Mary Ellen Pleasant
Encyclopedia
Mary Ellen Pleasant was a 19th Century female entrepreneur of partial African descent widely known as Mammy Pleasant, who used her fortune to further the abolitionist movement. She worked on the Underground Railroad
across many states and then helped bring it to California
during the Gold Rush
Era. She was a friend and financial supporter of John Brown
and well known in abolitionist circles. After the Civil War
she took her battles to the courts in the 1860s, and won several civil rights
victories, one of which was cited and upheld in the 1980s and resulted in her being called “The Mother of Human Rights in California”.
, states 1812. In one version of her memoirs dictated to her god-daughter, Charlotte Downs, she claimed she was born a slave to a Voodoo
priestess and the youngest son of a Governor of Virginia
, James Pleasants
. In any case, she showed up in Nantucket, Massachusetts
circa 1827 as a 10-13 year old bonded servant to store keeper, "Grandma" Hussey and worked out her bondage, then became a family member and lifelong friend to Grandma's granddaughter Phoebe Hussey Gardner. The Husseys were deeply involved in the abolitionist movement, and Mary Ellen met many of the famous luminaries of the movement during her youth on Nantucket.
Smith, a wealthy flour contractor and plantation owner who had freed his slaves and was also able to pass as white. She worked with Smith as a “slave stealer” on the Underground Railroad
until his death about four years later. They transported slaves to northern states such as Ohio and even as far as Canada
. Smith left instructions and money for her to continue the work after his death.
She began a partnership/marriage with John James Pleasants circa 1848, although no records exist of it, their marriage was probably conducted by their friend Captain Gardner, Phoebe's husband, on his boat. They continued Smith’s work for a few more years when increasing attention from slavers forced a move to New Orleans. J. J. Pleasants appears to have been a close relative of Marie Laveau’s husband and there is some indication that Mary Ellen and Marie Laveau
did meet and consult many times before Mary Ellen went to San Francisco during the Gold Rush
Era, arriving in April 1852 by boat. J. J. had gone ahead and written back that the area seemed promising for the Underground Railroad.
When Mary Ellen arrived in San Francisco (known as Yerba Buena
briefly), she passed as white, using her first husband's name among the whites, and took jobs running exclusive men’s eating establishments starting with the Case and Heiser establishment. She met most of the founders of the city as she catered lavish meals and she benefited from the tidbits of financial gossip and deals usually tossed around at the tables. She engaged a young clerk, Thomas Bell
, at the Bank of California
and they began to make money based on her tips and guidance. Thomas made money of his own, especially in quicksilver
and by 1875 they had amassed a 30 million dollar fortune between them. J. J., who had worked with Mary Ellen from the slave stealing days to the civil rights court battles of the 1860s and 70's, died in 1877 of diabetes.
Mary Ellen did not conceal her race from other blacks and was adept at finding jobs for those brought in by Underground Railroad activities. Some of the people she sponsored became important black leaders in the city. She left San Francisco from 1857 to 1859 to help John Brown
. She was said to have actively supported his cause with money and work. There was a note from her in his pocket when he was arrested after the Harpers Ferry Armory
incident, but as it was only signed with the initials “MEP” (which were misread as “WEP”) she was not caught and was able to return to San Francisco to continue her work there where she was known as the “Black City Hall”.
After the war, she publicly changed her racial designation in the City Directory from "White" to "Black", causing a little stir among some whites. She began a series of court battles to fight laws prohibiting blacks from riding trolleys and other such abuses. She usually prevailed.
smeared Mary Ellen badly, but the job was finished later when Teresa Bell, Thomas Bell’s widow, sued Mary Ellen over Thomas’ estate. The house Mary Ellen had designed for Thomas Bell and herself became known as the “House of Mystery” and the peculiar arrangements with Thomas’ farce of a “marriage” were exposed and paraded through the courts.
The Hill/Sharon battle and Sharon’s newspaper allies, publicly named Mary Ellen as a "Voodoo priestess" (which she may have been) but went on to say that she was a baby stealer, a baby eater, a multiple murderess, a madam, a lying, conniving, cunning, schemer, and maybe, worst of all, hung the epithet of “Mammy” upon her. All the press from the 1880s and beyond was extremely negative to an aging Mary Ellen. She was quoted on more than one occasion as saying, “DON’T call me Mammy!”.
Pleasant died in San Francisco, California
on January 4, 1904 in poverty. She was befriended by Olive Sherwood near the end of her life. She was buried in the Sherwood family plot located at Tulocay Cemetery in Napa, California. Her gravesite is marked with a metal sculpture that was dedicated on June 11, 2011 .
