Stephen (b. circa 1794 - d. ?)
MSA SC 5496-51900
Fled from Slavery, Dorchester County, Maryland, 1824
Biography:
Stephen was an enslaved African American who was owned by Mrs. K. Brown, a property owner in Dorchester County, Maryland.1 Stephen escaped from slavery with his brother John.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 Stephen was described as "a brother of John and is younger by five or six years, has the same complexion or rather lighter, and is knock-kneed, has a broad face and very weak eyes, as they generally run freely, he is very fond of strong drink and is about five feet seven inches high."4 Henry provided a better physical description of Stephen than he did with John. Henry seemed to observe that both slaves did not appear to be under strict confines at Mrs. Brown's farm. The description that Henry provided would serve as an effort to apprehend Stephen 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. 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."6 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.
1. "Two Hundred Dollars Reward." Cambridge Chronicle. July 24, 1824.
2. Ibid.
3. Ibid.
4. Ibid.
5. Ibid.
6. Ibid.
Return to Stephen's Introductory Page
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