Of the museum of africanAmerican History. They should have called you the founding director. Her first book, a fragile freedom, africanamerican women d emancipation in the an antebellum city. Published by yale. An understudy topic up until that point. The perfect person to taken to challenge to recover the story of ona judge. Lets give erika a big round of applause. [applause] good evening, everyone. I would like to thank steve and emily for helping me with arrangements to arrive here. It has been a very, very busy week. This book just came out on tuesday of last week. And so as doug said, my first book was published with Yale University press and this book is more of a sort of crossover trade book for a larger more general audience. So it is a very different experience. Been rewarding. Im a little tired. Forgive me if my voice goes in and out. Ive been talking more than usual. And to be where the story of ona judges life began. What i will do tonight is talk a little bit about i will read from the book and give you a context through slides about oh ks here we are. Im in stereo. Yay and to give you a little context about ona judges life and what i wanted to do with he book. Bout 20 years ago, i was doing research on my first book about africanamerican women in the north. I came across an advertisement for a runaway. An enslaved person who had run rom the president s house in philadelphia in may, 1796. I was sort of caught up looking microfilm at old newspapers, ut this made me pause. I said who was this person that ran away. She was named ona judge in the advertisement. I thought wait a minute, i dont know this person. That was troubling to me because this is my area of expertise and i had no idea who this ona judge was. There was something that was compelling about this advertisement. It never sort of escaped me. I said i will come back to this important story. I am going to try to trace this woman. I need answers. I finished the first book and here i am. Many years later. It was a lengthy process in attempting to recover the work of the life of ona judge. This is recovery work. For those of us who do specifically early africanAmerican History, doing this kind of work in archives where the evidence is slim, factual evidence often doesnt exist because people of color, women n particular, often remain outside of the archives. Which i will say there is no way i would have been able to write this book if i had not written my first book. I needed a grounding in order to be able to write this book about as a woman who is really just absolutely magnificent. When you read this book, you will be blown away by her life. Many folks here at mount vernon this is not a new story. We know about ona judge. You are among a small group of people that know her. Thats the expectation. Want her name to become a household names like a and harriet glas tubman. The title, never caught, was one of my first choices for the title. I presented it to people at the publisher and they hated it. They said itb gives away the story. And i said yeah, but so does 12 years a slave. Honestly, we understand, right . It was 12 years. It was going to end at some point. This is really a history of how a woman who was a fugitive never found freedom. She was never free. She simply was never caught. I think it is a big distinction. One that i wanted to make, especially as i was trying to dismantle what we think about slavery in the south and the north, at this moment where the nation is new. I think that is one of the other things i was really trying to do with this book and that was to allow s to see what the early days of this new country looked like through the life of being gives ed and onas life us the opportunity to look at early virginia, new york, pennsylvania, and New Hampshire. We get to sort of follow her life and look at how this nation is changing, how it is grappling with the issue of slavery, all of these central issues to this new nation and this time we are doing it through a young, black woman who made the choice to run away. As i said, i will read a bit. I will talk and look at a few slides and we will walk together on this journey of onas life. Spring rain drenched the streets of philadelphia in 1796. Weather in the city of brotherly love was often fickle at this time of the year vacillating between extreme cold and oppressive heat. But rain was almost always appreciated in the nations capital. It erased the smells of rotting food, animal waste, and filth that permiated the cobblestone roads of this new nation. It reminded philadelphians that the long and pung punishing winter was behind them and spring rain cleansed the streets and souls of philadelphiaians. It ushered in optimism and hope and a feeling of rebirth. In the midst of the promises of spring, ona judge, a young black enslaved woman received devastating news. She learned that she would leave philadelphia, a city that had become her home. Judge would travel back to irginia and prepare herself to owners hed to her ground daughter. I would introduce you to ona judge. At the age of 22, judge stole herself from the washingtons forcing the president to show a slave catching hand. As a fugitive, judge would test the president s will and his reputation. The most important man in the nation heralded with winning the American Revolution could not reclaim this enslaved woman. Ona judge did what very few others could do. She beat the president. Judge was never caught. I normally show this next slide, you all dont need it because we are here at mount vernon, but this is me on the road doing my dog and pony show, and there are, of course, earlier images but i try to give an image so people have an dea of the Mansion House she was for a good 16 years. Of course, you all were here and dont need this. Today, i will introduce what i am calling i am calling her a new american hero. A slave girl raised at mount vernon who once exposed to the ideas of freedom was compelled to pursue it at any cost. This was a woman who found the ourage it too defy the president , the wit to find allies, to escape, to out negotiate, to run, to survive. Her story at this point is the nly existing lengthy account of a fugitive once held by the washington at least told from her mouth to interviewers. It is perhaps the only only fugitive account from any live is in 18th century virginia, judges life exposes the sting of slavery, the drive of