Elizabeth Josephine Brown (June 12, 1839 – January 16, 1874) was the daughter and biographer of escaped African-American slave

William Wells Brown William Wells Brown (c. 1814 – November 6, 1884) was a prominent abolitionist lecturer, novelist, playwright, and historian in the United States. Born into slavery in Montgomery County, Kentucky, near the town of Mount Sterling, Brown escap ...

and his first wife Elizabeth Schooner. Josephine's account, ''Biography of an American Bondman, by His Daughter,'' was published in Boston by R. F. Wallcut in 1856. It was long believed to be the first biography written by an African-American woman, but is now known to have been predated by

Susan Paul Susan Paul (1809–1841) was an African-American abolitionist from Boston, Massachusetts. A primary school teacher and member of the Boston Female Anti-Slavery Society, Paul also wrote the first biography of an African American published in t ...

's ''Memoir of James Jackson, the attentive and obedient scholar'' (1835). ''Biography of an American Bondman'' draws heavily on and generally parallels William Wells Brown's own account of his life, ''Narrative of William W. Brown, A Fugitive Slave'' (1847). However, Josephine was forthcoming about details of abuse and mistreatment which Wells Brown's account does not include, and openly addressed the problems of mulatto slaves. She also expands the account to include Brown's life in Europe.

Early life

Josephine's father, William Wells Brown, was one of seven children born in slavery to Elizabeth, a slave of Dr. John Young near Lexington, Kentucky. Born in 1814, William was acknowledged as the son of George W. Higgins, a relative of Brown's owner. In 1834, Brown escaped to the north and settled in Cleveland, Ohio. There he married his first wife Elizabeth Schooner of Scipio Center, Seneca County, Ohio (now the town of Republic, Ohio) who was of mixed

African-American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ensl ...

and Native American ancestry. Two daughters were born to the Browns while they lived in Cleveland. Their first daughter, born in 1835, died while still a baby. Their second daughter, Clarissa, was born in the spring of 1836. That summer, the Browns moved to

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from Sou ...

. Although it has been long assumed that Elizabeth Josephine Brown, their third daughter, was born in Buffalo in 1839, on two occasions, Josephine (who went by her middle name) stated that she was born in the city of

Detroit, Michigan Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at ...

. The Brown family were definitely back in Buffalo in time for the 1840 Federal Census.1840 Federal Census, First Ward of the City of Buffalo, Erie County, New York, 16 Another daughter, Henrietta Helen, was born in 1842 and died in 1844. In 1845, the Browns moved to

Farmington, New York Farmington is a town located in the northern part of Ontario County, New York, United States. The population was 14,275 at the 2020 census. History Farmington was part of the Phelps and Gorham Purchase. The town was formed along with its coun ...

. Wells Brown and his wife Elizabeth Schooner separated in 1847. He retained custody of his daughters, and moved to

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

. While he traveled as an abolitionist and lecturer, Clarissa and Josephine attended boarding school, living at 21 Seventh Street in New Bedford, Massachusetts. There they were pupils of well-known abolitionist, Nathan Johnson.

European travel and education

In 1849, Wells Brown was invited to attend the

International Peace Congress International Peace Congress, or International Congress of the Friends of Peace, was the name of a series of international meetings of representatives from peace societies from throughout the world held in various places in Europe from 1843 to 185 ...

in Paris, to speak against slavery. Following passage of the

Fugitive Slave Law of 1850 The Fugitive Slave Act or Fugitive Slave Law was passed by the United States Congress on September 18, 1850, as part of the Compromise of 1850 between Southern interests in slavery and Northern Free-Soilers. The Act was one of the most cont ...

, Brown decided to remain, lecturing and writing. In 1851 Clarissa and Josephine joined Wells Brown briefly in London, before being placed at a boarding school in

Calais, France Calais ( , , traditionally , ) is a port city in the Pas-de-Calais Departments of France, department, of which it is a Subprefectures in France, subprefecture. Although Calais is by far the largest city in Pas-de-Calais, the department's Pref ...

. In 1852, the girls returned to London, training at the Home and Colonial School to become teachers or governesses. During this time, Josephine may have sometimes worked with her father in support of abolition, joining him on his lecture tours and transcribing his correspondence. In December 1853, Josephine passed her qualifying examinations, and accepted a position as school mistress of the East Plumstead School in

Woolwich Woolwich () is a district in southeast London, England, within the Royal Borough of Greenwich. The district's location on the River Thames led to its status as an important naval, military and industrial area; a role that was maintained thr ...

, England. Josephine's mother died in Buffalo in 1852. In 1854, Wells Brown's freedom was purchased from his owner by abolitionist supporters, and he returned to the United States. His daughters remained in England.

Activism

Anti-slavery lecturing and writing

In 1855, Josephine chose to return to America, escorted on the transatlantic voyage by abolitionist Horace Greeley. She joined her father in Boston, working with him for a time as an antislavery lecturer in New England. Brown title page

Concerned that his biography was no longer in print, Josephine published ''Biography of an American Bondman'' (1856) to preserve his legacy. Begun while Josephine was at school in France, her biography reworks material from Wells Brown's 1847 autobiography while adding additional detail on abuses he experienced while a slave, and the hostility that mulatto slaves experienced from both blacks and whites. Josephine also describes his travels in Great Britain.

Later life

Josephine Brown is believed to have returned to England in 1856 and resumed her teaching career in England. As "Josephine Brown Campbell", she is reported to have died in 1874 of tuberculosis and been buried in Cambridge Cemetery, Cambridge, Massachusetts.

References

External links

ColoredConventions.org
is a website about the Colored Conventions Movement that collected biographical information about Josephine Brown. * {{DEFAULTSORT:Brown, Josephine 1839 births 1874 deaths 19th-century American women writers Abolitionists from New Bedford, Massachusetts Activists from Buffalo, New York African-American abolitionists African-American women writers American women biographers Colored Conventions people Historians from New York (state) Writers from Buffalo, New York Writers from Detroit Writers from Massachusetts