheartening for the farmer to have a black man prevail over him in court.
However, this first incident did not characterize all of Bayard Davis' interactions with free blacks in Caroline County. He and his wife Matilda advocated for the innocence of Isaac Gibson, who was accused of aiding a slave to run away in 1849. Gibson was working on Davis' property when the county sheriff came to arrest the black man. David Knotts, another white planter, was allegedly alerted to Gibson's involvement by two other local blacks. Due mainly to their testimony, he was convicted and sentenced to three years in the state penitentiary. The Davis's were suspicious of the "prejudiced old soul" Knotts, especially considering that the accusation did not occur until almost two years after the escape. They testified to Gibson's good character, remarking on how he had walked to and from court for 5 days, but required no white person to insure his cooperation. Matilda Davis would write in a letter to the Governor, "this does not look as if he was guilty for the Shff to let him run at large."7
Their support, and that of several other Caroline County whites, led to
Gibson's pardon in September of 1852. The Davis's experiences show just
how complex the racial dynamics were on the Eastern Shore at that time.
Even in defending the free black Gibson, Matilda Davis made pains to
insist that "we are no abolitionists if there was more that had good
masters we should have better darkeys."8 James L. Bartol, one of Gibson's counsel, had even acted as Davis' attorney in the earlier case.
They were likely not alone in having these ambiguous opinions about
African-American rights. Bayard Davis continued to reside in the county
until at least 1865, when his wife died and bequeathed all of her
property to him.9 There is no other documentation regarding his life in Caroline County.
Footnotes -
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