defiance. She guarded what would become sort of freedom for her every ay of her life sever never regretting her decision to fight for what she believed to be her right and that was freedom. In 1789, we know that washington was elected first president of the United States, traveled to new york, the nations first capitol. He and Martha Washington took seven slaves from mount vernon. This is a sketch of federal hall where president washington ould take the oath of office in new york. He would take eventually martha would make her way up to new york. She was unhappy about that move but she went, and they took seven enslaved people from mount vernon and ona judge was one of them. She would be taken from her mother, betty, and her other siblings. Will read a bit from the book to give you an idea of what that moment must have been like. The young ona judge was far from an experienced traveler. The teenager knew only mount vernon and its surroundings and never traveled far from her family and loved ones. For judge, the move must have been similar to the dreaded auction block. Although she was not to be sold to a different owner she was forced to leave her family for an unfamiliar destination hundreds of miles away. Judge would have no choice but to stifle the terror that she felt and go on about the work of comparing to move, folding linens, packing dresses and personal accessories, elping with the grandchildren. These were all things that ona udge would be involved in. Hey were the tasks at hand and it was not her place to change or question. Judge had to remain strong and steady if not for herself than for her mistress who appeared to be falling part at the seams. Like judge, Martha Washington had no choice about the move to new york. Her life was at the direction of her husband, who was now the most powerful man in the country. Mrs. Washington and ona judge may have shared similar concerns, but of course, only Martha Washington was allowed to express discontent and sorrow. Martha washington was unhappy and everyone knew it. Including her frightened slaves. The president s nephew, robert lewis would be aware of it. When he arrived at his estate, things were in disarray. Lewis was chosen to escort his aunt and grandchildren to new york but was surprised and a bit concerned when he arrived to find a frenzied and hectic scene. Lewis wrote quote everything appeared to be in confusion. End quote. The manifestation of ms. Washingtons conflicting eelings. Robert lewis described the departure which finally took place on may 17, 1989. As an emotional moment for the slaves and the first lady quote after an early dinner, and making all necessary arrangements in which we were greatly retarded it brought us to 3 00 in the afternoon when we left mount v. He servants of the house and a number of field negro came to ake leave of their mistress. Numbers seemed agitatedand much affected. My aunt, equally so. Betty, ona judges mother, must have been one of those agitated slaves. Not only was she losing her 16yearold daughter but also losing her son austin who would serve as one of the washingtons waiters. Austins wife and their children would have joined in the morning. Betty watched her children leave mount vernon, a reminder of what little control slave mothers had over the lives of their children. If she found any comfort in that day, it would have been brother and sister were traveling together. Austin was holder and male and could look out for his younger sister. Still, betty knew that her relationship with her children would never be the same. The washingtons would travel to new york and their visit here was relatively brief. They would leave for philadelphia in november in 1790 when the site of the nations capitol changed again. Ona would go with the washingtons and be one of nine enslaved people who traveled to hiladelphia. They were going to head south to philadelphia. We dont have an image. Let me see if we go forward. Nope. K. Pretend that you see the president s house. [laughter] which it was a lithograph. An image of a lithograph from the president s house which actually now for those familiar with philadelphia if you go to the liberty bell and constitution hall, the house is actually right there. I will tell you, this is sort of an aside, when i was watching all the preelection coverage and there was a speech given by formal president barack obama and Hillary Clinton it was smack in the middle of this courtyard at Independence Hall and i am watching the visual with the crowds and what have you and off to the right is where the president s house stood. I thought wow. Here we are watching this moment. Im like ona is still there. She wont let me go. She follows me everywhere. February, 1796 brought a palpable unease. Er and her enslaved companions treaded lightly around george and Martha Washington. Enslaved men and women always moved about their days with caution, not knowing what events could sour or sweeten an owners mood. For slaves who resided in the same walls with the owner life could be like walking in a land of embedded land mines. The smallest of matters such as the accidental breaking of a dish or inconveniently timed bad weather, could alter the disposition of an owner. Although the president did not earn the reputation of being a violent or extremely punishing slave owner he did on occasion lose his temper. Ona judge went through her daily tasks at at the president s house with a smooth watchfulness attending to Martha Washington with a care. As she helped her dress for the day. For seven years, judge served her mistress well up north. She became Martha Washingtons closest body slave. All who the washingtons on a personal level were familiar ith judge. She often accompanied her mistress on social calls. The first ladys life was filled with socializing and public events. It is important to realize this relationship between mistress and enslaved person in terms of ona judge it was an intimate relationship. Not necessarily in the best of ways but ona was around Martha Washington constantly helping her with the most intimate of responsibilities, dressing, bathing and combing hair. She was around. She heard everything that went on in the executive mansion. Judge understood her mistress. She knew how much Martha Washington loved her grandchildren. She outlived all of her children fathered by her first husband. Martha washington had no choice but to