When did Mary Elizabeth Bowser born?
1839, Virginia
Mary Bowser/Born
Mary Elizabeth Bowser was born a slave somewhere around 1839 on a plantation owned by John Van Lew of Richmond. Details about her life are little known as family members inadvertently discarded her diaries in the 1950s. Upon his death, in either 1843 or 1851, his wife and daughter, Elizabeth, freed their slaves.
What was Mary Elizabeth Bowser’s role during the Civil War?
Mary Richards Bowser was born into slavery and later became a missionary to Liberia, a Union spy in the Confederate White House during the American Civil War (1861–1865), and a teacher at freedmen’s schools.
Did Mary Bowser get caught?
When she returned to Richmond, Bowser was arrested. It was illegal to return to a slave state after living in a free one. Listen to a great history story every day.
Is Mary Bowser still alive?
Deceased
Mary Bowser/Living or Deceased
Did Mary Bowser have children?
There is no record of any children. Even after her marriage, Bowser was in close contact with the Van Lew family, clearly sharing their political goals.
When did Mary Bowser get married?
April 16, 1861
She married fellow Van Lew servant Wilson Bowser on April 16, 1861, and was then known as Mary Elizabeth Bowser. The Civil War erupted just four days before the marriage.
Who was Elizabeth Van Lew a spy for?
the Union army
In December 1863, General Benjamin Butler heard of Van Lew’s aid in helping escaped Union Soldiers. He recruited her as a spy for the Union army. Throughout the war she amassed a spy network of 12 people, both black and white, to help her collect information from the Confederates to bring to the Union.
What was extremely rare about Richard’s childhood in the South?
An exceptionally bright child, Richards was very special to Elizabeth Van Lew. Van Lew had Richards baptized in a white church and later sent north to be educated. This was extremely rare for a black child in the South.
Where did Mary Elizabeth Bowser grow up?
Richmond
Mary soon won her confidence and was taken on as a full time domestic worker at the Confederate White House. Bowser had grown up in Richmond, and she had several other advantages as a spy. At Davis’ house, the servants were taught to be unobtrusive, so it was easy for her to gain information without being noticed.
Was Elizabeth Van Lew married?
She never married and did not have any children, although two of her nieces grew up at the Van Lew mansion, one of whom she considered like a daughter. After an illness of several months, Elizabeth L. Van Lew died at her home in Richmond on 25 September 1900 and was buried in the city’s Shockoe Hill Cemetery.
What happened to Elizabeth Van Lew after the end of the Civil War?
After the war, Van Lew served as postmaster of Richmond during the administration of U.S. president Ulysses S. Grant, one of the generals to whom she had once fed information.
What did Elizabeth Van Lew do during the Civil War?
Elizabeth Van Lew (October 12, 1818 – September 25, 1900) was an American abolitionist and philanthropist who built and operated an extensive spy ring for the Union Army during the American Civil War.
What did Mary Elizabeth Bowser do after she was freed?
Even though Mary was freed, she still continued to work for the family as a free, paid servant. Elizabeth Van Lew sent Mary to an African American Quaker school, in Philadelphia. Mary had to return back to Richmond when the Civil War tension began in 1860. Before the war started, though, she was married to a free black man, William (Wilson) Bowser.
Where was Mary Elizabeth Bowser born and raised?
Mary Elizabeth Bowser was born a slave somewhere around 1839 on a plantation owned by John Van Lew of Richmond. Details about her life are little known as family members inadvertently discarded her diaries in the 1950s.
When was Mary Van Lew freed from slavery?
John Van Lew died in 1843, and Mary and other slaves were freed by Elizabeth and Elizabeth’s mother. Even though Mary was freed, she still continued to work for the family as a free, paid servant.
What was the name of Mary Bowser’s husband?
After the war there was no record of their life or death of Mary or William Bowser. The federal government burned all of the records of southern spies. The files included Mary Bowser, Thomas McNiven, and Elizabeth Van Lew, so that is why some of the details are missing in all of their histories.
