“We actually don’t know what happened to Wallace. We know he was still on the run for at least 2 years as this runaway ad was still being run in 1852. Joseph Allen initially offered a $20 reward for his capture but as time went on, he increased this amount. By 1852, he was offering a sizeable $200 reward. That’s a little over $8,000 in today’s money. Clearly, Joseph Allen wanted Wallace back-perhaps because he was such a highly skilled worker or perhaps he had some sort of personal vendetta against him. At this point, we don’t know whether Wallace was eventually recaptured and resold, whether he died while he was on the run, or whether he was ultimately successful in his escape to freedom. His name has not been found on any document after 1850.
Wallace’s brother, Ed Smith, remained at Tuckahoe and started a family with a woman named Ellen who was listed as the cook. They named one of their children ‘Wallace’, perhaps in honor of his uncle. Sadly, young Wallace died at the age of 9 months of unknown causes.”