look to the grandchildren of ope and enjoyment. And although she was only 27 years old when she married George Washington, their marriage never yielded offspring. Martha and George Washington welcomed two of washingtons children in the home and raise hem up into adulthood. Lets hope we have a picture. We do. Judge must have witnessed the shock and concern of her owners. After they read through the mail on february 6, the resident received a letter fromeliza, his 19yearold step randchild, informing of her of ntion to marry, writing the engagement to thomas law, a British Business man who came to america only recently in 1794 and became involved in Land Development around the federal city. Law met eliza who was 20 years his junior. Her father was deceased and washington stood in as an appropriate surrogate to approve or reject the marriage proposal. The news must have sent the executive mansion into a tailspin. Although this was personal family business, everyone who lived within the walls of the president house knew exactly what was happening. It is interesting when we read some of the letters john adams write about this interesting situation, this relationship thateliza was entering into. They were question about who this law person was and writes home about the situation. Neither george nor Martha Washington knew about the seriousness of the relationship between eliza and law and there was much to be concerned about with this union. Law arrived in america with two of his three children both who were the offspring from a relationship with an indian woman. They were biracial. His iracial children and age raised the eyebrows of the washingtons. There were concerns she might decide to go back to england and could take her with him. Ona judge watched their owners feel their way through the dru dramat dramatic events of february 1796. Martha washingtons concerns must have turned to optimism because by the end of the month she announced the upcoming matrimony. She moved through her fear, her concern, her anger for not knowing about this and she began to think of the union in the best possible way. Ona judge had no idea this acceptance of the marriage by both george and Martha Washington would begin the unraveling of her life. So they were married on march 21, 1796 and the marriage signaled the beginning of major changes for the washingtons and for their slaves. Judge most certainly knew her time in philadelphia was limited. By the march wedding, close family knew that George Washington would not run again for president. This was no secret in the executive mansion and eventually all of their lives would change once they returned to mount vernon. The idea of connecting with loved ones in virginia must have given some of the slaves in the mansion reason to celebrate. Judge had lived in the north for seven years. And the thought of returning to mount vernon did not settle well. A return to mount vernon was a reminder to judge and her enslaved companions that they were considered the property of another person. And after living in a free northern city, this was a difficult concept to swallow. For ona judge ks however, the uncertainty vanished as her fate was revealed. I think it is important to realize that as ona judge comes to philadelphia as a teenager. 16 or 17 years old and spends these formative years in philadelphia watching free black philadelphia grow. She watched Richard Allen build mother bethel around the corner, she saw free black men and women selling soup on the street, they were entrepreneurs. It wasnt necessarily easy but she saw freedom. She could almost feel it, taste it, smell it. She would go to the circus, theater. These were things she would never be able to do in virginia. And then with the marriage of eliza, she realizes that her fate or at least her fate was revealed. This marriage and change of lifes circumstances would cut judges residencey in philadelphia short. Ona would not return to philadelphia from her annual so juran to mount vernon. Judge would not be around to witness the president s final months in office. Martha washingtons deep concern for her granddaughter trumped any relationship she ay have forged with judge. Sensing thateliza had entered into a marriage for which she was unprepared, the first lady made a decision rgs and the term first lady isnt used at this moment. It is not used until later on in the 19th century but i use it as part of this narrative i authored. The first lady made a decision that would help her grand daughter navigate through the ransition of marriage. She would give ona judge toeliza. Although judge had earned the top spot among Martha Washingtons personal slives, here was no way for judge to amass enough personal or emotional capital to convince her owner to change her mind. Judges fate was now in the hands of eliza law, a woman who was approximately the same age and known for having a difficult, sometimes volatile temper. I always show this image gives us an nk it idea of eliza and she is a force to be reckoned with. Sometimes i think she got a little bit of a bad rap but her family wrote about her temper. This is something ona judge is familiar with. A shift to the household of the rritable and volcanic eliza. Would most likely doom judge to a life of poor treatment and uncertainty and she simply i will read another passage from the book to give you an idea of what that moment was like for her. Judge knew what the future held should she not take the advice of her free black associates. She supposed if she went back to virginia she would never have the chance to escape. Once she learned that upon the decease of her master and mistress she would become the property of the grand daughter she knew she had to flee. She imagined her work for the law would begin immediately , not after the death of her owners, prompting a fierce clarity for her future and dislike. And dislike for eliza. In an interview at the end of her life she said quote i was determined never to be her slave. Her decision was made. She would risk everything to avid the clutches of the new ms. Rs. Law. Judge was well informed and knew her decision to flee was far more than risky but still she was willing to face dogsniffing kidnappers and bounty hunters for the rest of her life. Consuming, butas so too was her anger. Judge could no longer stomach her enslavement. It was the change in her ownership that pulled the trigger on