July 25, 2025 • 14 mins
Delve into the captivating life of an American Bondman, as lovingly presented by his daughter, Josephine Brown. This biography not only revisits the significant experiences documented in her fathers own narratives, but also introduces fresh anecdotes and her unique perspective on his life. While the book draws heavily from previously published autobiographical accounts, it is enriched by a narrative style brimming with humor and wit. As observed by Andrews, the biographys exceptional contribution to the legacy of William Wells Brown is the insights it provides into the rhetorical strategies employed by both father and daughter in their united stand against slavery.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Chapters nineteen and twenty of Biography of an American Bondman
by his Daughter by Josephine Brown. This LibriVox recording is
in the public domain. Chapter nineteen. Take the spade of perseverance,
dig the field of progress wide, every bar to true instruction,
(00:23):
carry out and cast aside. It was the intention of
mister Brown when he went to England not to remain
there more than one year at the furthest but he was,
by the laws of the United States, the property of another,
and the passage of the Fugitive Slave Bill laid him
liable to be arrested whenever he should return to his
(00:44):
native land. Wendell Phillips Esquire advised the fugitive, for his
own safety not to return. Mister Brown therefore resolved to
remove his two daughters to England so that he could
see to their education. In July eighteen fifty one, the
girls arrived in Liverpool in the Royal British Male Steamer America,
(01:06):
under the charge of the Reverend Charles Spear, the distinguished
and philanthropic friend of the prisoner. Even here the fugitive
was not without persecution in the person of his children.
For mister Lewis, the company's agent in Boston, would not
receive them unless they were entered on the passenger's list
as servants. The only reason assigned for this was their
(01:29):
being colored. Thus, the vile institution which had driven mister
Brown into exile, followed his children on board a steamer,
over which the British flag waved. Soon after the arrival
of his daughters, mister Brown placed them in one of
the best seminaries in France, where they encountered no difficulty
on account of their complexion. The entire absence of prejudice
(01:53):
against color in Europe is one of the clearest proofs
that the hatred here to the colored person is solely
owing to the overpowering influence of slavery. Mister Brown's daughters,
after remaining in France one year, were removed to the
Home and Colonial School in London, the finest female educational
(02:13):
college in Great Britain. Here, as well as in the
French school, the girls saw nothing to indicate that the
slightest feeling of ill will existed on the part of
the students towards them because of their color. End of
Chapter nineteen, Chapter twenty, methinks I hear a tuneful voice
(02:35):
chiming afar or Land and sea. The sun of freedom wakes. Rejoice,
thy bonds are broken, thou art free. In the winter
of eighteen fifty, William and Ellen Craft, two fugitive slaves,
arrived in England, and, being in a strange land and
without the means of support, applied to mister Brown, who
(02:56):
was just on the eve of making an anti slavery
tour through Scotland. Mister Brown at once wrote to the
Crafts to join him. These two interesting fugitives were born
and brought up in Macon, Georgia. To make their slaves
more valuable, owners sometimes have them taught trades. A man
who understands a good trade will sell for three or
(03:19):
four hundred dollars more in the market. William Craft, having
learned the trade of a cabinet maker, was able to
earn considerable money for himself during hours when he was
not required to work for his owner. And slaveholders always
encourage their servants to labor and get their own clothes
and other necessaries of life, because all that the slave
(03:42):
gains in this way is so much saved by the master.
William Craft did more than to get clothes for himself.
In the course of five years, he laid aside one
hundred and fifty dollars. William became acquainted with Ellen, a
slave girl owned by doctor Collins and residing in the
same town. Like many of the slaves of the South,
(04:05):
Ellen was as white as most persons of the clear
Anglo Saxon origin. Her features were prominent, hair, straight, eyes
of a light hazel color, and no one, on first
seeing the white slave would suppose that a drop of
African blood coursed through her veins. With the permission of
their owners, William and Ellen were united in marriage after
(04:27):
the fashion of the slaves, but both of these persons
had long been lamenting their sad condition and were only
waiting for an opportunity of escaping from the house of bondage.
It is usual among what are called good slaveholders to
give their servants the Christmas week as a time of
rest and pleasure. Such was the custom of the owners
(04:50):
of William and Ellen. As the Christmas of eighteen forty
eight approached, the crafts, instead of studying how they should
best spend their time in pleasure, began and maturing a
plan of escape. I don't think this is a good
half dollar, said William, as he finished counting his money
late one night. Still continued he I shall have no
(05:11):
trouble in passing it. If some persons had your money,
they would have a jolly time this Christmas, remarked Ellen.
