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How many kids did Biddy Mason have?
Robynn: Biddy Mason was born into slavery on Aug. 15, 1818. She walked from Mississippi to Utah, then to Southern California, herding animals and tending to the needs of her slave master, all while caring for her three small children, Ellen, Anne and Harriet.
When did Biddy Mason get married?
On March 27, 1988, the mayor of L.A. and members of the church she founded held a ceremony, during which her grave was marked with a tombstone. Bridget “Biddy” Mason is associated with the Historic Resources Associated with African Americans in Los Angeles Multi-Property Submission (MPS).
Where did Biddy Mason and her children go?
The Smiths eventually took Mason and her three children to San Bernardino in California. While California was supposedly a “free state,” Smith continued to hold them captive. Mason and her children befriended free blacks who alerted the local sheriff when the Smiths made plans to take Biddy and her daughters to Texas with them.
What did Biddy Mason do after the Civil War?
Biddy Mason was a southern slave who become free after she moved with her masters to California. She built a career in Los Angeles as a nurse and a midwife, bought a piece of property, and used her business skills to become one of the wealthiest black women in the United States after the Civil War, as well as a notable philanthropist.
Who is the father of Biddy Mason’s daughter Ellen?
Biddy had no legal last name when she was enslaved. After becoming free, Mason and her daughters moved in with Robert Owens, the father of Charles Owens and a well-known Los Angeles businessman. Her daughter Ellen would eventually marry Charles Owens.
Who are the black men that freed Biddy Mason?
Biddy relayed her fears of being separated from her children and remaining a slave to two free black men: Charles Owens and Manuel Pepper. The men, including sheriffs and others, served Smith with a court order. A Los Angeles court heard the habeas corpus action regarding her freedom.