her fury. She had given everything to the washingtons. For 12 years she had served her mistress faithfully and now she was to be discarded like the scraps of material she cut from Martha Washingtons dresses. Judge knew that no matter how o how obedient or loyal she was to her owners she would never be considered fully human. Her fidelity meant nothing to the washington. The washingtons. She was their property to be sold, traded or mortgaged with whomever they wished. The beast that slept in every slaves soul was awakened, confronting a future with eliza for freedome hunger out of judges mind and she was willing to fight for what she believed to be her right. Her decision to run was just the beginning of her liberation. The waiting was difficult. For nearly two weeks judge had , to calm her nerve and suppress her anger as allies completed the planning for her escape. She could not raise suspicions. Judge worked in tandem with the rest of the household as made the nescessary preparations for a lengthy trip back. Judge stated quote while packing to go to virginia i was packing to go. I didnt know where but i knew if i went back to virginia, i should never get my liberty. Judge kept her plans a secret making certain not to share information with anyone who lived in the executive mansion. Or jealousat fearful slaves were often responsible for foiled fugitive escapes. She decided to rely on the assistance of free blacks who of the walls of the president s home. Not only did she have to pack her things to leave, she had to determine when she would escape. The executive mansion possessed servants thand most northern residences judge , was the preferred house slave and had to be available at all times for whatever reason. There was only one duty from which she exempt. Meal preparation. The famed hercules and a kitchen staff prepared the meals served to the president and the first family and judge sometimes received a bit of free time during the afternoon meal and evening supper. As other servants and slaves were assigned to serve the washingtons, the president sometimes entertained dinner guests, extending festivities into the evening and inviting guests into the parlor to enjoy wine and additional conversation. This would be the only moment judge could use to her advantage. When the moment arrived, she gathered her steely nerves and fled. 1776 onaay, may 21, judge slipped out of the executive mansion while the washingtons ate their supper. She disappeared into the Free Black Community of philadelphia. Although judge makes this decision to leave, i think one thing i want people to understand about the lives of fugitives is to remember the plan to escape, to leave, was almost always strategic and planned. It wasnt typically a whim or emotional. In the case of ona judge, we have the same thing in effect. Her escape would be careful and calculated. She knew the moment she walked out of the mansion her status as the trusted house slave for the most powerful American Family would immediately come to an end. No longer would judge be the favored slave of her mistress instead she would be fugitive. On may 23, 1796, Frederick Kate , the household steward to adrge washington, placed an in the philadelphia gazette. And for a week after her disappearances two newspapers at newspapers as well as , the philadelphia gazette, not the pennsylvania gazette. This is moment i tell my students you cannot believe everything you see on wikipedia because they had attributed the add to the pennsylvania gazette and it was incorrect. Rana week they to attempt to recapture ona judge. In the philadelphia gazette we have an ad that describes ona judge and announces to the world she defied the president. From one of the ads, ups gone to from the household of the president of the United States onnieurday afternoon, judge, i contend that she was written about as onnie judge here in mount vernon, i believe it was a diff a diminutive of her name, like little ona, and i chose to call her ona which is the name she went by at the end of her life. In this newspaper, a light freckled girl and about 20 years of age. She is of middle stature, slender and delicately made. The language changes a little and some of the advertisements. This offers a 10 reward, about the cost of a barrel of flour at that time. Another interesting thing to note is that this advertisement offers the reward and is very paid toat 10 will be anyone, white or black. This is written in the first ads that appear and that language was taken out, which i thought was interesting. This was clearly a play to the Free Black Community, who may have known something about onas escape. It was later added they alerted slave catchers to probably escape routes, the delaware river. In his advertisement, a strong warning was sent to anyone who worked on the docks of philadelphias busy port, toting as she may attempt escape by water, all matters of vessels are cautioned against admitting her into them. Kits assumptions were correct. Judge did escape it city by boat. A combination of preparation, assistance from the black community, steely nerves, push the entrusted slave woman to began a new life as a fugitive. It is at this point in the book where i move into this judge as anrom ona enslaved woman in virginia and new york and philadelphia to becoming a fugitive and her life changes instantly the moment she walks out of that door. And it begins on a voyage to New Hampshire. I will read just a bit. The crashing waves of the Atlantic Ocean hurled saddles and candles from one side of the storage hole to another. The smell of molasses and cough and coffee was thick nauseating customers who were sailing. Tomed to transportation in the 18th century was never easy and travelling by sea could be dangerous. Old and poorly inspected ships swept in and out of cities with torn sales and weathered calking. Hoping to make it to the next port without incident. Ona judge had never been on such a ship, a single masted sloop that could carry up to 75 people, depending on the size of the cargo. These vessels were designed to haul freight but ship captains earned extra money by allowing passengers to ride along. Any seafaring voyages that judge might have taken with the washingtons would have been close to enjoyable. Short river crossings and relatively luxury vessels are come to know but , she turned her back on all of that. Nancy, spacethe was minimal and