Anna Murray Douglass

Celeste-Marie Bernier is Professor of United States and Atlantic Studies at the University of Edinburgh. She is the author/editor/curator of over 85 books, exhibitions, essays, and digital educational resources including the Douglass Family Lives: Anna Murray and Frederick Douglass Family Biography and Collected Works nine-book series. She is a Senior Advisor at Frederick Douglass Family Initiatives, Rochester, N.Y., and an Honorary Member of the Frederick Douglass Honor Society, Easton, Maryland.

In this extraordinary study, Celeste-Marie Bernier reclaims Anna Murray Douglass from the margins of history and restores her to the center of nineteenth-century radicalism. Going against the constraints of conventional biography, Celeste-Marie Bernier unveils groundbreaking archival discoveries and weaves a powerful reappraisal of African American women’s intellectual, political, and cultural labour in the struggle against slavery. This astonishing book shows how Anna Murray Douglass shaped abolitionist networks, sustained revolutionary activism, and forged strategies of resistance that reverberated across generations.

• List of FiguresThe Anna Murray and Frederick Douglass Family TreeA Reflection on Family, Resilience, Strength, and LoveNettie Washington DouglassA Letter Addressed to All Who Stand On the Shoulders of Anna Murray DouglassKenneth B. Morris, Jr.My New Douglass FamilyCharles Randolph-WrightA NoteDr. Walter O. EvansDouglass Revolutionary Family Biographies ForewordDr. Bill E. Lawson and Dr. Gabriella Beckles-RaymondSeries Introduction: Douglass Family Lives, Douglass Family LivesCeleste-Marie BernierA REVOLUTIONARY FAMILY LIFE IN HISTORY1. A Revolutionary’s Heroic Life2. A War of Remembrance and Respect3. A Revolutionary Among Revolutionaries4. A Revolutionary Family’s Heroic Lives5. Anna Murray Douglass: A Revolutionary Family Biography and Life in DocumentsA REVOLUTIONARY FAMILY LIFE IN DOCUMENTSPART ONE: EARLY LIFE AND MARRIAGE1. A Laborer’s Life in Maryland- 1. Alexander Walker Wayman, “Chapter I [1820s],” My Recollections of African M.E. Ministers, 1881.- 2. Anna Murray, “Certificate of Freedom,” May 29, 1832.2. Liberation and Marriage- 3. Anna Murray and Frederick Douglass, “Marriage Certificate,” September 15, 1838.- 4. Frederick Douglass, “My Escape from Slavery,” [1838-early 1840s], 1881.3. Early Family Years in Lynn, M.A.- 5. David Newhall Johnson, “Recollections of Frederick Douglass [1840s],” The Daily Evening Item, March 9, 1895.- 6. Frederick Douglass to Maria Weston Chapman, September 10, 1843.PART TWO: INTERNATIONAL LIBERATION LABORS IN U.K. AND U.S.4. Our Sister Friend Harriet Ann Bailey/Ruth Ann Cox- 7. “The Twelfth National Antislavery bazaar,” The Liberator, January 23, 1846.- 8. Frederick Douglass to Harriet Ann Bailey [Ruth Ann Cox], May 16, 1846.- 9. Frederick Douglass to Harriet Ann Bailey [Ruth Ann Cox], July 17, 1846.- 10. Frederick Douglass to Harriet Ann Bailey [Ruth Ann Cox], August 18, 1846.5. Anna Murray and Frederick Douglass’ Fight for Legal Liberation- 11. Frederick Douglass to Anna Richardson, August 19 [1846].- 12. Frederick Douglass to Isabel Jennings, September 22, 1846.