John (b. circa 1788 - d. ?)
MSA SC 5496-51899
Fled from Slavery, Dorchester County, Maryland, 1824
Biography:
John was an enslaved African American who was
owned by Mrs. K. Brown, a property owner in Dorchester County, Maryland.1 John escaped from slavery with his brother Stephen.2 The subscriber, John C. Henry, posted the runaway advertisement in the Cambridge Chronicle
on behalf of Mrs. Brown on July 24, 1824. John and Stephen escaped from
Mrs. Brown's the week prior to the advertisement posting date. Henry
believed that John and Stephen had "no doubt, made their way towards
Pennsylvania."3 John was described as "about thirty six
years of age, of light complexion, round shoulders and supposed to be
about five feet ten inches high, stoops forward more than common in
walking and is quite civil in his address."4 The physical description was somewhat vague, but Henry was making an effort to apprehend John for Mrs. K. Brown.
John and Stephen were known to "have a father and mother living near Sharp-Town, in Somerset county, Md. who no doubt have been instrumental in getting them off, as he has been seen conveying off a part of their household goods."5 It appeared from this statement that both slaves were able to "run freely" around the area with their parents coming to visit seemingly often.6 For both slaves, a two hundred dollar reward was to be given if they were "taken out of the state, and one hundred if within the state, and in that proportion for either."7 Both slaves were to be delivered to the Cambridge jail. It is unknown if John and Stephen were caught in their attempt to escape from slavery, but they supposedly went north to Pennsylvania to seek their freedom.
Endnotes:
1. "Two Hundred Dollars Reward." Cambridge Chronicle. July 24, 1824.
2. Ibid.
3. Ibid.
4. Ibid.
5. Ibid.
6. Ibid.
7. Ibid.
Researched and Written by Tanner Sparks, 2014
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