Oliver Gilbert’s Baltimore Sun death notice was published July 14, 1912
“Former Slave Dead”
Notice of Oliver Gilbert’s Death Published in Baltimore Sun by Ex Governor Warfield
This week, we remember the death of Oliver Cromwell Kelly, who became Oliver Gilbert on when the quaker abolitionists in lower Lancaster County asked him to change his name to conceal his identity during his first week with them as a free man.
GGGrandfather Oliver escaped on August 20, 1848, from Governor Edwin Warfield’s family, where he was enslaved as a waiter. Governor Warfield had been born just 2 months prior to Margaret Watkins Warfield and her husband Albert Gallatin Warfield, who’d erected the Oakdale mansion (now for sale!) Oakdale, a historic 1838 Colonial Revival mansion, was home to a Maryland governor – The Washington Post in Woodbine, MD.
Margaret was the daughter of Colonel Gassaway Watkins, who’d been Oliver’s original enslaver until his death in 1840, at which time Oliver was given to his daughter Margaret, but she held an abundance of enslaved people, so she gave Oliver to her brother who lived on the adjoining plantation, Richland Farm.
It was Margaret who’d served Oliver his last meal as an enslaved teenager, as he visited her tent at the annual summer methodist camp meeting revival. Oliver’s escape along with 14 others had been planned for months, and he knew he needed to fuel himself as night began to close over the camp meeting where hundreds gathered to hear itinerant preachers during several days of worship and fellowship.
As Oliver ate his ‘supper’, Margaret took the opportunity to remind him of what happens to slaves who run away, as Oliver’s brother Reuben had recently escaped from her sister, Elizabeth Louisa Watkins in Baltimore, who’d hired him out to work as a waiter at Barnum’s Hotel.
At this point, three of Oliver’s siblings had escaped the Watkins/Dorsey/Warfield/Clark family (relatives).
As Margaret removed biscuits and apple salad from a wicker carrier, Oliver recognized his mother’s signature pralines amongst the collection of baked goods. It gave him pause to know he’d likely never see her again. He glanced across the clearing to see his sister Betty approaching with 2-month-old baby Edwin.
Six years prior, when Betty was just 10 years old, she was gifted as a wedding present from Colonel Gassaway Watkins to Margaret and Albert. One year later, the first child was born to the newlyweds, and Betty had been assigned the role of nurse. Nine more children followed, each under Betty’s confident care.
Betty eventually married Stephen Cook, who was enslaved to Albert G. Warfield’s sister, Catharine Dorsey Warfield Baxley. Stephen and Betty had 8 children of their own, with 4 overlapping the births of the infants in her charge from Margaret and Albert.
As Betty approached Margaret’s tent cradling baby Edwin, Margaret smiled, then turned her attention to Oliver, continuing her narrative about Reuben’s escape –
“…..They caught him (Reuben) and brought him back and now he is sold to Georgia. You will never see him again in this world. I tell you, boy, there is no use in any of you trying to run away from us, for we can go anywhere and bring you back”. ~Margaret Watkins Warfield to Oliver Gilbert in the tent, moments before his escape.
Oliver told her not to worry, he would NEVER even think about running away. Often, in Oliver’s autobiography, he uses dialect to convey conversations.
“I know dat. I would jest like to see myself running away from my good master. I like him too well for dat”!
His autobiography continues –
“….and in less than a half hour I was running the best I knew how”!
Oliver died at 10pm on the night of July 11. The following morning, a letter arrived from Maryland’s Governor Warfield. Unaware of Oliver’s death, the governor indicated his plan to ‘make a place’ for Oliver at the ‘Old Walnut Grove Plantation’. He invited Oliver to return to Maryland to live out the rest of his days ‘in the scenes of your childhood’. (My recreational commentary are reserved on this occasion – insert eyeroll).
HO-18.pdf (maryland.gov) – Walnut Grove was built by Gassaway Watkins upon his return home from the American revolution and was owned by his son, John, until 1887, The property was farmed by enslaved labor until abolition of slavery in Maryland. The property includes a cellar kitchen and ‘slave pit’ across the back of the house which (see page 5 of architectural survey – link above). A personal visit to the site revealed round irons anchored into the walls of the pit.
The governor’s letter was sent by Oliver’s youngest son, Leon, who quoted the Governor’s invitation, and advised that his father didn’t live to read those words. Leon informed Governor of Oliver’s death.
The governor replied to Leon, extended his condolences, inquired about Maria Gilbert (Oliver’s wife) and enclosed a check made payable to her.
Governor Warfield and Oliver Gilbert had a fascinating relationship which gives us great insight into the mindset of each, albeit not exactly at face value.
The article states that a letter had been sent informing of the death of Oliver Gilbert. In addition to the very personal letter sent by Leon Gilbert, a letter was also sent by Oliver’s cousin, Joseph Dorsey, editor of ‘The Crusader’, which billed itself as ‘The Colored People’s Journal’ and ‘The Oldest Published’ , published in Baltimore, MD (1344 N. Stricker Street). Dorsey’s letter to Warfield is dated July 12. I personally suspect that Oliver Gilbert had instructed his cousin on actions to be taken upon his death, which included that a certain notice be sent to Warfield.
It is likely that Warfield was familiar with Dorsey, as Dorsey, a political lobbyist in Maryland, had more than once been convicted of libel in his publications against white politicians. Dorsey was also prone to fistfights with those pursuing executive branches of Maryland government, making him quite a notorious lobbyist. He was heavily engaged all sorts of political maneuvering, probes, police misconduct cases, bribes and other assorted government scandals – as a publisher, a witness, and it also seems he was somehow involved in a few ‘pay to play’ dealings. I suspect Cousin Dorsey will need a blog post of his own on this site – soon come!
I take comfort in knowing that Oliver Gilbert and Joseph Dorsey controlled the public announcement of Oliver’s death, and that Edwin Warfield played his part, as Oliver would have appreciated.
I’m also comforted that Oliver didn’t live to read the governor’s invitation to have Oliver return to Maryland to live out the remainder of his days at Walnut Grove, as I suspect that would have presented a great complication of feelings and a difficult decision, regardless of how we may presume to understand with today’s lens.
I have yet to find Oliver Gilbert’s grave, despite knowing that he was buried at Merion Memorial Park . Merion’s office experienced a fire and all records were burned prior to a certain date. No stone has been located. Maria and the children are buried in Historic Eden Cemetery, along with dozens of Gilbert family relatives.
Why Merion Cemetery?: I suspect Oliver Gilbert, musician and performer, wanted to be buried near James Bland (October 22, 1854 – May 5, 1911). Bland composed more than 700 songs, including ‘In the Morning in the Bright Light` (1879), `In the Evening by the Moonlight` (1879), `Oh, Dem Golden Slippers` (1879) (the theme song for the long-running Philadelphia Mummers Parade), `Hand Me Down My Walking Cane` (1880) and `De Golden Wedding` (1880). His best-known song is `Carry Me Back to Old Virginny` (1878),] which, in a slightly modified form, was the official State Song of Virginia from 1940 to 1997. It was retired and designated `state song emeritus` in the latter year because of controversy over its lyrics.
In 1939, his grave was found by the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (
ASCAP) with the assistance of the editor of The Etude magazine, James Francis Cooke. His grave was landscaped and a monument was erected. The Lions Club of Virginia also assisted in this effort.
A historical marker was erected for Bland at the cemetery entrance in 1961 by Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission.
Perhaps a marker will one day be erected for Oliver Gilbert.
