Mary
Emily
GettingStarted
IsoonfoundabookcalledFugitivesofthePearl.Itwaswrittenin1930byJohnH.Paynter.Hewasthegrandnephewofthe Edmonsons.
Next,IfoundabookthathadbeenwrittenbyDanielDrayton.HewasacaptainonthePearl.AndabookaboutslaverybyHarrietBeecherStowehadachapterontheEdmonsonsandthePearlescape.Afewyearslater,StowewroteUncleTom’sCabin,ananti‑slavery novel.
Manyoftheseimportantworkshavebeenpreserved forustoread.Eachofthesesourcesgavemeanaccountofwhathappened.But,Iwantedtofindoutmore details.
Ilookedatcensusrecordsthattrackpopulationchanges.Ilookedatotherhistoricaldocuments,likeshippassengerlists,courtcases,newspaperarticles,andmore.Thesematerialsarecalled primary sources.
ThegirlsandtheirbrothersweretakentoNewOrleans,Louisiana,tobesold.Shiprecordshadtheirheightsand ages.
LearningMore
Fromlanddeeds,IlearnedthatMaryandEmily’sfather,PaulEdmonson,wasafreeman.Heowneda40-acrefarmnorthofWashington,D.C.PaulEdmonsonwasfreedwhenhisownerdiedin 1821.
RecreatingthePast
Theagriculturalcensusof1850revealedalotaboutthefamilyfarm.Theyhadfruittreesandgrewavarietyofgrains.Therewerethreehorses,threecows,andfive pigs.
Itsoundedlikeawonderfulplacetogrowup.Butbyage13,thesiblingswereworkinginotherpeople’shomes.Themoneythattheyearnedwenttotheirowner,notto them.
Theyhadtoworkbecausetheywereslaves.Theywereslavesbecausetheirmotherwasaslave.Thelawinallslavestatessaidthat,ifthemotherwasenslaved,sowereherchildren.CourtrecordsshowedthatPaul’swifewasenslaved.ShebelongedtoawomanwholivedneartheEdmonson farm.
Myresearchreliedonnewspapers,too,especiallyabolitionist ones.Anabolitionistwasapersonwhobelievedthatslaverywaswrong.Theythoughtitshouldbeabolished.IfoundmostofthesehistoricalnewspapersattheLibraryof Congress.
IalsosearchedtheNationalArchivesinWashington,D.C.That’swhereimportantAmericanpapersarekept.RecordsofashipboundforNewOrleans,theUnion,listeddetailsofitspassengers.MaryandEmily’sbrothers—Samuel,Ephraim,Richard,andJohn— werelisted.Theiragesrangedfrom21 to30 years old.