- 13. Frederick Douglass, “To Henry C. Wright,” The Liberator, January 29, 1847.6. Frederick Douglass’ Transatlantic Return to the “Beloved Ones of My Heart”- 14. Frederick Douglass to Harriet Ann Bailey [Ruth Ann Cox], January 31, 1847.- 15. Frederick Douglass to William Smeal and Robert Smeal, The British Friend, May 1847.- 16. Frederick Douglass to Anna Richardson, The Christian, June 1, 1847.- 17. Frederick Douglass, “The Douglass Testimonial,” The Universe, July 23, 1847.- 18. Isabel Jennings to Maria Weston Chapman, August 2, 1847.- 19. Frederick Douglass to Amy Kirby Post, September 29, 1847.7. A Family Newspaper and “A Sister Rescued from Slavery”- 20. Frederick Douglass, “A Sister Rescued From Slavery,” The North Star, December 3, 1847.8. The Right to a Family is Resistance- 21. Frederick Douglass to Isaac Post, February 3, [1848].- 22. Frederick Douglass to William Cooper Nell, The North Star, February 11, 1848.- 23. Mrs. George D. Van Zandt [Emaline Cochran] to Anna Murray Douglass, March 1848.- 24. Frederick Douglass, “Domestic Happiness,” The North Star, August 18, 1848.- 25. Frederick Douglass, “To My Old Master,” The North Star, September 8, 1848.- 26. F.D. [Frederick Douglass], “[Constant Attendance Upon Our Sick Family],” The North Star, March 30, 1849.9. Family Activism Histories- 27. Frederick Douglass to Gerrit Smith, March 30, 1849.- 28. Frederick Douglass, “The Ladies of the Rochester Anti-Slavery Sewing Circle,” The North Star, August 10, 1849.- 29. F.D. [Frederick Douglass], “Pumpkins,” The North Star, October 19, 1849.- 30. Frederick Douglass to Elizabeth Pease Nichol, November 8, 1849.10. A Family Fight Against “Black-Phobia”- 31. F.D. [Frederick Douglass], “Letter from the Editor. No. II,” The North Star, November 30, 1849.- 32. William Cooper Nell to Amy Kirby Post, June 2, 1850.- 33. F.D. [Frederick Douglass], “The Black-phobia in Rochester,” The North Star, October 3, 1850.PART THREE: UNDERGROUND RAILROAD LIBERATORS, ACTIVISTS, AND EDUCATORS11. Intergenerational Underground Railroad Family Operations- 34. D.F. [Frederick Douglass] to Samuel Drummond Porter [1850s].- 35. Frederick Douglass to Amy Kirby Post [1850s].- 36. Frederick Douglass to Maria G. Porter, February 22 [1850s].- 37. Frederick Douglass to Maria G. Porter, March 27 [1850s].- 38. Frederick Douglass to Maria G. Porter, April 29 [1850s].- 39. William J. Watkins to Maria G. Porter [1850s].- 40. William Oliver, “William Oliver Relates Interesting Reminiscences,” [1850s].12. Letters To Sister Friend Harriet Ann Bailey/Ruth Ann Cox Adams- 41. Anna Murray Douglass to Harriet Ann Bailey [Ruth Ann Cox Adams], March 11, 1851.- 42. Rosetta Douglass to Harriet Ann Bailey [Ruth Ann Cox Adams], March 11, 1851.13. Black Community Liberation Labors- 43. Julia Griffiths to Gerrit Smith, September 24, 1851.- 44. Frederick Douglass to Samuel Drummond Porter, January 12,1852.14. The Fight for Equal Labor Rights- 45. [J. C. H.] Joseph C. Holley , “For the Voice of the Fugitive,” Voice of the Fugitive, August 26, 1852.- 46. Frederick Douglass, “Learn Trades or Starve!” Frederick Douglass’ Paper, March 4, 1853.- 47. Frederick Douglass to Harriet Beecher Stowe, March 8, 1853.