found: His Narrative of the life of James Watkins, formerly a "chattel" in Maryland, U.S., 2000:p. iii, etc. (James Watkins, the Freeman, once "Sam Berry," the slave; b. Baltimore Co., Maryland about the year 1821; m. Mary Wells, dau. of Thomas Wells, a free black man of Hartford, Conn.)
found: His Poems, original & selected, 1852:t.p. (James Watkins, a fugitive slave)
found: His Struggles for freedom, 1861:t.p. (James Watkins, formerly a slave in Maryland)
found: LC in RLIN, 12/22/95(MLC hdg.: Watkins, James, b. 1821?)
found: OCLC, 12/22/95(hdg.: Watkins, James, b. 1921?; usage: James Watkins)
found: NUC pre-56(Watkins, James, b. 1821?)
found: Afro-American poetry and drama, 1760-1975, 1979:p. 79 (James Robert Watkins; b. 1821?)
found: Sherman, J. Invisible poets, 1974:p. 244 (James Robert Watkins)
found: The poetry of James Robert Watkins, 1995:Database of African-American poetry, 1760-1900 : bibliography (James Robert Watkins; b. 1821?)
found: Struggles for freedom, or, the life of James Watkins, formerly a slave in Maryland, U.S., 2000:p. 11 (b. about the year 1823)
found: University of Maryland, Baltimore County, via WWW, May 16, 2017:Teaching American history in Anne Arundel County, Resource sheet #2 (James Watkins; fled from slavery in Baltimore County, Md., 1844; originally named Sam Berry; commonly referred to as Ensor Sam; b. about 1821 on Abraham Ensor's plantation near Cockeysville, Baltimore Co., Md., son of Milcah Berry and Amos Salisbury, both enslaved; made first attempt to escape, about 1840; converted to Methodism, 1842 or 1843; made successful escape, May, 1844; eventually reached Pennsylvania and changed his name to James Watkins; settled in New Haven, Conn.; married a free woman and found employment; managed to purchase freedom of several of his brothers and sisters in Maryland; went to England in 1851 where he toured and lectured; his friends in New Haven purchased his freedom from Ensor; apparently still in England in the early 1850s)
found: Ancestry, via WWW, May 15, 2017:Connecticut Town Marriage Records, pre-1870 (James Watkins; m. Mary Wells, colored; Apr. 20, 1845, Hartford) 1850 U.S. Fed. Census (James Watkins; age 28; laborer; wife, Mary; res. Hartford, Conn.; b. Penn.) 1860 U.S. Fed. Census (James Watkins; laborer; age 38; wife, Mary; res. Hartford; b. Md.)
found: MWA/NAIP files, May 16, 2017(access point: Watkins, James, 1821?-; note: although some sources state his name as James Robert Watkins, the source of the middle name is unclear; he does not appear to have used a middle name in his published works, nor does it appear either in marriage or census records; death record could not be located; does not appear in 1870 U.S. Fed. Census)
