Brown county was one of the first parts of Ohio to be invaded by free
Negroes. In the "Historical Collections of Ohio" Howe says:
"In the county (Brown) there are two large settlements of colored
persons, numbering about 500 each. One of these is 3 miles north of
Georgetown; the other is in the NE. part of the county, about 16
miles distant. They emigrated from Virginia, in the year 1818, and
were originally the slaves of Samuel Gist, who manumitted and settled
them here, upon two large surveys of land. Their situation,
unfortunately, is not prosperous."--Howe, Historical Collections of
Ohio, 71.
Referring to these settlements some years later another historian said:
"The colored settlement in Eagle Township was made in 1818, by a
number of the former slaves of Samuel Gist, a wealthy banker,
resident of London, England, and an extensive land-owner and
slaveholder in the United States.
"It is not known that Gist ever visited his plantation here, or that
he ever saw a single slave that cultivated his lands, but all was
left to the management of resident agents appointed by him. These
lands lay in the counties of Hanover, Amherst, Goslin (Goochland),
and Henrico, Va., and included some of the first plantations in the
'Old Dominion.'
"In 1808 desiring to make ample provision for the future of those who
had so abundantly filled his coffers by their servitude, Gist made a
will, the intent of which was certainly benevolent, but which has been
most wretchedly executed. This document of fifty-eight closely written
pages is a study within itself. It begins thus: This is the last will
and testament of me Samuel Gist, of Gower street, in the Parish of St.
Giles, in the city of London, of the county of Middlesex, England.
"After bequeathing various valuable estates, large sums of money to
his only daughter, he designated what property and sums of money
shall fall to the numerous persons who have been in his employ, and
most explicitly does he provide for his slaves in Virginia, who
numbered nearly one thousand souls!
"Relative to them the will provides that at his death his 'slaves in
Virginia shall be free.' That his lands shall be sold and comfortable
homes in a free State be purchased for them with the proceeds. That
the revenue from his plantations the last year of his life be applied
in building school houses and churches for their accommodation. That
all money coming to him in Virginia be set aside for the employment
of ministers and teachers to instruct them. That 'care be taken to
make them as comfortable and happy as possible.'
"In 1815 Samuel Gist died, and Wickham of Richmond, Va. (in
conjunction with his father-in-law, Page), who had been appointed
Gist's agent, proceeded to execute his will. Accordingly through
parties in Hillsboro, Ohio, 1,112 acres of land near Georgetown, and
1,200 acres west of Fincastle, in Eagle Township, were purchased for
homes for these slaves. These lands were covered with thickets of
undergrowth and sloughs of stagnant water and were almost valueless
at that time for any purpose other than pasturage. Here in June,
1818, came nearly 900 persons, a part of whom located on the
Georgetown lands, the remainder on the Fincastle purchase. Their
'comfortable homes' lay in the wild region about them; the education
they received was in the stern school of adversity. As a matter of
course, they did not prosper. Some who were able returned to
Virginia. Others built rude huts and began clearing away the forest.
What little money they had was soon spent. Scheming white men planned
to get their personal property. They became involved in numerous law
suits among themselves, and so from various causes they were reduced
almost to pauperism. In later years their lands have been sold, so
that at present but few families remain as relics of this once large
settlement. Among the first families that settled in this township
were the following, most of whom had families:
"Jacob Cumberland, George Cumberland, Samuel Hudson, Gabriel York,
James Gist, Gabriel Johnson, Joseph Locust, James Cluff, ---- Davis,
Sol Garrison, ---- Pearsons, ---- Williams, Glascow Ellis, and Tom
Fox. 'Old Sam Hudson,' as he was familiarly known, was an odd
character, and many anecdotes are yet related of him. At one time he
was sent to the State Prison at Columbus for making unlawful use of
another man's horse, and so it happened that a white man named Demitt
accompanied him for a like offense. Upon being interrogated as to his
occupation, Sam answered, 'Preacher ob de Gospel!' Turning to Demitt,
the officer asked, 'What's your occupation?' 'I clerk for Sam,' was
the shrewd reply.
"Richmond Cumberland ('Blind Dick'), Meredith Cumberland, Taylor
Davis, Moses Cumberland, Ephraim Johnson, and Winston Cumberland were
also born in Virginia."--History of Brown County, Ohio (edition
1883), p. 592.
During these years according to the letter below another group of Negroes
found their way into Jefferson County, Ohio.
