Archives of Maryland
(Biographical Series)

Eve (b. ? - d. 1771)
MSA SC 5496-51593
Slave in Talbot County, Maryland

Biography:

    Negro Eve was born a slave on Maryland's Eastern Shore in Talbot County.  Her owner was James Lloyd Chamberlain, a property owner in Talbot County. 1  Negro Eve was convicted for arson by the county court in November 1770. 2  On March 7, 1771, a death warrant was issued for Eve by the Sheriff of Queen Anne's County. 3  She was charged with felony and was to be executed on March 15. 4  According to the Queen Anne's County Court Minutes, Eve pleaded guilty to "houseburning." 5  To commit arson as a slave in the 18th century almost always resulted in a hanging.  Many people were executed in colonial Maryland for various crimes that ranged from murder to passing counterfeit money. 6  From 1726-1775, 268 people were hanged for their crimes. 7  Of those 268 people, 146 were Negro or mulatto slaves. 8  Negro Eve was one of those 146 slaves as she was hanged on Friday, March 15, 1771. 9  

Endnotes:

1. GOVERNOR AND COUNCIL (Commission Record) 1726-1786. Negro Eve. March 7, 1771. Folio 240. MdHR Number 4010-1. MSA S1080-1.

2. QUEEN ANNE'S COUNTY COURT (Minutes) 1770. Negro Eve. MdHR Number 15,128-2. MSA C1451-2.

3. GOVERNOR AND COUNCIL (Commission Record) 1726-1786. Negro Eve. March 7, 1771.

4. Ibid.

5. QUEEN ANNE'S COUNTY COURT (Minutes) 1770. Negro Eve.

6. Ellefson, C. Ashley. Seven Hangmen of Colonial Maryland. Cortland, New York, 2009, 19.

7. Ibid.

8. Ibid.

9. GOVERNOR AND COUNCIL (Commission Record) 1726-1786. Negro Eve. March 7, 1771.
Researched and Written by Tanner Sparks, 2012.

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