travelers lodged themselves wherever there was room. Once again, the fugitive found herself sleeping in tight quarters, but this time with strangers. Some who were traveling home and family andth friends, and others, who, like judge were leaving behind a , difficult past for the possibilities of a new future in fort smith. The unsettled see likely forced judges stomach to send somersaults sending her to look , for refuge from nausea on the top deck. Flushed andd her sweaty forehead offering , temporary relief from sea sickness. Shirley other passengers suffered the same way. Hanging their body over the ship releasing the content of their stomachs in the atlantic. Every morning the sun lifted itself above the horizon and judge would have looked out across the ocean thankful to , have survived another day away still shewners, but , was terrified. She could not appear to nervous as passengers were throwing glances towardus the light black skinned people woman who was traveling alone. She knew the washingtons were looking for her and by now a name and bounty probably appeared in many of the philadelphia newspapers. She wondered how much of a reward was attached to her recapture. A thought that sent her eyes to scan the strangers on board. Surely none of washingtons agents made it to the ship before it left dock street but , she would not know this for certain until the nancy reached New Hampshire. The beautiful expensive clothing she wore to serve the washingtons was packed away and instead judge would have dressed in inconspicuous clothing allowing her to hide in plain , site. She was a hunted woman and would try to pass not for white but as a free black northern woman. Ona would have to fight to stay free. The washingtons would pursue her for years up until really three months before the president died. So for years, ona had to try to figure out how to remain never caught. I want to show a few of the archival tidbits i was able to pull while working on this for nine years. The researching and writing took almost a decade. During my process of researching, i kind of span this moment where digitization was just starting. Newspapers, thank goodness are digitized now and it sped things up as they went along. This is one of the newspapers i looked through early on in my project. This is one of those jump for joy moments when you find what you are looking for in the archives. This is an announcement, a marriage announcement. Her name was spelled incorrectly so it took me a while to find this. But what i find incredible about this, a couple of things. This is january of 1797. So she hasnt been gone but what seven or eight months. In that time, she is able to find a husband. Not only did she find a husband, but she did not go by an alias when she got married and had to report to the paper about this marriage. Another note for grad students and scholars happy about digitization. This image is an act of her life, her resistance, but if you pull up the full page of the newspaper, the front page of the newspaper was george to thetons announcement people of New Hampshire, thanking them for being good citizens as he prepared to depart. We have George Washington making this statement to the great people of New Hampshire and in the column next to it is his slave just ran away. Looking at the entire document, gives you a better sense for the kind of resistance we see coming from ona judge whether she meant to be that much of a resisting person, we dont know. Freedom make her way to , or relative freedom. In would live out her days and around greenland, New Hampshire. She evaded washingtons slave catching acquaintances for the entirety of her life. She managed to build a family for herself, she married, had children, worked as a domestic to the end of her days. Although she endured the trials of poverty and fugitive status until her death, judge moved forward. Her life was a difficult one but freedom was worth it. I will show you my last side of the evening. It is a little bit of one of the first interviews that ona judge grants. I will not tell you everything because you have to read the books. I dont want to give everything away. The book is called never caught, so we know theres going to be tension and drama while she is in New Hampshire. This article which came from the granite freemen, an abolitionist newspaper, appeared in may of 1835. It was at this point, ona judge was in her early to mid 70s and she granted an interview. I would not necessarily call her and abolitionist, im not sure she saw herself as such, she was asked simply to tell her story. , i spent i have noted time with my mother and grandparents, the older you get the more likely you are to pay whats exist to say what is exactly on your mind without much filter. I think we have a little bit of that here with ona judges interviews. She explains why she ran away, how she ran away, why it was important and also that she , didnt regret it. Even though her life was terribly difficult, she never regretted it. She would spend nearly 50 years as a fugitive. And the children that she had were also fugitives because slavery followed the apron springs of the mother. So the stakes were even higher once ona went to New Hampshire and attempted to remain never caught. For 50 years she was a fugitive in hiding, but i am certain she never wanted to be forgotten. With the publication of this book, everyone will now know her name. Thank you. [applause] so i think we are going to do some q and a and we have to mike are phones stationed on either side of the room. Thank you for the fascinating talk, were you able to talk to descend descendants and get oral histories . Dr. Armstrong good question. How do i say this without giving away part of the story . The descents dont directly dontd to ona judge exist, but there are descendents connected to her half siblings. There has been correspondence between the library and some of the folks who claim to be descendents. Barkposely chose not to go up that tree. Maybe thats a second project, i dont know. What we do have is a record of her half siblings and what happens to them once ona leaves and one of her siblings, a sister who is named philadelphia, i know , interesting. Forcedlphia is actually to take no place to take no place to work for eliza law. And i dont want to tell you everything but there is a chapter and epilogue at the end that explains, poignantly, how we