Alex guarded the church from fire

This post is part of an ongoing project to record names of enslaved people of Greene County, Georgia I find in historical records. 

Planters’ Weekly, Greensboro, Georgia, March 28, 1860

Fire in Greenesboro.

On Tuesday morning between one and two o’clock the Store of Johnson & Porter was discovered to be on fire. Messrs. Jones and Johnson the clerks were not awakened till the fire had made considerable progress, and had barely time to remove the blotter for this year, with a few other articles. The store of Davis & Brother, towards which the wind was blowing, was soon blazing, but by this time sufficient assistance had assembled to get out a large portion of their goods. Both of the stores were completely consumed. The brick house of John Cunningham joining the first store on the west, tenanted by Messrs. Willis Powers and Price, had nothing standing in a few hours but its walls. We cannot estimate the loss of those in the house just mentioned; it was considerable for nearly everything in it was burnt. About fifteen thousand dollars worth of property of Johnson & Porter, and about nineteen of Davis & Brother, were destroyed. Cunningham’s house was worth we suppose thirty-five hundred or four thousand dollars. Johnson & Porter were insured seven thousand, Davis & Brother fifteen thousand, and this is the entire amount thus protected.

The fire has evidently been the work of some incendiary. There was no fire, when Johnson & Porter’s clerks were awakened, in the only fire place in which there had been fire that night in the store, and two persons who first took the alarm, assert that the store was burning on the outside, the weatherboarding having been evidently fired at the ground. The Iron Safe of Johnson & Porter (Herring’s patent) preserved its contents well, the books being only scorched a little. About one hundred dollars of bank bills in it received no injury.

The thanks and gratitude of the whole town are due some of our citizens who untiring energy arrested the spread of the flames. Nothing short of their miraculous efforts saved the store of Howell & Neary, which joined Johnson & Porter on the North. Among the most deserving we notice and commend Messrs. Bishoff, Nuenschuiender, Latimer, Grogan, Johnes, and Funk, and we do hope that others will not feel disparaged because we forgot to mention them. The Negroes worked faithfully and well. Thompson’s Grocery was mainly preserved by them. The Architect of the Presbyterian Church, now nearly finished, on his hasty arrival found his negro Alex, on the roof of the Church with a bucket of water guarding it as if it were his own.

How little did we foresee how close we were to such a terrible fire here. When we commented on the remarks of the “Clipper” this week.

Of course, it would help to determine the name of the clergyman who owned Alex so I searched the 1860 Greensboro census and found three men enumerated as Presbyterian clergymen. 

Clergyman #1

The 1860 Greene County, Georgia census enumerates a 64-year-old male named Henry Safford living in Greensboro with the occupation of Presbyterian clergyman. The only Henry Safford I find in the 1860 slave schedule was enumerated in Natchitoches, Louisiana. This Mr. Safford owned three slaves, all females. 

 

The 1870 Greene County, Georgia census enumerates a 74-year-old man named Henry Safford living in Greensboro who was a minister (religion not specified). Perhaps he owned land in Louisiana in 1860.

 

Henry was enumerated in the 1850 Greene County, Georgia as a 54-year-old minister so would be the same man. 

 

He was enumerated in the 1850 Greene County slave schedule as the owner of one female slave, so it does not appear he was the Architect of the Presbyterian Church in 1860.

 

Clergyman #2

The 1860 Greene County, Georgia census enumerates a 34-year-old male named R. A. Houston living in Greensboro with the occupation of Presbyterian clergyman. The 1860 slave schedule shows he owned two female slaves so he mostly likely was not the Architect of the Presbyterian Church in 1860.

 

Clergyman #3

The 1860 Greene County, Georgia census enumerates a 43-year-old male named Homer Hendee living in Greensboro with the occupation of Presbyterian clergyman. The 1860 slave schedule shows he owned three slaves. Unfortunately, the enumerator did not write a clear “M” or “F” in the sex column. If the 35-year-old was in fact male, he would be a good possibility to be slave Alex. But that is a big “if.”

Rev. Homer Hendee was the A.M. President and Professor at Greenesboro Female College in 1858 so there was a good possibility he owned slaves.

Note: Click on images to enlarge.

Reference

• Fire in Greenesboro, Planters’ Weekly, Greensboro, Georgia, March 28, 1860; https://gahistoricnewspapers-files.galileo.usg.edu/lccn/sn89053159/1860-03-28/ed-1/seq-2.pdf.  
• Greenesboro Female College, The Georgia Temperance Crusader, Penfield, Georgia, January 14, 1858.
• U.S. Federal Census Slave Schedules, Greene County, District 143, Georgia, 1850.
• U.S. Federal Census Slave Schedules, Greene County, Georgia, 1860.
• U.S. Federal Census Slave Schedules, Natchitoches, Louisiana, 1860.
• U.S. Federal Census, Greene County, Georgia, 1860.
• U.S. Federal Census, Greensboro, Greene County, Georgia, 1870.