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March 1770: Margaret Grant Dresses as a Boy Servant
Thirteen Pounds Reward.
RUN away, on Saturday the 10th instant, from the subscribers, living in Baltimore town, Maryland, the following servants, viz, JOHN CHAMBERS, an English convict servant man, about 21 years of age, 5 feet 7 or 8 inches high, of a pale complexion, gray eyes, and bandy legs; had on and took with him sundry suits of clothes, nine ruffled shirts, a brown bush wig, a pair of single channel boots, a blue cloth great coat, and 150 £ cash, which he robbed his masters house of on the night of his elopement.
MARGARET GRANT, a mulatto, about 20 years of age, 5 feet 1 or 2 inches high; had on and took with her sundry womens apparel, but has since disguised herself in a full suit of mens blue clothes, attending as waiting boy on the above John Chambers. She is an artful hussy, can read and write, has been in Barbados, Antigua, the Grenades, Philadelphia, and says she was born in Carolina. Whoever apprehends the said servants, and secures them and the money, so that their masters may have them again, shall have the above reward, and reasonable charges, if brought home, paid by
HENRY JAMES.
MORDECAI GIST.
March 14, 1770.
N.B. All masters of vessels are forbid to carry them off, at their peril.
At some point, Mordecai Gist recovered Margaret and promptly sold her to another enslaver. By April of 1773 she is owned by George Ashman, Jr. in a nearby part of Baltimore County, from whom she escaped on April 21st of that year:
April 24, 1773.
RAN away the 21st of this instant from the Subscriber, living near Gunpowder meetinghouse, in Baltimore county, a mulatto woman named Margaret Grant, about twenty years old; she is very short and well set, and appears to be big with child, can read and write, is a good needle woman and cook, and can wash and iron very well; she says she was born in Charles-town, in South-Carolina, and has been in Philadelphia and the island of Grenada; had on, when she went away, a white holland jacket, new gray half-thick upper petticoat, and white country kersey under ditto, much worn, with holes in it, osnabrig shift, lawn cap, a white linen handkerchief, or a blue spotted ditto, with holes therein, much worn high heeled leather shoes, with white metal buckles.
Whoever takes up the said woman, and secures her, so that her master may get her again, shall receive three pounds reward, if taken more than ten miles from home, and reasonable charges if brought home, paid by
GEORGE ASHMAN, junr.
N.B. The aforesaid woman about three years ago was a servant of Mr. Mordecai Gist, in Baltimore town, and is well acquainted there. All masters of vessels are hereby forwarned against carrying her off.
Notes
Margaret Grant made her first escape from Mordecai Gist by dressing as a boy and passing as the servant to a white man, the English convict servant John Chambers. For other examples of escaped slaves cross-dressing, see "January 1779: Richard Wood Dresses as a Woman." and "April 1804: Judith escapes from Canandaigua Dressed as a Man."
Sources
The Virginia Gazette, 22 March, 05 April 1770.
Maryland Gazette, 13 May 1773.
Covering
the history of African Americans in central Pennsylvania from the colonial
era through the Civil
War.
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