Slave Statistics (Prince George’s County)

See “the many Patrick Stewarts” for the introduction to why this post was written.

Patrick Stewart of Hillsdale was originally considered as Patrick Stewart of Queen Anne District due to his age and geographic location in the 1870 Census. The 1870 Census gave his age as 50 [1850] which makes him the same age as Patrick Stewart of Queen Anne District. Additionally, he was residing in Hillsdale, a community of freed Black people that had escaped to the District like Patrick Stewart of Queen Anne District had.

However, a review of further records related to him suggests he was not from Queen Anne District, but rather southern Prince George’s County and Charles County, Maryland.

After Emancipation

In the 1870 Census, Patrick Stewart is living in Hillsdale, a community of freed Black people, originally known as Barry Farm and run by the Freedmen’s Bureau. It was called Barry Farm as it had been built on a 375 acre of land that had been owned by the Barry family.

Topographical map of the original District of Columbia and environs showing the fortifications around the city of Washington | loc.gov

The 1878 Hopkins Map shows it as Potomac City. An act passed in 1873 changing the name of “Barry Farm, or Potomac” to Hillsdale in 1873. Charles R Douglass, a relative of Frederick Douglass, was a political leader within the Hillsdale community. Douglass was enumerated at dwelling number (DN) 602; Patrick Stewart at DN 599.

Atlas of fifteen miles around Washington, including the County of Prince George, Maryland | loc.gov

In 1870, Patrick Stewart was not listed in the Washington, DC City Directories. He appeared in the City Directories in 1875 as living on Howard Avenue, in Hillsdale. Howard Avenue is situated in the northwest portion of HIllsdale, running parallel to Stickfoot Branch. An 1867 Tax List ran in the National Republican and cited “Whole Tax on lot 38 and improvements in section 9, in Barry Farm subdivision, assessed to Patrick Stewart, $5.25”.

Map of the division of the north half of a tract of land called “St. Elisabeth,” situated on the east side of the Anacostia River in the county of Washington, D.C. : surveyed into one acre lots for sale to freedmen | loc.gov

This lot sat on the end of Howard Ave along the river and was larger than the other 1 acre lots. The acreage most likely allowed Patrick to ply his trade as a carpenter.

“In order to purchase property, entire families worked in the city all day and walked at night to Barry’s Farm to develop their land and construct their homes by lantern and candlelight. As one man described it, ‘the hills and valleys were dotted with lights. The sound of hoe, pick, rake, shovel, saw and hammer rang through the late hours of the night.’”
The Anacostia Story (1977) | Louise Daniel Hutchinson

In the 1870 Census, Patrick Stewart is living with his wife, Caroline, and his children: Julia, Georgie and Joseph. They are also living with Henry Stewart, age 93. Presumably, Henry is Patrick’s father.

Two of the children, Julia and Georgie, were born prior to emancipation. Joseph was born after emancipation and when the family was living in the District.

Before Emancipation

George Morton, a landholder and enslaver from the Eighth District, submitted a compensation list that included Caroline Stewart, Julia and Georgiana, as well as an older and younger daughter, who do not appear in the 1870 census with Patrick and Caroline.

Prince George’s Slave Statistics | Maryland State Archives

The Eighth District was in the southernmost part of Prince George’s County, along the boundary with Charles County. George Morton is shown on the Martenet Map as holding land east of Woodville.

Martenet’s Map of Prince George’s County, Maryland. | loc.gov

Maria Stewart Briscoe

Maria Briscoe and her two children Henrietta and Ben Briscoe are enumerated immediately following Caroline Stewart and her named children in the 1867 compensation lists for George Morton.

Like her parents and siblings, Maria and her partner, Richard Briscoe, left the Aquasco area and purchased a lot in Hillsdale. Richard Briscoe was assessed for his lot: “Whole Tax on lot 35 and improvements in section 8, Barry Farm Subdivision, assessed to Richard Briscoe, $4.13” His lot was near but not adjacent to the Patrick Stewart lot.

Both Richard Briscoe and Patrick Stewart were carpenters; many skilled workers found lots in Hillsdale.

Maria’s death record records her parents as Caroline Wood and Patrick Stewart and her husband as Richard Briscoe. Her transcribed death record inaccurately records her age as 61. Based on the emancipation records, she was in her eighties, which is consistent with her 1920 census record.

Mattawoman Baptismal Records

In a no longer extant parish, “Upper and Lower Zachiah and Mattawoman”, there were three chapels:

A private chapel on the estate of William Boaman (near Bryantown) in Lower Zachiah
A chapel on Thomas Reeve’s land on the Upper Zachiah (later St. Peter’s parish in Waldorf)
A chapel “located south of the later parish of St. Mary’s in Piscataway”

Topographical atlas of Maryland: counties of Calvert, Charles and St. Marys. | davidrumsey.com

There are three baptismal records in the Maryland, U.S., Births and Christenings Index, 1662-1911 Database associated with “Roman Catholic, Mattawoman, Charles, Maryland”.

25 Apr 1857, the baptism of Julia Stewart, daughter of Patrick Stewart and Caroline
8 May 1859, the baptism of Georgiana Stewart, daughter of Patrick and Carolina
27 Jun 1859, the baptism of Henrietta Briscoe, daughter of Richard and Marg Briscoe

Disambiguation

Despite Patrick Stewart having a similar birth year, and reasonable 1870 residence, he is not Patrick Stewart of Queen Anne District. He was a carpenter from southern Prince George’s County and northern Charles County.

The Baltimore Sun | 12 Jul 1864, Tue · Page 1 | newspapers.com

In 1864, the Baltimore Sun ran the names of the people drafted for the Union Army from Prince George’s County, including the name of “Peter Stewart, slave of the estate of Benjamin Lee“.

Dr. Benjamin Lee had died during the war and his administrators created an inventory of his estate in 1863. The inventory did not include the name Peter.

The 1867 Slave Statistics provide an incomplete list of people enslaved in Queen Anne District [District 7] of Prince George’s County as reported by their enslavers. While submission of the list was voluntary, and not all estates and enslavers submitted a list. That said, it provides the names of over fourteen hundred enslaved people. The 1860 Slave Schedule recorded almost twenty-three hundred enslaved people. The Prince George’s County Slave Statistics names about 62% of the enslaved population in Queen Anne District. Of them, there is only one named Peter: Peter Ridout enslaved by Violetta Sprigg, the neighbor of Benjamin Lee. He was also named in the list.

The list also included the names of Thomas Brown and Jno Hamilton, enslaved on the estate of Benjamin Lee.

Jno. Hamilton is named — he and his partner Patsy are named near the beginning of the inventory list. In 1870, he and Patsy are living in the household of C. A Harding, the son-in-law of Benjamin Lee, and Eleanor Lee, Benjamin Lee’s widow. Patsy is working as a servant in the household, while John is laboring in the fields.

Inventory of Benjamin Lee estate WAJ 3:126 | Maryland State Archives

Thomas Brown, like Peter Stewart, is not named in the 1863 Inventory. He may be the “Tom” who fled Lee’s enslavement in 1859. Lee described him as a 32 or 33 year old man. Further information about Thomas Brown has not been found. If Peter fled Lee’s captivity, like Tom, then Lee does not appear to have advertised for his return.

The question persists if Peter Stewart was the name of a person enslaved by Benjamin Lee, or if the editors of the Draft List in the Baltimore Sun made a mistake as they transcribed and inserted names.

Tag Archives: Slave Statistics (Prince George’s County)

Patrick Stewart of Hillsdale