In 1953, Helen Holdredge, who had inherited Teresa Bell’s diaries, wrote a book that devoted 37 pages to Mary Ellen’s achievements up to 1875 and 250 pages to the scandalous newspaper accounts of the 1880s. She did not index the book nor did she do citations in the text. There is a list of sources in the back, though some of these sources are unavailable to other researchers.
In 1975, the city of San Francisco designated eucalyptus
trees—that Pleasant had planted in the 19th century at the southwest corner of Octavia and Bush streets in San Francisco—as a Structure of Merit, similar to an official landmark.
In 2003 Lynne Hudson wrote a scholarly book about Mary Ellen entitled The Making of "Mammy" Pleasant, Hudson's book has footnotes and citations.
Michelle Cliff
's 1993 book Free Enterprise is subtitled "A Novel of Mary Ellen Pleasant" and features her abolitionist activities.
The ghost of Mary Ellen Pleasant is a character in the 1997 novel Earthquake Weather, by Tim Powers.
In 2001, the novel Sister Noon, by Karen Joy Fowler, was published. It features "Mammy Pleasant", Thomas Bell, and Teresa Bell as secondary characters who also contribute to the plot (which focuses on a fictional social worker of the time).
Underground Railroad
The Underground Railroad was an informal network of secret routes and safe houses used by 19th-century black slaves in the United States to escape to free states and Canada with the aid of abolitionists and allies who were sympathetic to their cause. The term is also applied to the abolitionists,...
across many states and then helped bring it to California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
during the Gold Rush
Gold rush
A gold rush is a period of feverish migration of workers to an area that has had a dramatic discovery of gold. Major gold rushes took place in the 19th century in Australia, Brazil, Canada, South Africa, and the United States, while smaller gold rushes took place elsewhere.In the 19th and early...
Era. She was a friend and financial supporter of John Brown
John Brown (abolitionist)
John Brown was an American revolutionary abolitionist, who in the 1850s advocated and practiced armed insurrection as a means to abolish slavery in the United States. He led the Pottawatomie Massacre during which five men were killed, in 1856 in Bleeding Kansas, and made his name in the...
and well known in abolitionist circles. After the Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
she took her battles to the courts in the 1860s, and won several civil rights
Civil rights
Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from unwarranted infringement by governments and private organizations, and ensure one's ability to participate in the civil and political life of the state without discrimination or repression.Civil rights include...
victories, one of which was cited and upheld in the 1980s and resulted in her being called “The Mother of Human Rights in California”.
Early years
Mary Ellen made contradictory claims about her earliest years. Her birthday is known to be August 19; the year has been listed as unknown, probably between 1814–1817, however, her gravestone at Tulocay Cemetery in Napa, CaliforniaNapa, California
-History:The name Napa was probably derived from the name given to a southern Nappan village whose people shared the area with elk, deer, grizzlies and cougars for many centuries, according to Napa historian Kami Santiago. At the time of the first recorded exploration into Napa Valley in 1823, the...
, states 1812. In one version of her memoirs dictated to her god-daughter, Charlotte Downs, she claimed she was born a slave to a Voodoo
Louisiana Voodoo
Louisiana Voodoo, also known as New Orleans Voodoo, describes a set of underground religious practices which originated from the traditions of the African diaspora. It is a cultural form of the Afro-American religions which developed within the French, Spanish, and Creole speaking African American...
priestess and the youngest son of a Governor of Virginia
Governor of Virginia
The governor of Virginia serves as the chief executive of the Commonwealth of Virginia for a four-year term. The position is currently held by Republican Bob McDonnell, who was inaugurated on January 16, 2010, as the 71st governor of Virginia....
, James Pleasants
James Pleasants
James Pleasants, Jr. was an American politician who served in the U.S. Senate from 1819 to 1822 and was the 22nd Governor of Virginia from 1822 to 1825. Pleasants was born at “Cold Comfort,” in Powhatan County, Virginia, October 24, 1769. He pursued classical studies and graduated from the College...
. In any case, she showed up in Nantucket, Massachusetts
Nantucket, Massachusetts
Nantucket is an island south of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, in the United States. Together with the small islands of Tuckernuck and Muskeget, it constitutes the town of Nantucket, Massachusetts, and the coterminous Nantucket County, which are consolidated. Part of the town is designated the Nantucket...
circa 1827 as a 10-13 year old bonded servant to store keeper, "Grandma" Hussey and worked out her bondage, then became a family member and lifelong friend to Grandma's granddaughter Phoebe Hussey Gardner. The Husseys were deeply involved in the abolitionist movement, and Mary Ellen met many of the famous luminaries of the movement during her youth on Nantucket.
