Black Loyalist

James and Sally Halstead leave New York on board the ship L'Abondance with a 10 year old charge, George Snail, who we suspect is their grandson. The three are found in a family group in Captain Snowball's Company in the Birchtown Muster, where James' occupation is listed as 'carpenter'. It is interesting to note that the Hallstead, Snowball and Herbert families who all left New York on board L'Abondance are still to be found together in Snowball's Company in the Muster.

The Halstead family has a strong presence in the Great Bridge to Ferry Point area in Norfolk County. James may very well be the Joe inherited by Samuel Halstead in 1771 but he could also be theman who appears in the tithables for the Halstead family in 1751 and is usually known as 'Jamaica', though in one instance he is called 'James'. He is owned by Simon Halstead Snr., who is sometimes listed with his sons, Henry, John and Simon. Ownership of James/Jamaica eventually passes to Simon's sons and when James is last listed in the tithables in 1772 it is with Simon Halstead Jnr. Simon Jnr still owns slaves after this time, but James is not among them. Samuel Halstead is identified as James' former owner in the Book of Negroes, and this could either be a mistake for 'Simon' or ownership of James/Jamaica may have passed to Samuel between 1772 and 1775 when he runs away, though it is not possible to identify him among Samuel's slaves in this period. It is however Henry Halstead who claims James (Jamaker) in his losses to the British in 1775.

Henry Halstead is also the former owner of Moses Halstede (Halstead) who is probably James' son. James and Moses run together in 1775. They subsequently both make their way to New York and to Birchtown with their respective families, though they leave in different ships and are in different companies in the Muster. The surname of the grandson, Snaile derives from another prominent and well connected family from Princess Anne County connected to the Moseley family who may have owned his father.