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As we prepare to bring back The Baobab Tree, AAGSNC’s journal, let’s revisit some of the excellent articles published in our journal. Here’s an excerpt from the February 1998 issue. Lifetime Member Carole Neal wrote a summary of the November 1997 monthly meeting presentation, featuring guest speak Virginia Craft Rose. We’ve added links to the books and materials mentioned in Carole’s article for your reference.

“Electra Price introduced the guest speaker, Mrs. Virginia Craft Rose. Mrs. Rose is the widow of Joshua Rose, first Black city councilman of Oakland. Mrs. Rose shared with the group the story of her ancestors, William and Ellen Craft, and their escape from slavery. Their plan to escape from Georgia to Philadelphia included the very fair-skinned Ellen Craft posing as a man and William as her slave. Neither could read or write, so she also was posing as a deaf man with an injured arm so there would be no need to read or write. Mrs. Rose cited several instances of the trials and tribulations the couple faced along the way and how they joined an abolitionist group when they arrived at their destinations; first in Philadelphia, then in Boston. They wanted to be properly married and were married by Reverend Parker. They learned to read, write and lecture.

Slave catchers came to town looking for them (ref.: President Monroe signed the Fugitive Slave Act), but the slave catchers were run out of town. The couple moved from Boston since it no longer was safe there. They made plans to move to England but missed their ship, so traveled to Nova Scotia and eventually moved to England where they lived for 19 years and where their five children were born. William became a lecturer and became associated with other abolitionists. Ellen became a seamstress.

After Emancipation, William and Ellen returned to Macon, Georgia, and opened a school to teach reading, writing, and domestic skills. One of their children remained in England. Financially, the school had problems because it was difficult to borrow money and eventually the farm and school had to be sold at auction. After Williams’ death, Ellen went to live with her daughter in Charleston, SC.

Mrs. Rose also spoke of her recent visit to London where she was welcomed to the town where her ancestors lived. Craft Court is a small area built in Hammersmith, England, and named after her great-grandparents. Their story is part of the local folklore. Recently, the Black History Division of the Bancroft Library at UC Berkeley archived some of the Black History material that Mrs. Rose’s sister has collected over the years. This information, The Craft-Trotter Collection, also is available via the Internet.

Running A Thousand Miles” is the book written by William and Ellen Craft of their escape from slavery. It is available from Ayers Publishing, (603) 922-5106. The current print, however, does not include the introduction by Florence Freedman, author of “Two Tickets To Freedom,” a book about the Crafts’ escape written for children. In addition to the books, Mrs. Rose displayed other artifacts pertaining to the family’s story. She also mentioned that William Monroe Trotter was her uncle, her mother’s brother.

In 1972 in New York City, a film was made based on “Running A Thousand Miles.” Mrs. Rose and her sister eventually had the film transferred to video and she is willing to show it to society members at her residence complex at the Salem Lutheran Homes. Mrs. Rose also mentioned that someone wrote a musical about the second marriage of William and Ellen Craft which was performed back east. [Their first marriage was like that of many slaves, where they married by
jumping the broom. The second was when they were married in Philadelphia by Reverend Parker.)

Mrs. Rose also recommended the book (available at Marcus Books), “Black Foremothers” about Ida B. Wells, Mary Church Terrell, and Ellen Craft.

A Q&A session followed the presentation.”

If you want to read the full issue of the February 1998 journal, you may do so here. Back issues are free to all AAGSNC members.


Sledgehammers!

Here are some resources to help you begin to break down those brick walls, courtesy of our October 2023 guest speaker, Donise Smith Lei, and our own Lifetime Member, Nicka Smith.

Finding Enslaved Ancestors Using DNA

5 Lies About African American Genealogy and Family History Research

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