have two women trying to find we have ona doing it with her , fugitive status and her sister doing it in a different way. It gets us back to this issue of women attempting to fight for their freedom. There is a story there. Philadelphia marries a man and becomes part of a wellknown family in washington, d. C. And i will go ahead and tell you that philadelphia does find her freedom. I was wondering if you could elaborate more on the Free Black Community in philadelphia and the ways they assisted her. Dr. Armstrong thats a great question about the community of free blacks in philadelphia, and how they came to her aid. I think one of the important things about this story, this history, is it highlights the importance of networks and in particular of communities, free people of color, philadelphia in the 1790s was the epicenter of free black life. It outpaced new york, gradual the gradual end of slavery began in 1780 in pennsylvania with the gradual abolition law that stated you could only be held as a slave for up to 28 years. We saw elongation of that in some instances but really where , ona judge lived was very close to many free blacks. So we have thousands of free blacks living in and around philadelphia. One thing that is important to note is ona judge never names names. She can not do that for fear of reprisal. Those that helped her broke the federal law. They could be imprisoned, or find. She simply referred to them as free people of color or the colored people of philadelphia. A couple of historians, including myself, believe that Richard Allen known for creation ame inr bethel philadelphia was likely involved in some way or another in her escape. He was known for assisting fugitives and interestingly enough in the account books held at the philadelphia executive mansion, a week before ona runs off it is noted she was given money to buy new shoes. Smart. If youre going to run away, you need new shoes. But Richard Allen was a Chimney Sweep and served the household of the president cleaning out , the chimneys there. Perhaps they interacted. We are not sure. We had a shoe shop in his home , he was a jack of all trades. Including rich newman, who wrote the biography on Richard Allen believed there was some kind of connection between her and Richard Allen. But we also see outside of philadelphia, outside of seeing this growing free black population who clearly helped her the only person she names is , james bowels who is a ship master. Namedable to, because she his name, she made it clear in her interview that she was only naming his name because she knew he was deceased, so he would not get in trouble. Following thear, ship reports that pulled into the port of philadelphia, his ship was in philadelphia at exactly the time that no judge ona judge ran away. And made it back to port portsmith at the beginning of the june. That is how i determined the ship was named the nancy. So clearly the Free Black Community was involved with her and her becoming a fugitive. The same is true in New Hampshire. She is very clear she gets help and assistance from the free black population in New Hampshire. Now the population was tiny. When she arrives in portsmouth, there were more black people in mount vernon then it portsmouth, there still might be. Its a lovely city, i spent a lot of time there. Went toealize she portsmouth i asked why . And i realized she said she didnt know where she was going. She couldnt go to new york, she was recognizable. So it was likely those free black people didnt tell her for fear of problem. Perhaps she would tell the plan, or be found out. So she actually doesnt know where she is going until she disembarks. Once she gets to New Hampshire, she find a Free Black Community there who harbors her and giving and gives her housing and food and helps her find work and really keeps her safe. Every time one of washingtons family members or agents came after her, they always sheltered and harbored her. The other part of what this book does is shows the importance of a Free Black Community at the end of the 18th and early 19th century. A few years ago i read a wonderful Childrens Book to my judge, weout onnie will part of that project . Dr. Armstrong diane turner wrote a Childrens Book, but i was not a part of that. I know work and i believe there are two Childrens Books about. Er and theres interest in a young adult version that im working on. Stay tuned. In the slide that you had up there it said something to the effect that she did not remember what year it was. Im surprised. You think it will be burned in her memory . Burned in her memory . Dr. Armstrong i think it would be burned in ones memory. I will let you sneak in and come here and talk louder. I think we have to think about the importance of history, and memory, and especially in interview at the end of ones life. She gave us pretty good details, but she does say i cant remember the year. Overcoming back. Thank you. Oh, you are coming back. Thank you. I know personally i cant remember what happened last week , let alone what year things happened in. Wanted to provide an interview that was as credible as possible but she did not lie. And in some ways i appreciated that, that she says i cant remember or i dont know. I think about that, 50 years as , as a fugitive. And she could not read or write. She does not become literate until the end of her life. I think its possible that she does not remember. I appreciate the honesty. Did the pursuit of ona judge continued after the washingtons passed away . R. Armstrong she says no she never states that anyone of theom marthas side family came after her. We knownk about Martha Washington transfer the estate to her grandchildren. So technically, ona judge would have belong to them. We looked through the inventory of the enslaved for the grandchildren. She is not noted on the lists and in some ways i kind of thing they just gave up, but its sort of a fascinating story because her grandchildren really sort of moved in separate ways about slavery. We know George Washington custus becomes involved in the american common is asian society. Has some of her slaves emancipated. So, its almost like a different story that we move into in the 19th century, its sort of captures the transition between the end of the 18th and in the early 19th century. I found no record of it and ona not mention the possibility of being an attempted capture by the