Franklin County Miscellaneous Data

Persons Listed On This Page:

1. Enslaved Simon "stolen" by Chambersburg man
2. Negro George sentenced to death
3. The Woman purchased in 1796 may actually be a free person
4. Areana, whose husband was captured in Loudon
5. Ann Smallwood is a free woman
6. Moses, whose parents live in Mercersburg

Items

• Name: Simon and John Clark
  Details Simon, a man enslaved in Virginia, was "stolen" by John Clark of Chambersburg, PA. Text of advertisement from a Carlisle newspaper:

  STOLEN from the Subscriber, a NEGRO MAN slave, named Simon, about 22 years old, five feet ten or eleven inches high, one of his fore teeth broken off; to know if he is my negroe, enquire of him if he knows one John Mason, by whom he was raised, and at his death was sold to one William Brown, of whom I purchased him, (state and county aforesaid.) Said Negroe was carried away by one John Clark, of Chambersburg, state of Pennsylvania; I will give a reward of Twenty Pounds if delivered to me, or Twelve Pounds if confined in any jail, so that I can get him again.
  JOHN COCKE.
  P.S. I will give a reward of Twenty Gunieas to any person that will deliver said John Clark to me in Caroline county, State of Virginia. J.C.

  Notes: What was the relationship between John Clark, Simon, and the enslaver, John Cocke of Virginia? Was Simon "stolen," or did Clark help him escape?
  Source: The Carlisle Gazette and Western Repository of Knowledge, 07 December 1785.
• Name: George
  Details Sentenced to death for rape, 1793: "November 22: Commanded the Sheriff of Franklin Co. to execute sentence of death on 18 January 1794 upon Negro George convicted at Chambersburg, Franklin Co. of Rape." The notation was listed in the published Pennsylvania Archives, Ninth Series, 1793.
  Source Marsha Hoffman Rising, "Pennsylvania Archives--Ninth Series--1791," at http://mhrising.com/Pardons/1793.htm accessed 16 October 2006.
• Name Un-named Woman
  Details John Crawford purchased a woman from Alexander McKean in June 1796, but she may actually be free.

  WHEREAS the subscriber hath given two promisory notes under his hand and seal, each for fifty pounds, (specie) dated the 28th day of June last, the one payable last fall the other this spring, unto Mr. Alexander M'Kean, of Guilford township, Franklin county, for a NEGRO WENCH, warranted and defended against all persons whatsoever, but the Negro's servitude being now disputed, I am determined not to pay either of the above notes until the title can be made indisputable to me -- Therefore I caution all persons from taking an assignment on either of the said notes.
  JOHN CRAWFORD.
  February 27, 1797.

  Sources The Franklin Repository Weekly (Chambersburg, PA), 02 March 1797.
• Name Areana
  Details Areana and her husband, whose name is not given in the runaway advertisement, escaped from slaveholder Thomas W. Raynolds of Frederick County, Virginia. They made it to Franklin County, Pennsylvania, where her husband was captured, but Areana escaped.

  Fifty Dollars REWARD.
  RAN AWAY from the subscriber, living in Frederick county, Va. near Winchester, a Negro Girl by the name of
  AREANA,
  Twenty years of age, rather black and chunky, has large white eyes and looks wild when spoken to; her clothing not recollected. It is presumed by the subscriber that she is in the State of Pennsylvania; her husband was taken up in Loudon, Franklin county, Pa. and she made her escape. I will give the above reward to any person that will apprehend the said Negro and secure her in any jail so that I get her again.
  Thomas W. Raynolds.
  June 24, 1817.

  Sources The Franklin Repository Weekly (Chambersburg, PA), 01 July 1817.