- 48. Frederick Douglass, “A Few Words More About Learning Trades,” Frederick Douglass’ Paper, March 11, 1853.- 49. Frederick Douglass, “Make Your Sons Mechanics and Farmers,” Frederick Douglass’ Paper, March 18, 1853.15. Black Female Resistance to White Racist Persecution- 50. Anna Murray Douglass, “Letter from Mrs. Douglass,” Frederick Douglass’ Paper, December 9, 1853.- 51. Susan B. Anthony to William Lloyd Garrison, December 13, 1853.16. A Family of Activist Educators- 52. Frederick Douglass, “The Re-opening of Our City Schools,”Frederick Douglass’ Paper, September 8, 1854.17. A Family Newspaper’s Fight for Survival- 53. Frederick Douglass, “Help! Brethren Help!!,” Frederick Douglass’ Paper, June 1, 1855.- 54. Frederick Douglass to Gerrit Smith, July 18, 1855.- 55. Frederick Douglass to Gerrit Smith, May 1, 1856.18. Family Struggles and the United Fight for Black Liberation- 56. Frederick Douglass to Lydia Louise Neal Dennett, April 17, 1857.- 57. Frederick Douglass, “I’m On My Way To Canada,” Frederick Douglass’ Paper, June 19, 1857.- 58. Frederick Douglass, “‘Lo! The Poor Fugitive,” Frederick Douglass’ Paper, June 26, 1857.- 59. Frederick Douglass, “‘Self-Emancipation,” Frederick Douglass’ Paper, July 17, 1857.- 60. Frederick Douglass to Maria G. Porter, October 13, 1857.- 61. Frederick Douglass to Margaret Denman Cropper, September 3, 1858.- 62. Frederick Douglass to Margaret Denman Cropper, May 27, 1859.PART FOUR: CIVIL WAR ERA HEROISM19. John Brown and the Family’s Heroism- 63. John Brown, Memorandum Book of John Brown [1859].- 64. Frederick Douglass to Maria G. Porter, January 11, 1860.20. The Tragic Death of Annie Douglass, the Youngest Freedom-Fighter- 65. “Mrs. Frederick Douglass,” The Syracuse Journal, March 28, 1860.- 66. Frederick Douglass, “To My British Anti-Slavery Friends,”Douglass’ Monthly, June 1860.21. Family Protest Against White Racism- 67. Frederick Douglass to Unknown [Charles Happ], about October 26, 1860.22. The Sons’ Civil War Heroism- 68. Leo., “A Visit to the 54th Mass. Regiment,” Douglass’ Monthly, August 1863.23. Family Biographies and Histories- 69. Lillie Buffum Chace Wyman and Arthur Crawford Wyman, [1864 – “Douglass’ suburban residence”].- 70. Julia Griffiths Crofts to Frederick Douglass, August 19, 1864.- 71. Julia Griffiths Crofts to Frederick Douglass, October 11 [about 1867].PART FIVE: POST-WAR SURVIVAL AND SACRIFICE24. Home Rituals and the Douglasses’ Return to Baltimore, Maryland- 72. William E. Lloyd to Frederick Douglass, June 13, 1870.- 73. Susan B. Anthony, [Diary Entry], August 27, 1870.- 74. Frederick Douglass, “The Editor’s Visit to the Old Ship-Yard in Baltimore,” The New National Era, July 6, 1871.25. A Fire at the South Avenue Home, Rochester, N.Y.- 75. “Frederick Douglass’ Residence Destroyed By Fire – Narrow Escape of the Family,” The Rochester Weekly Republican, June 3, 1872.- 76. Frederick Douglass, “Letter from the Editor,” The New National Era, June 13, 1872.- 77. Julia Griffiths Crofts to Frederick Douglass, December 12, 1874.PART SIX: A FREEDOM-FIGHTER LIVES AND DIES IN WASHINGTON, D.C.26. Anna Murray Douglass’ Last Years- 78. Frederick Douglass to Amy Kirby Post, April 19, 1879.- 79. “Fred. Douglass at Washington,” The People’s Advocate, June 5, 1879.