George Ratliff (b. circa 1794 - d. ?)
MSA SC 5496-51898
Fled from Slavery, Dorchester County, Maryland, 1824
Biography:
George Ratliff was "taken up as a runaway" in Cambridge, Dorchester County, Maryland "some few weeks past" from the posting date of September 4, 1824.1 Two Constables in Dorchester County, William C. Ridgaway and Isaac P. Townsand, posted the advertisement in the hope that someone would know Ratliff and could provide information on him. They suggested that "any person that knows any thing of the aforesaid negro, it would be doing a kindness to him, or to his owner (if any)."2 They were searching for answers regarding Ratliff. Ridgaway and Townsand were able to gather specific information from and about Ratliff.
Ratliff noted that he "was born near Vienna, in the county, free, and
states that he has lived in Somerset and Worcester counties; from there
he went to Sussex county, state of Delaware, from there to the state of
Pennsylvania, and came here for his free papers."3 By
Ratliff's estimation, he was a free man, but the constables still took
him in under the suspicion of being a runaway. It appeared that Ratliff
did not have his free papers, but attempted to acquire them before
being captured. The constable's described him as "about 5 feet 7 inches
high, looks to be about 30 years of age, very black, and has a quantity
of good clothes."4 At this point, it is unknown what
happened to George Ratliff - he could have been released as a free man
or someone could have claimed him to be a slave and returned to his
owner. Committal notices for slaves or free persons were common in the
newspapers. Many sheriffs or constables posted advertisments to spread
the word about a potential slave being jailed.
1. "George Ratliff." Cambridge Chronicle. September 04, 1824.
2. Ibid.
3. Ibid.
4. Ibid.
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