• Name Ann Smallwood
  Details  Sold by Edward W. Doyle of Concord, Franklin County, Pennsysylvania, to James Shoaf of Williamsport, Maryland. However Shoaf believes she is actually a free person. Text of public notice, below:

  Notice to the Public.
  Whereas Edward W. Doyle, of the Town of Concord, County of Franklin, and Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, on the 19th day of March 1821, assigned, for value received, all his right title, Interest and Claim in and to a negro woman, by the name of "Ann Smallwood;" which negro woman in said assignment, appears to have been gifted to him by Henry Spalding of Frederick County and State of Maryland. And whereas the said Edward W. Doyle by his Bill of sale, dated on the day, month and year aforesaid, for and in consideration of the sum of Two hundred Dollars, sold the said "Ann Smallwood" unto James Shoaf of the Town of Williamsport, in the County of Washington and State of Maryland; -- and further whereas I the said James Shoaf gave unto the said Edward W. Doyle, a Note for the payment of the above amount, in Tobacco. -- I do hereby forwarn any person or persons from taking an assignment of said Note, as I am determined not to pay the same, unless by due course of Law, as I am informed the said "Ann Smallwood" is a free woman.
  JAMES SHOAF.
  Williamsport, July 17th, 1821

  In a letter to the Franklin Republican newspaper, dated October 1, 1821, Edward Doyle defended his sale of Ann Smallwood, noting that she had been a slave of Henry Spalding, Esq., of Frederick County Maryland. He included a statement from Francis W. Spalding, son of Henry, that said: "I do certify, that Ann Smallwood was a Slave for life to my father, Henry Spalding. In 1809 he gave her to his daughter and Edw'd W. Doyle, said Ann was about four years old." Doyle contends, in his letter, that by Pennsylvania law, upon being brought into Pennsylvania, Ann's enslavement status would change to enslavement until age 28, and because she was 16 at the time of the sale to James Shoaf, she was therefore not a free woman. The Franklin Republican correctly points out that Doyle was incorrect on Pennsylvania law, and as soon as Ann Smallwood was brought to Pennsylvania, she did indeed become a free woman.
  
  Finally, in December of that year, a letter was published in the Franklin Republican ostensibly written by Ann Smallwood asserting that she was safe from "cowhiding" as she was "nearly out of [Doyle's] reach, being pleasantly situated on the banks of the Potomac from under the lash of my old taskmaster." Whether actually written by her or not, it was clearly intended as a political attack on Doyle by the editors of the paper.
  Sources   Franklin Repository, 24 July 1821, page 1; Franklin Republican, 09 October 1821, page 3; Franklin Republican,
25 December 1821, page 3.

 

• Name  Moses
  Details  Eighteen-year-old Moses was enslaved by William Chaney near Funkstown, Washington County, Maryland. He escaped from Chaney on Saturday, February 16, 1822, wearing only his work clothes. Chaney knew that Moses' parents were both living in Mercersburg and he believed the young man was headed there.

  25 Dollars Reward.
  RAN AWAY from the subscriber, livng near Funkstown, Washington county, Maryland, on Saturday the 16th inst. a Negro Boy, named
  MOSES,
  about 18 years of age, upwards of five feet high, slender made, yellow complexion, speaks slow and has a down look when spoken to by a white man, one of his feet is inclined outwards considerably, and he walks somewhat lame.
  His clothing consisted of drab home made fulled linsey roundabout and trowsers, a striped linsey jacket, a wool hat about half worn, and coarse shoes also about half worn. The above reward will be given for said runaway, if taken out of the county, and all reasonable expenses paid if brought home; or ten dollars if taken in county, and secured so that I get him again.
  Wm. CHANEY.
  February 19.
  N.B. It is supposed the above runaway has made for the neighborhood of Mercersburg, Pa. where his father and mother live.

  Notes Funkstown is about twenty miles from Mercersburg. It would be a full day's walk to the northwest following the Mercersburg Road, which runs through the middle of Hagerstown. A person wanting to avoid being seen would likely divert arount Hagerstown, adding several hours to the walk. For someone who "walks somewhat lame" due to a limb condition, this trip could be quite arduous.
  Sources  Franklin Repository (Chambersburg, PA), 26 February 1822.

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