- 80. Lillie Buffum Chace Wyman and Arthur Crawford Wyman, “Mrs. Chace to the Providence Journal, 1881.”- 81. Virginia Lewis Molyneaux Hewlett Douglass, to Anna Murray Douglass, March 3, 1882.- 82. Frederick Douglass to Amy Kirby Post, July 14, 1882.27. Anna Murray Douglass’ Death- 83. “Anna Murray Douglass. DIED,” August 4, 1882.- 84. “Death of Mrs. Fred. Douglass,” The Evening Critic, August 4, 1882.- 85. “Death of Mrs. Frederick Douglass,” The Washington Post, August 5, 1882.28. Letters of Heartfelt Empathy- 86. Edward Valentine Clark Eato to Lewis Henry Douglass, August 5, 1882.- 87. Sister Mate C. [Mary Loguen Cromwell] to Lewis Henry Douglass, August 6, 1882.- 88. Henry Oscar Wagoner to Frederick Douglass, August 7, 1882.29. OOver 3,000 People Attend Anna Murray Douglass’ Funeral- 89. “A BIG FUNERAL,” The National Republican, August 7, 1882.- 90. Sarah Marinda Loguen to Frederick Douglass, August 9, 1882.- 91. “[Untitled],” The Christian Recorder, August 10, 1882.- 92. Ruth Ann Cox Adams [Harriet Ann Bailey/Ruth Ann Cox] to Frederick Douglass, August 10, 1882.- 93. Mary Jones and Lavinia Jones Lee to Frederick Douglass, August 10, 1882.- 94. Julia D. Lucas to Frederick Douglass, August 10, 1882.- 95. Angeline “Angie” Judd McKay Mosher to Frederick Douglass, August 10, 1882.- 96. Frederick Douglass to Sarah Marinda Loguen, August 12, 1882.- 97. R. S. S. [Reuben S. Smith], “The National Capital,” The New York Globe, August 12, 1882.- 98. “Big Funeral,” The Denver Star, August 12, 1882.- 99. “Mrs. F. Douglass’ Funeral,” The People’s Advocate, August 12, 1882.- 100. Ellen Richardson to Frederick Douglass, after August 4-September, 1882.- 101. Eliza Barlow to Frederick Douglass, August 21, 1882.- 102. Frederick Douglass to Amy Kirby Post, August 21, 1882.30. Frederick Douglass’ Inconsolable Grief and Fearless Protest- 103. Alfred J. Anderson, “A Letter from Frederick Douglass,” The Cincinnati Commercial, August 27, 1882.- 104. Sara Jane Lippincott [Grace Greenwood] to Frederick Douglass, September 18, 1882.- 105. Frederick Douglass to Sarah Jane Clark Lippincott [Grace Greenwood], October 9, 1882.- 106. George Washington Williams, “[Frederick Douglass] Chapter XXIII. Representative Colored Men,” 1883.- 107. Frederick Douglass, “Last Will and Testament,” August 30, 1886.- 108. “Might and Right. Frederick Douglass on Suffrage,” Savannah Courier, August 9, 1888.- 109. [ARAB] “Frederick Douglass,” The Washington Bee, October 19, 1889.PART SEVEN: MOTHER DOUGLASS LIVES31. Anna Murray Douglass in Biographies and Remembrances- 110. Henrietta Vinton Davis, “Frederick Douglass,” The New York Age, August 8, 1891.- 111. Frederic May Holland, Frederick Douglass: The Colored Orator, 1891.- 112. “Farewell to Politics,” The Evening Star, September 7, 1891.32. Family Memorials and Testimonies- 113. Frederick Douglass, “Douglass, Frederick,” The National Cyclopedia of American Biography, 1891.- 114. Frederick Douglass to Wilbur Henry Siebert, “Reply of Frederick Douglass,” March 27, 1893.