Prominence
Called "the Mother of Civil Rights in California" from work begun in the 1860s, her achievements went unsurpassed until the 1960s. Pleasant was once the most talked-about woman in San Francisco. When other African Americans were rarely mentioned, she claimed full-page articles in the press. Her dramatic life was part of the story of slavery, abolition, the gold rush, and the Civil War; she helped shape early San Francisco, and covertly amassed a joint fortune once assessed at $30,000,000.Career and marriages
With the support of the Hussey/Gardners she often passed as white. Mary Ellen married JamesSmith, a wealthy flour contractor and plantation owner who had freed his slaves and was also able to pass as white. She worked with Smith as a “slave stealer” on the Underground Railroad
Underground Railroad
The Underground Railroad was an informal network of secret routes and safe houses used by 19th-century black slaves in the United States to escape to free states and Canada with the aid of abolitionists and allies who were sympathetic to their cause. The term is also applied to the abolitionists,...
until his death about four years later. They transported slaves to northern states such as Ohio and even as far as Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. Smith left instructions and money for her to continue the work after his death.
She began a partnership/marriage with John James Pleasants circa 1848, although no records exist of it, their marriage was probably conducted by their friend Captain Gardner, Phoebe's husband, on his boat. They continued Smith’s work for a few more years when increasing attention from slavers forced a move to New Orleans. J. J. Pleasants appears to have been a close relative of Marie Laveau’s husband and there is some indication that Mary Ellen and Marie Laveau
Marie Laveau
Marie Laveau was a Louisiana Creole practitioner of Voodoo renown in New Orleans. She was born free in New Orleans....
did meet and consult many times before Mary Ellen went to San Francisco during the Gold Rush
Gold rush
A gold rush is a period of feverish migration of workers to an area that has had a dramatic discovery of gold. Major gold rushes took place in the 19th century in Australia, Brazil, Canada, South Africa, and the United States, while smaller gold rushes took place elsewhere.In the 19th and early...
Era, arriving in April 1852 by boat. J. J. had gone ahead and written back that the area seemed promising for the Underground Railroad.
When Mary Ellen arrived in San Francisco (known as Yerba Buena
Yerba Buena
Yerba buena is a rambling aromatic herb of western and northwestern North America, ranging from maritime Alaska southwards to Baja California Sur...
briefly), she passed as white, using her first husband's name among the whites, and took jobs running exclusive men’s eating establishments starting with the Case and Heiser establishment. She met most of the founders of the city as she catered lavish meals and she benefited from the tidbits of financial gossip and deals usually tossed around at the tables. She engaged a young clerk, Thomas Bell
Thomas Bell
Thomas Bell may refer to:*Thom Bell , record producer*Thomas Bell Dean of Guernsey 1892-1917*Thomas Bell Thomas Bell may refer to:*Thom Bell (born 1943), record producer*Thomas Bell (Anglican priest) Dean of Guernsey 1892-1917*Thomas Bell (Catholic priest) Thomas Bell may refer to:*Thom Bell...
, at the Bank of California
Bank of California
The Bank of California was opened in San Francisco, California, on July 4, 1864, by William Chapman Ralston. It was the first commercial bank in the Western United States, the second-richest bank in the nation, and considered instrumental in developing the American Old West.-History:The ancestor of...
and they began to make money based on her tips and guidance. Thomas made money of his own, especially in quicksilver
Mercury (element)
Mercury is a chemical element with the symbol Hg and atomic number 80. It is also known as quicksilver or hydrargyrum...
and by 1875 they had amassed a 30 million dollar fortune between them. J. J., who had worked with Mary Ellen from the slave stealing days to the civil rights court battles of the 1860s and 70's, died in 1877 of diabetes.
Mary Ellen did not conceal her race from other blacks and was adept at finding jobs for those brought in by Underground Railroad activities. Some of the people she sponsored became important black leaders in the city. She left San Francisco from 1857 to 1859 to help John Brown
John Brown (abolitionist)
John Brown was an American revolutionary abolitionist, who in the 1850s advocated and practiced armed insurrection as a means to abolish slavery in the United States. He led the Pottawatomie Massacre during which five men were killed, in 1856 in Bleeding Kansas, and made his name in the...