grandchildren. So thats an important point, but she was pursued for at least three years, right . We know that from the moment that she runs away, until the death of George Washington, she is pursued. And so one of the things we have to remember, even those there wasnt a physical attempt to capture her, she knew she was still their property and as long as slavery existed in the United States, she was never not she was always at risk, and so i do think its important to note that the grandchildren did not appear to go after her. Maybe some document will fall out of a desk somewhere and tell me a different story and if that happens im excited, not worried. But she clearly always knew that she was a fugitive and that was a fear that ring true rang true to her and her children. Really good work youre doing here. Does ona give any insight into George Washingtons planning of the capital city . Any insight into dealing with its layout . Do you have any information that would dr. Armstrong i wish she had. I wish. But she didnt. We have really just two interviews from her, and the information that she gives about George Washington and Martha Washington revolved around religion, because it was clear that she became very ona became very religious during her life as a fugitive. She went to church, where she became literate. We were not certain if she could write, but she could read. So she talked more about religion, talked about the desire to not go to the granddaughter. She talked about the fact that she never regretted this decision but she didnt give us , the kind of intricacies of what was going on, and i find that kind of fascinating. She lived with them for so long. She knew everything. She was there. She witnessed the difficult moments, but she never went there. She didnt give up that kind of personal information. She takes a few jabs at the washingtons but give her a , break. She was a slave, fugitive. She has the right to put in some jabs. She questioned whether or not George Washington was really religious. She said i never saw him pray. He went to church but didnt pray. So i think thats a different kind of understanding about religion from her viewpoint, but she doesnt give us those intricacies. I do talk about banaker in the book but just as a way to give context for what the early era of the United States looked like and hes part of that. , i find it interesting that you started your research on a bounty announcement, that you really werent looking for at the time. And then you hit the jackpot by finding the interview, and i was wondering, was that part of your long process when you did that . Or what led you to find the report of the the interview . Thats a jackpot. Dr. Armstrong thats a jackpot. As a historian, i dont think i would call it a jackpot. I just feel like this kind of recovery work is so important, and to have this story out for a large audience is the same. I didnt necessarily know i will be honest here, doing this on cspan, i will be honest, i did not know if i would actually be able to find enough to write a book about ona. There were Childrens Books, there was maybe chapter or there in a couple of important biographies on washington but no book about her. When i first started the research i was like, why is there nothing on her . Thats kind of crazy. And then i realized how long it took to do this research and i realized why there was nothing, no kind of monograph dedicated to her because the materials are , slim. Thats another reason why i said before that i could not have done this had i not written a fragile freedom, which taught me everything about early philadelphia, and new york, and sort of allowed me to ground this book in those communities of free people, in the kind of atmosphere of the street, and also what slavery looked like in philadelphia, and in new york, and then of course in portsmouth. So at first i didnt know if i would be able to write a whole book and then as time kept , moving i realize its i can and she deserved it. What can you tell us about onas husband and i think i noticed in the wedding announcement that her last name was spelled with a g the beginning rather than a j. , was that attempt to maintain amenity anonymity and secrecy . Dr. Armstrong the question was about her husband, jack stain yes, who went by john staines. He was a free black man, a sailor a seaman, and that was a , very sort of typical Employment Opportunity for black men, because opportunities were few and far between, black men typically had to look to the seas to earn a living, and it was sometimes sporadic money but you would get all your money at once and that was kind of the jackpot moment when you brought home youre earnings, and also very dangerous work. The minute you left portsmith or philadelphia or what have you and sailed to other locations your freedom was always in jeopardy. So to think about ona knew she was marrying a sailor and he would be away for long periods of time so thats kind of protection that many looked for at least through marriage in terms of having a male, a husband or spouse, who could help especially a free person, wasnt always at play for ona. She spent lot of time alone. At first when i was working on the book, there were notes that he kind of disappeared from her family, like just kind of fell off the face of the earth, so it took me a long time trying to track down what happened, and so track down what happened, and so i didnt bring an image of this but i have a moment when i found a death notice for him in the New Hampshire gazette and it said, jack staines, man of color died this day. At first i wondered, did he dyad sea, did he leave ona judge . Was there marital tension that made him run off and she is alone after 1804. Why . That little death announcement the fact they offered one for him as a black man was also significant. So, i was able to find that , peace that together about him. I dont know anything about his beginnings. I just know that he was a free black man, married ona, they had children, and that their marriage was relatively short before he died, and once again, kind of leaving ona to fend for herself in many ways if wish many ways. I wish this could be a story where it was triumphant. Its triumphant in that she stays away and is never caught but life was very difficult and , it was the same way for ona for many of the other free and fugitives who were living in New Hampshire. Were