_Dear Sir:_
Every body with whom I have talked about this colony of Negroes,
referred me to Judge Mansfield as one knowing more about it than
anybody else. He, therefore, is my chief informer. In 1825 a colony
of slaves was sent up from Charles City County, Virginia, to
Smithfield, in Jefferson County, Ohio, about twenty miles southwest
of Steubenville. They were the slaves of Thomas Beaufort of the
Virginia County above named. So far as I could learn not all of
Beaufort's slaves were sent to Smithfield. Another colony I was told
was located at Stillwater in Harrison County, Ohio, but I have not
yet been in that community. How the slaves traveled from Virginia to
Smithfield could not be told. The number sent up is not known--about
thirty or forty families, they said. They were a tribe, as it were,
Nattie Beaufort being the patriarch. They were sent in charge of a
man named McIntyre, an overseer, who supposedly had been sent to see
to the locating of the slaves on a tract of land which the master had
bought for them through Benjamin Ladd, a Quaker of the Smithfield
community. McIntyre returned to Virginia after a few days stay. He
was never in the community again, nor was any other representative of
the Beaufort's so far as anybody knows. The land was bought in Wayne
Township--about 200 acres, about five miles out from Smithfield. It
is quite rolling, of stiff clay character. There are fine farms all
about it and coal fields not far away. It was bought of Thomas
Mansfield whose son, a prominent lawyer in Steubenville, still owns
land contiguous to the Beaufort tract, and owns now a part of what
his father sold the slaves.
According to Judge Mansfield the tract of land was laid out in
five-acre plots. A cabin was built on each and a family placed in
each cabin. The families were the married sons and daughters of
Nathaniel Beaufort who had been his master's "nigger driver," was the
way one of his granddaughters put it. The whole colony was under
Nathaniel Beaufort's control as long as he lived, during which time
it prospered. Two of the original colony, both women, are still
living and own their little tracts, one residing on her property and
the other in the infirmary. The descendants of the first settlers
owned most of the land but some of it has been lost. Whether they had
any teams and money to start with it is not known to Judge Mansfield,
but he thought that they did not. Both men and women had to "work
out" much of the time for means to go upon, the girls toiling as
servants in the community for twenty-five to fifty cents per week and
their keep, the men receiving forty to fifty cents per day often paid
in such provisions as meal and meat.
Judged by the management of their own plots they are not a success as
farmers, most of their soil being now practically worthless. "The
land which was bought for the slaves was never recorded in their
names," says Judge Mansfield. It was deeded to Benjamin Ladd as
trustee and so stands in the record now. Judge Mansfield's last words
were: "There has been no clash over that land because of its run down
condition, but if coal or oil should be found about there, I cannot
tell what will happen." The financial condition of the colony is no
better than it was seventy-five years ago, the physical condition is
far from being as good. Two or three of these Negroes, however,
showing evidence of thrift are very good farmers. They have increased
their holdings and built new cabins, although most of the old
dwellings are still there and are occupied by the descendants of the
original settlers. They have rapidly increased in numbers and have
extensively intermarried. From the first the people were religious,
regular church goers. They have two churches among them, one
Methodist and the other Baptist. Their morals have been good, having
seldom committed crime. Officers of the law have found very little to
do in this community. During the life of the colony there have been
only two arrests for serious crimes, one of which was for stealing a
horse and the other for stealing wool. Both of the accused were sent
to the penitentiary. No other serious charge has ever been brought
against any member of the community so far as Judge Mansfield knew.
The original set were fine physical specimens, "as fine," says Judge
Mansfield, "as the community ever saw."
Separate schools for white and blacks have been maintained from the
start. Nearly all the teachers have been white. The preachers have
been members of the colony. None of them, however, have gained any
particular prominence in any line. Not even any of the children, so
far as could be learned, had ever been sent off to school. The best
known of them now are two brothers, William and Wilson Toney, both
preachers. Just what acreage they now own I could not learn. How much
is owned by the best of them also could not be determined.
The community is called by some "McIntyre" after the man who carried
the slaves up into Ohio, and by others it is called "Haiti." The
latter term is almost wholly used by white people throughout the
county and has always been offensive to the Negroes. Although I went
to "Haiti" and talked with one of the men, Judge Mansfield gave me
practically all the information. I will send you more in a few days
gathered at other points. I have tried to cover your questions and to
include other vital ones. Please call my attention to anything that I
might mention to add to the interest or thoroughness of the story. I
have reported here almost word for word as the facts were given me by
the Judge and hope the story will have some interest for you. I
expect to find out a great deal more about that community.[2]
Very truly yours,