Johns Hopkins’ Clifton (1850-), 39°19′15″N 76°34′58″W
Johns Hopkins’ Clifton (1850-), 39°19′15″N 76°34′58″W
Johns Hopkins acquired Clifton in 1841 from the Trustees of Thompson sale:
By February 5, 1852 the main house renovations were complete:
Builders and craftsmen, ca. 1850 who may have been employing slaves:
- Niernsee & Nielson, architects
- H.J. Bayley, carpenter
- James Murray, brick layer
- James (Jas.) Sullivan, painter
- Andrew Merken, iron worker
- John Rothrock, roofing
- Bevan & Sons, stonework
- Hayward, Bartlett & Co. plumbing
- S. W. & H. T Gernhardt, glass stainers
- George W. Starr, plasterer
Puzzle to be solved:
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</ref> as well as contractors working on the mansion (see the February 1852 article in the Sun). Given the vague instructions to the Census taker with regard to the definition of ‘ownership’ of slaves, is it plausible or even provable that the slaves listed at Clifton in 1850 were not ‘owned’ by Johns Hopkins, but rather employed there as individuals who rented themselves out to the contractors or to Johns Hopkins on wages used to secure their freedom?
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- Isaac Queen may be a case in point.
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- James Jones may also be an example of an individual mistaken or wrongly identified as a slave of JH in 1850 when he was in fact working for JH to earn his freedom. By 1860 James Jones is free and in JH’s household, identified as being 35 which corresponds in age to one of the four listed as slaves in 1850:
Research Strategies:
Using tax records for Baltimore County and Baltimore City, as well as the City directory for the contractors names and addresses a search for taxed slaves who might have been working at Clifton as well as determining if JH was taxed for owning slaves in BA and/or BC.
Secondary Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clifton_Park,_Baltimore
https://explore.baltimoreheritage.org/items/show/22
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