The Ways We Work in Kent County, Maryland Free Black Craftsman Samuel Rogers

The Ways We Work in Kent County, Maryland

Free Black Craftsman Samuel Rogers

- by Patrick J. Jackson

Starr Center Digital Historian Assistant

How can you uncover the story of a vibrant community of Free Black craftsmen using only a stack of receipts from the early 1800s? Upon discovering that a tattered cardboard box once full of socks was full of antique documents, Galena resident Paul Thien found out firsthand. Carefully kept financial and personal documents written by Joseph Wickes IV were passed down through his descendants and eventually landed in an attic in Tolchester, where Thien found them. This is the story he uncovered.

Joseph Wickes IV, Esq. was the scion of one of Kent County’s most prominent families. Wickes’ great-grandfather established Wickliffe on Eastern Neck Island in 1680 and was an early settler of Kent County. The Wickes family went on to own many farms and properties throughout the county and bought a number of slaves; by Joseph Wickes IV’s death in 1852, the family was listed as owning 28 enslaved persons. Despite his slave-owning status, Wickes prominently and consistently paid for Free Black labor for the running of his many farms and for improvements to his properties. Most prominent among those Free Black laborers was Samuel Rogers, a man apparently trusted enough by Wickes that he was hired over a period of at least six years for a number of projects.

Samuel Rogers (also spelled Rodgers) lived in Chestertown in what is now known as the Levi Rogers house. Rogers’ line of business was construction, as evidenced by the receipts left behind by Wickes. Rogers is shown as a “carpenter” on these receipts but was also paid to paint. Rogers personal craft made an impact on the vernacular architecture of Kent County: an idiosyncratic usage of carved volutes flanked three dormers in the Wickes’ Chestertown residence (the Wallis-Wickes House), which Rogers was hired to make. The same decorative touch was added to Piner’s Grove, also constructed by Rogers.

Often, Rogers worked alongside other craftsmen on the projects and Wickes’ properties. What part Rogers played in organizing these construction crews is unknown, though the trust shown to him by Wickes could point to his responsibility for tasks such as management as well as his personal craftsmanship. Roger’s work on Forest Farm in 1830 seems to have been extensive, with Rogers responsible for sourcing materials and labor for the project. This could show that Rogers had a role beyond his craft while working for Wickes.

For all of his efforts as a skilled laborer and possible organizer of work at Wickes’ many estates, Rogers earned $0.33 ⅓ per day. This was the compensation listed for all Free Black workers, which was the same rate as an unskilled white laborer. Skilled white laborers worked for a wage of $1.00 per day.

As a free Black man, Rogers was a part of a vibrant community in Kent County. Alongside Rogers, James Eagle was another skilled carpenter hired by Wickes. Eagle owned and operated a carpentry workshop in a town identified as Denbigh. This location, situated at a crossroads about one mile outside of Rock Hall, served as the center of a Free Black community. Eagle’s workshop produced fine cabinetry and likely small bits of hardware which would accompany his woodworking.

The contributions of Rogers, Eagle, and the many other Free Black craftsmen of Kent County cannot be discounted. Their contributions to not only architecture but to the community of Kent County should be noted and commended.

An extensive collection of the Joseph Wickes papers, including receipts, ownership documents, and wills can be found on the Chesapeake Heartland Digital Archive.