Researched and written By: Raymont Hawkins-Jones

RUNAWAY SLAVE - SANDY

I am in the middle of documenting the history of my Putnam County, GA Maddox and Reid ancestors. In the process I am recording the history, the marriages, the deaths, the business transactions including land and slave purchases and distributions, and etc of the people who owned them.

During my research I ran across a slave named Sandy who was originally from Wake County, North Carolina. By all descriptions of him, he was mulatto and born about 1817.

Sandy became under the ownership of the inlaws of the Reid Family that I am researching. On 24 January 1814, 18-year-old Nancy Ann B. Reid, daughter of Alexander Reid, married Nathan Lyon in Putnam County. Nathan Lyons was a cotton gin manufacturer and the son of Henry Lyons. Both Nathan and his father owned slaves and were landowners in Putnam County.

In early August 1831, Nathan Lyon died and Sandy escaped from the plantation. He was believed to have headed back to North Carolina.

On 15 September 1831, the administrators of Nathan Lyon’s estate paid $13.56 ¼ to advertise a $20 reward in the Georgia Journal in consideration for the safe return of Sandy, a slave who “RANAWAY” about August 1, 1831, and who was described as a bright mulatto boy about 14 years old with “considerable” freckles, with straight hair and with blue or grey eye color. He was expected to have gone back to Wake County, North Carolina where he was from.
[Page 1 of The Georgia Journal, published in Madison, Georgia on Thursday, October 27th, 1831]

Almost a year later, on September 12, 1832, William Biscoe received $20 from Alexander S. Reid, brother in law and administrator of Nathan Lyon’s estate for his apprehending slave, Sandy. He received another $22 for defraying the cost of travel for himself and for Sandy from Franklin, North Carolina to Eatonton. [Putnam County, Estate – Nathan Lyon]

By this times, William Biscoe had married Nathan Lyon's widow, [Nancy] Ann B Lyons, daughter of Alexander Reid, who himself had just died in Putnam County March of 1832. She married William Biscoe on 10 May 1832 in Putnam County. William Biscoe apparently had moderate means in comparison to the family he just married into. He was a cabinet maker who arrived in Putnam County before 1819.

When Nathan Lyon's slaves were sold, William Biscoe "purchased one mulatto boy, Sandy" [Putnam County - Estates - Nathan Lyon]

William Biscoe, died in Putnam County, Georgia before 15 November 1841, when Putnam County, Courts ordered that his widow, [Nancy]Ann Biscoe as administer of her late husband’s estate and that his estate be appraised. [Putnam County, Georgia Orders: Letters Administration “, Min. B. page 209.]

On 8 February 1842, Putnam County Courts assigned appraisers for William Biscoe’s estate [Putnam County, Miscellaneous Q] and on 11 February 1842, his estate was appraised, and 6 slaves were mentioned but Sandy was not one of them, but on 21 February 1842, Sandy was recorded on William Biscoe’s Troup County estate when it was appraised and he was valued at $750. On 8 January 1844, Sandy was recorded on William Biscoe’s estate in Troup County, Georgia and was appraised at $600.

Right around Nov 1843, Ann Biscoe, widow of William Biscoe died in Putnam County. On 6 January 1845, appraisers for the estate of Ann Biscoe, were appointed through Putnam County Courts, and it was ordered that the estate’s appraisers divide it among her heirs.

On On 22 February 1845, Sandy was one of 18 slaves divided from William Biscoe’s estate and drawn to his son William S.N. Biscoe. He was valued at $525. [Putnam County, Estates – William Biscoe]

In 1846 and part of 1847, slaves belong to William S.N. Biscoe were hired out (rented) to other planters through his guardian and uncle, Samuel Reid and Sandy was one of them.

William Biscoe ended up in Texas by 1850. At this point, I am not sure what happened to Sandy after he was rented out in 1846-1847. I was unable to locate him on the census in 1870 in either Troup County, GA or in Texas.

Although I didn't look as thoroughly as I would if he was a main character in my family book). If he was still living in 1870, it might be possible that he ended up back in Wake County, NC.