Robert was an enslaved man who worked at Tuckahoe during the Allen period. He is thought to have been born around 1821. In early March 1856 Robert escaped and Mr. Allen put out a newspaper ad offering a $25 reward for his return. Robert was noted to be around 35 years old and described as “5 feet 8 or 10 inches high well made, of dusky brown or ginger-bread color, and has a noted white speck, or protuberance on the ball of the right eye”. The ad mentions that he has a wife who was owned by John Palmer in Cumberland County but no mention is made of her name.
It is unknown what became of Robert. A later Allen account made in 1858 does list a “Robert Gibson” but it is not certain if this is the same man or not (the ages are different however they are still close enough that it could possibly be referring to the same man).