. She was said to have actively supported his cause with money and work. There was a note from her in his pocket when he was arrested after the Harpers Ferry Armory
Harpers Ferry Armory
Harpers Ferry Armory, more formally known as the United States Armory and Arsenal at Harpers Ferry, was the second federal armory commissioned by the United States government located in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia , the first federal armory being the Springfield Armory located in Springfield,...
incident, but as it was only signed with the initials “MEP” (which were misread as “WEP”) she was not caught and was able to return to San Francisco to continue her work there where she was known as the “Black City Hall”.
After the war, she publicly changed her racial designation in the City Directory from "White" to "Black", causing a little stir among some whites. She began a series of court battles to fight laws prohibiting blacks from riding trolleys and other such abuses. She usually prevailed.
San Francisco court case, 1866
Pleasant successfully attacked racial discrimination in San Francisco public conveyances when she and two other black women were ejected from a city streetcar in 1866. Her lawsuit, Pleasant v. North Beach & Mission Railroad Company, outlawed segregation in the city's public conveyances. Her efforts earned her the title "mother of the Civil Rights Movement" in California. Her lawsuit set a precedent in the California Supreme Court and was used in future civil rights cases, such as an 1893 case over segregation in housing.Scandals and smears, 1884-1954
A court battle between Sarah Althea Hill and William SharonWilliam Sharon
William Sharon was a United States Senator from Nevada who profited from the Comstock Lode.-Early life:Sharon was born in Smithfield, Ohio, January 9, 1821, the son of William Sharon and Susan Kirk. He attended Ohio University. After studying law in St. Louis, Missouri, he was admitted to the bar...
smeared Mary Ellen badly, but the job was finished later when Teresa Bell, Thomas Bell’s widow, sued Mary Ellen over Thomas’ estate. The house Mary Ellen had designed for Thomas Bell and herself became known as the “House of Mystery” and the peculiar arrangements with Thomas’ farce of a “marriage” were exposed and paraded through the courts.
The Hill/Sharon battle and Sharon’s newspaper allies, publicly named Mary Ellen as a "Voodoo priestess" (which she may have been) but went on to say that she was a baby stealer, a baby eater, a multiple murderess, a madam, a lying, conniving, cunning, schemer, and maybe, worst of all, hung the epithet of “Mammy” upon her. All the press from the 1880s and beyond was extremely negative to an aging Mary Ellen. She was quoted on more than one occasion as saying, “DON’T call me Mammy!”.
Pleasant died in San Francisco, California
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
on January 4, 1904 in poverty. She was befriended by Olive Sherwood near the end of her life. She was buried in the Sherwood family plot located at Tulocay Cemetery in Napa, California. Her gravesite is marked with a metal sculpture that was dedicated on June 11, 2011 .
In 1953, Helen Holdredge, who had inherited Teresa Bell’s diaries, wrote a book that devoted 37 pages to Mary Ellen’s achievements up to 1875 and 250 pages to the scandalous newspaper accounts of the 1880s. She did not index the book nor did she do citations in the text. There is a list of sources in the back, though some of these sources are unavailable to other researchers.
Rediscovery
Although some fiction was written that included Mary Ellen in various guises, it was not until the 1998 that another writer and researcher, Susheel Bibbs, began to publish a series of monographs available through MEP Productions, SF. Susheel’s work on Mary Ellen is recognized by the California Humanities Council.In 1975, the city of San Francisco designated eucalyptus
Eucalyptus
Eucalyptus is a diverse genus of flowering trees in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae. Members of the genus dominate the tree flora of Australia...
trees—that Pleasant had planted in the 19th century at the southwest corner of Octavia and Bush streets in San Francisco—as a Structure of Merit, similar to an official landmark.
In 2003 Lynne Hudson wrote a scholarly book about Mary Ellen entitled The Making of "Mammy" Pleasant, Hudson's book has footnotes and citations.
Michelle Cliff
Michelle Cliff
Michelle Cliff is a Jamaican-American author whose notable works include No Telephone to Heaven, Abeng and Free Enterprise.Cliff also has written short stories, prose poems and works of literary criticism...
's 1993 book Free Enterprise is subtitled "A Novel of Mary Ellen Pleasant" and features her abolitionist activities.
The ghost of Mary Ellen Pleasant is a character in the 1997 novel Earthquake Weather, by Tim Powers.
In 2001, the novel Sister Noon, by Karen Joy Fowler, was published. It features "Mammy Pleasant", Thomas Bell, and Teresa Bell as secondary characters who also contribute to the plot (which focuses on a fictional social worker of the time).
External links
- Meet Mary Ellen Pleasant
- Mary Ellen "Mammy" Pleasant (1814-1904) from the Nantucket Historical Association's Digital Exhibition Embroidered Narratives 2, Notable Nantucket Women by Susan Boardman