Sandy Cornish

Sandy Cornish (Uncle Sandie) was born a slave in Maryland about 1793. He migrated to Florida in 1839 where with his wife Lillah's help he was able to buy his freedom. In the late 1840's his free papers were lost in a fire. Six unprincipled men captured him with the intent of selling him at the slave market in New Orleans. Uncle Sandie escaped and to prevent recapture he inflicted severe injuries on himself. In the public square of Port Leon, he cut the muscles of his ankle joint, plunged a knife in the other hip joint and cut off the fingers of his left hand rendering himself unfit for labor and thus worthless as a slave. In the late 1840's he came to Key West where he and Lillah bought a farm on what is now Truman Avenue near Simonton Street. Uncle Sandie supplied fresh vegetables and fruit to the islands inhabitants. During the Civil War many Union soldiers visited Sandy's fruit orchard. He was by all accounts a highly successful farmer, one of the richest men in Key West and a leader of the African American community. In 1864 he established the ongoing Cornish Chapel of the African Methodist Episcopal Church at 702 Whitehead Street. Uncle Sandie died in the late 1860’s a wealthy, respected and free citizen of Key West. , Donated by , Peter and Ellen Batty , Karl Scheuerman and Carol Solomon.