Brutus/Sarah Young

Brutus/Sarah Young. . , Brutus , Waterman, 1860s , Brutus was an enslaved man who later escaped slavery in 1861. He expertly traversed Tybee Island's waterways, impressing Union military officers with his navigational skills and his knowledge of the local landscape. In an 1861 correspondence Captain Quincy A. Gilmore notes that Brutus was, "the most intelligent slave I have met here... quite familiar with the rivers and creeks between Savannah and Tybee Island." Corresponding with Sherman, Gilmore notes that he places "great reliance on Brutus' statement [of how to avoid Confederate guns by waterway], noting that "everything he said of Big Tybee inlet was verified... [and is] moreover confirmed by other slaves at Tybee Island." , , Like many enslaved individuals, much of Brutus' fate and personal history is unknown. Gilmore's account notes that Brutus escaped slavery in a canoe only one week prior to their meeting. Brutus story represents a longstanding tradition of Black men in the maritime industry, both enslaved and free, who worked as highly-skilled watermen, fishermen, boat pilots, stevedores, and more, Sarah Young , First known woman of color to reside at the Tybee Island Light Station. Housekeeper to Headkeeper, 1860s , Sarah Young appears on the 1860 census records as a member of Lighthouse Keeper Edward Stiles' household. She worked as a housekeeper with a personal property value of $300. Also included in the census record as residing at the Light Station are Sarah's three children: Edward (12), Laura (8), and an unnamed infant boy who is two months old. They are identified as "Mulatto," indicating a person of mixed racial ancestry., Sarah's name in the census record coupled with significant personal property value indicate that Sarah is a free person of color. Enslaved individuals routinely were not listed in census records by name. In 1860, over 700 free people of color lived in Savannah. This was the largest free Black population in Georgia. This census record is the only record of Sarah's time at the light station., (captions) , Unidentified man in a flat-bottomed rowboat in the lowcountry, date unknown. , This boat is representative of the type often piloted by Black men in the waterways from the Chesapeake to our coast. Image Courtesy of Outer Banks History Center. , Sarah Young is the second person listed on the on the census record. Note the small number of inhabitants and even smaller number of residences on Tybee in 1860.