passing the mic down. Thank you for all of this wonderful information. My question is, as a fugitive, was there any physical description of her . Dr. Armstrong yes. There were actually, aside from the advertisement, we gate we get a description of her as a young woman. She is about 22 when she runs off. And it kind of confirms what we think or what i know about her background, it described her as lighter complected, with bushy hair. Later on there were several accounts by local folks in portsmith who wrote their recollections of life and she made it into she was eventually she becomes known in portsmouth as the slave who ran away from washington. People would come to the cottage where she lived and she was pretty povertystricken and sometimes they would give her a dollar and she would tell her story. Frome seen her described very very light complected to almost white to copper colored. So there are descriptions about her. None about her children, but about her. So we do have an idea, unfortunately no image but as a , fugitive you want want people like, orhat you look to keep talking about it. One more . Dr. Armstrong theres one in the back. Thank you. We just this past weekend were fortunate to go to the black history museum, and while we spent the afternoon we only made it through a few floors. Dr. Armstrong you need sneakers for that place. If we go back will there be , any mention of ona judge . Dr. Armstrong so, i went and gave a talk the National Museum of from American History and culture. I wish there was a lot on her, but no, there isnt. Except for that i went and gave a talk and so the exhibits can change and maybe that will happen, but one thing that is great is that they are carrying the book at the bookstore. It might not be in the exhibit but you can at least buy the book in the book store. I think that has to do with the lack of material culture connected to ona because, as i said before, she was a fugitive, she left very little behind in terms of a trace. If you go to that magnificent museum, theres Harriet Tubmans silk shawl and nat turners bible. So we have remnants from other very famous enslaved people and dont have anything in way of material culture that can be produced. I will say, this exhibit here made it happen. Without the material culture piece, theres definitely an engagement with ona judge and she is represented. Hopefully that will make it into that grand building in d. C. Douglas well, erica, thank you so much. Let give a round of applause. [applause] douglas that was really fantastic. Dont run off yet. Youre not allowed to go yet. Were going to require her to stay and sign everybodys books and youll buy multiple copies. I do appreciate what you said about the exhibit here. When we had the slavery conference, it had just been open a week and it was very curious to see how the scholars would respond to it, and you do you want to say anything else . We have some people involved in the exhibit here. I was one of those folks who showed up in october the at the conference, and its a stunning exhibit, first visually, and a lot packed in, and i think its sort of signals a moment from mount vernon thats really important. Slavery is a difficult topic. And to throw yourself into it and connect the first president with the contradictions, the hypocrisy, and also looking at him as a man and his ideas changing about slavery over time. Im super appreciative that that definitely makes it into the exhibit. So, ive actually only heard positive comments about the exhibit and if you havent seen it, you definitely should, and ona is there. Douglas thank you so much. Lets give another big round of applause. Thank you, cspan. Good night, everybody. You can buy books out there. [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. Visit ncicap. Org] [inaudible conversations] this is American History tv on cspan three, were each weekend we feature 48 hours of programs exploring the nations past. Founded in 16 oh seven, jamestown was the first English Settlement in north america. Several years later, in the summer of 1619, was the first meeting of the General Assembly, which established Representative Government and the colony. This weekend on American History tv, a threepart ceremony in jamestown, commemorating the first assembly. Heres a preview. Is my belief that the citizens of virginia have most certainly welcomed this method of establishing laws, grounded in English Common law and political institutions, including this new Representative Assembly that will continue to tend to the affairs of virginia for some time to come. Today, as we mark that first meeting of that General Assembly that took place on this same day these years past, some would say as the resume be, we have as near as may be, we have brought virginia to the justice and government we knew in english in england. I call upon my counselor and the man i first appointed as speaker, master john 40 forrey, for his recollection. Thank you governor yardley. I, alongr when you and with a few appointed counselors, and about 20 others began meeting together on this very 30, during the tour 6019. Ckly summer of our first 1619. Our first let his latest session was held here, at the church. The governor appointed me from his counsel to serve as the speaker for the whole assembly. Not because of my kinship to his temperance, but rather because i was the only member who had served as an elected lawmaker in the house of commons. I drew upon my experience there ,o organize our new assembly and reduce the matters pending before it into a ready method for the ease of the members. Watch the entire threepart ceremony commemorate the 400th anniversary of the first virginia General Assembly, starting monday at 8 00 eastern. You are watching American History tv. Each week, american artifacts takes you to museums and Historic Places to learn about American History. Next, we visit the american the Virginia Museum of culture and history in richmond to look at 400 years of africanAmerican History. Curator karen sherry focuses on the period of 1619the civil war. Sharing stories about individuals who led slave revolts, educated fellow free people and participated in john , browns raid on harpers ferry. [captions Copyright National cable satellite corp. 2019] karen welcome to the Virginia Museum of history and culture in richmond, virginia. And welcome to our latest special exhibition that is tl