Rediscovering free blacks In Somerset County, Maryland, 1663-1863
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1993
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History
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Abstract
From the first days of settlement by non-native-American
pioneers. free blacks counted themselves among the inhabitants of
Somerset County, part of Maryland's Eastern Shore. The most well documented
of these free black settlers was Anthony Johnson who
moved into Somerset County from neighboring Accomack County, on
Virginia's Eastern Shore. Johnson had owned nearly 1,000 acres of
land in Virginia, but moved his family into Maryland during the
first wave of settlement, thus establishing a tradition of free
black land ownership and presence in the new county. Other free
black families also moved into the area, owning varying amounts of
land. Generally, the free black residents tried to fit into the
social and cultural arena established by the dominant white
culture: land ownership, self-sufficiency, church membership and
even slave-ownership. Although African cultural identity survived
in the slave portion of the population, and networks of free black
support existed, acceptance of the norms set by the successful
white residents was a strong incentive for free blacks to identify
with that culture and society.