Enslavement to freedom |
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Vibrant Black communities arise |
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Lycoming County Miscellaneous ItemsThe items below are small articles and bits and pieces of information that are interesting but do not justify the creation of a separate page. 1865 Novel by African American WomanIn 1865, "The Curse of Caste, or The Slave Bride," a novel about a mixed-race relationship and a light-skinned young woman who passes for white, made its debut as a serialized story in the Christian Recorder. The author was Julia C. Collins, a free black woman from Williamsport. In her novel, Collins, a published essayist and teacher, wove an intricate story of love and romance centered around Claire Neville, the daughter of a Louisiana slave who began a relationship with the man that owned her. Claire's mother died giving birth to her and her father fled the country in the face of social taboos against mixed-race and owner-slave relationships. Claire, who is very light-skinned, is unaware of her slave heritage and ends up as a young governess in a wealthy household, where she finds love and romance with a visiting French count. Julia Collins died before finishing the novel, and the fate of Claire and the count, who, in the last published installment, had just discovered her past, remains unknown. Two possible endings--one happy and one sad--have been created by modern editors, who are republishing the novel with Oxford University Press. Though not significant by modern literary standards, "The Curse of Caste" is important because it is one of the earliest novels by an African American woman. NotesJulia C. Collins, writing sometimes from Williamsport and sometimes from the Susquehanna River village of Owego, New York, published several essays in The Christian Recorder. "School Teaching," an essay drawn from her experience as a teacher, was published in The Christian Recorder on May 7, 1864. "Intelligent Women," written from Williamsport, appeared on June 4, 1864. "Originality of Ideas" was published on December 10, 1864. Her essay "Memory and Imagination" appeared in the January 28, 1865 edition. On February 18, 1865, The Christian Recorder promised "Something New and Good for our Readers," and published a short teaser about a forthcoming "narrative on The Curse of the Caste," to be written by "Mrs. Julia C. Collins, now of Williamsport, Pennsylvania." The Christian Recorder introduced the novel in its February 25, 1865 edition.
Installments appeared weekly, developing a good following among the newspaper's readers. Installment 31, "Strange Events," was published on September 23, the last to be seen in print. In its September 30, 1865 edition, The Christian Recorder reported:
On December 16, the newspaper broke the news of Julia Collins' death, reported to them by
her husband in Williamsport. A week later, it published the following more elaborate account of her death from a Williamsport correspondent:
Sources
Mary Slaughter and the Home for Aged Colored WomenThe news article below notes, in part, the appearance of Mary Slaughter of Williamsport, "an aged colored woman, a former slave," before the State Board of Charities in Harrisburg. Ms. Slaughter made the trip to Harrisburg in 1914 to appeal for state funding for her Home for Aged Colored Women, which she established in 1897 in her home in Williamsport. Mary and her family had been enslaved on the Myers plantation in Martinsburg, West Virginia, and came to Williamsport in 1866. Mary's husband William died in 1886 and she took in boarders after that, eventually recognizing the need for a place that would care for elderly Black women. The home she established survived on donations from local benefactors, but Mary realized a more consistent source of support would be needed. She went to Harrisburg and appeared before the board members with her request on October 28. Her appeal was successful and the state agreed to fund the home with her as matron, a position she held until her death in 1934. The story of Mary Slaughter and the Williamsport Home for Aged Colored Women is told in detail by historian Mary Sieminski, published in the Williamsport Gazette. Read the story here. Sources
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