- 115. James Monroe Gregory, “Chapter XII. Members of the Douglass Family,” 1893.33. Letters With Sister Friend Ruth Ann Cox Adams [Harriet Ann Bailey]- 116. Frederick Douglass to Ruth Ann Cox Adams [Harriet Ann Bailey/Ruth Ann Cox], [January-before March 15, 1894].117. Ruth Ann Cox Adams [Harriet Ann Bailey/Ruth Ann Cox] to Frederick Douglass, March 15, 1894.PART EIGHT: MOTHER AND FATHER DOUGLASS IN LOVING AND LIVING MEMORY34. Frederick Douglass’ Death- 118. “Fred. Douglass Dead,” The Evening Star, February 21, 1895.- 119. “Rochester Mourns,” The Post Express, February 26, 1895.- 120. “Burial of Frederick Douglass,” The New York Times, February 27, 1895.- 121. Helen Douglass, Rosetta Douglass Sprague, Lewis H. Douglass, and Charles R. Douglass, “To the many friends,” March 4, 1895.- 122. “No Contest over the Will,” The Washington Times, March 8, 1895.35. Black Feminist Biographies and Organizations in Memory of Anna Murray Douglass- 123. Charlotte (Lottie) Wilson Jackson, “Tribute to the Memory ofAnna Murray Douglass,” The Cleveland Gazette, August 1, 1896.- 124. “National Convention,” The Evening Star, December 22, 1899.36. White Racism in White-Authored Family Biographies- 125. Jane Marsh Parker, “Reminiscences of Frederick Douglass,” The Outlook, April 6 1895.- 126. Susan B. Anthony, “A Heroic Struggle,” Iowa State Bystander, May 3, 1895.37. The Daughter’s and Sons’ Revolutionary Biographies and Radical Protests- 127. Charles Remond Douglass, “Major Douglass Protests,” The Colored American, Washington, D.C., August 13, 1898.- 128. Rosetta Douglass Sprague, Anna Murray Douglass: My Mother As I Recall Her, May 10, 1900.- 129. Lewis Henry Douglass, “Denial from Son of Fred. Douglass, The New York Age, New York City, N.Y., November 23, 190538. Black Memorial Organizations and Philosophical Essays on Black Womanhood- 130. “The First Mrs. Douglass,” The Colored American, May 12, 1900.- 131. “The Anna Murray Douglass Union,” The Colored American, May 19, 1900.- 132. “A Temperance Crusade. The Good Work of the Anna Murray Douglass School,” The Colored American, May 16, 1903.- 133. Josephine Silone Yates, “Woman as a Factor in the Solution ofRace Problems,” The Colored American Magazine, January 1907.- 134. John Edward Bruce, “Frederick Douglass, L.L.D.,” 1910.- 135. [William Calvin Chase], “WASHINGTON SOCIETY,” The Washington Bee, June 27, 1914.39. Black Revolutionary Memorials to Anna Murray Douglass- 136. Henrietta Vinton Davis, “Sunny Side of Douglass’ Life,” The Denver Star, February 24, 1917.- 137. Richard T. Greener, “Reminiscences of Frederick Douglass,”The Champion Magazine of Negro Art, February 1917.- 138. John Edward Bruce, “Noted Race Women I have known and met,” September 5, 1923 [Handwritten Manuscript No 1].- 139. John Edward Bruce, “Noted Race Women I have known and met,” September 5, 1923 [Handwritten Manuscript No 2].- 140. George F. Bragg, Jr., “Mrs. Anna Murray Douglass,” 1925.- 141. Elizabeth Lindsay Davis, “Anna Murray Douglass,” Lifting As They Climb, 1933.All Things Douglass: Listening, Witnessing, and Carrying OnDr. Bill E. Lawson Reflections on Centring Women and Family: A Revolution in Research Methodology and Intersectional PsychologyDr. Gabriella Beckles-RaymondAfterword: The Family Douglass and New Directions in ResearchDr. Earnestine Lovelle JenkinsLetter of GratitudeCeleste-Marie BernierSelected BibliographyFigure Credits