I wish we could get our freedom with it, replied
the husband. Now, William, said the wife. Listen to me
and take my advice, and we shall be free in
less than a month. Let me hear your plans, then,
said William. Take part of your money and purchase me
(05:32):
a good suit of gentlemen's apparel. And when the white
people give us our holiday, let us go off to
the north instead of spending our time in pleasure. I
am wide enough to go as the master, and you
can pass as my servant. But you are not tall
enough for a man, said the husband. Give me a
pair of very high heeled boots and they will bring
me up more than an inch and give me a
(05:54):
very high hat. Then I'll do, rejoined the wife. But then,
my dear, you would make a very boyish looking and
with no whiskers or mustache, remarked William. I could bind
up my face and a handkerchief, said Ellen, as if
I were suffering dreadfully from the toothache, and then no
one would discover the want of beard. What if you
were called upon to write your name in the books
(06:15):
at hotels, as I saw my master do when traveling,
or were asked to receipt for anything, I would also
bind up my right hand and put it in a sling,
and that would be an excuse itself for not writing.
I feared you could not carry out the deception for
so long a time, for it must be several hundred
miles to the free state, said William, as he seemed
(06:37):
to despair of escaping from slavery by following his wife's plan. Come,
William and treated his wife. Don't be a coward, get
me the clothes, and I promise you we shall both
be free in a few days. You have money enough
to fit me out and to pay our passage to
the north, and then we shall be free and happy.
This appeal was too much for William to withstand, and
(06:58):
he resolved to make the atte exempt, whatever it might
be the consequences. Permission having been obtained from their master,
William and Ellen went to spend their Christmas on doctor
Collins's farm, twelve miles from Macon. It was understood that
the slaves were to start on their journey on the
twenty fourth of December eighteen forty eight, and to return
to their employer on the day after Christmas at the
(07:21):
appointed time. Instead of going to the farm, the husband
and wife went to the railway depot and took the
six o'clock train for Philadelphia. Dressed in her new suit,
with her hat of the latest fashion and high heeled
boots with a pair of spectacles, she had rather a
collegiate appearance. Under the assumed name of William Johnson. She
(07:42):
took her seat in a first class car, while William,
with his servants ticket, entered the Jim Crow car. At Sabanah,
the fugitives took a steamboat for Charlestown, and from thence
by railway and steamboat. They arrived at Philadelphia in four days.
Many thrilling incidents occurred during their journey. At Charleston, mister
(08:02):
Johnson stopped at the best hotel and was not a
little surprised to find himself seated near the Honorable John C.
Calhoun at the dinner table. Both at Richmond and Washington,
the fugitives came very near being detected. But the most
amusing incident that happened during this novel journey was mister
Johnson's making the acquaintance of a white family who were
(08:25):
also coming north. On the second day of the journey,
a well dressed old gentleman, accompanied by his two daughters,
both unmarried but marriageable, entered the car in which mister
Johnson was and took seats a short distance from him.
The old gentleman, being rather communicative, soon entered into conversation
with the young man in spectacles. You appeared to be
(08:48):
an invalid, said the gray haired gentleman, as he looked
earnestly into the face of mister Johnson. Yes, replied the other,
I have long been afflicted with inflammatory rheumatism. Ah, I
know what that is and can heartily sympathize with you,
returned the old man. From the time of this conversation,
both father and daughters appeared to take great interest in
(09:12):
the young invalid. At every depot where they took refreshment,
William acted his part as servant admirably. He waited on
the old gentleman and his daughters, as well as on
his own master, and about his politeness and attention attracted
the notice of all that is a valuable servant of yours,
said the old gentleman to mister Johnson, as William passed
(09:35):
through the cabin of the steamer while on the way
from Savannah to Charleston. Yes, sir, he is a boy
that I am very much attached to, returned the young man.
Good negroes are valuable appendages, said the old man, yawningly,
as he pulled his gold watch from his pocket to
see the time. As the train approached Richmond, the old
gentleman expressed great regret that they were to lose the
(09:58):
company of their new acquaintance. I am also sorry that
we are too part, remarked mister Johnson. It was then
discovered that Miss Henrietta, the oldest of the young ladies,
seemed to have more interest in the young man than
one would entertain for a mere acquaintance. We are very
much fatigued with this long journey, said the old gentleman,
(10:19):
and I'm sure you must be tired. Why won't you
stop with us and rest yourself for a few days.
My wife, knowing that you have been our traveling companion,
will be glad to welcome you and my daughter Henrietta
here will be delighted. Miss Henrietta, feeling that this gave
her an opportunity to speak, said, do mister Johnson stop
(10:40):
and regain your strength. We have some pretty walks about Richmond,
and I shall be so pleased to show them to you.
The young indolid found that this was carrying the joke
too far and began to regret his intimate acquaintance with
the young lady. However, he gave as an excuse for
declining the invitation that urgent business demanded his immediate presence
(11:03):
in Philadelphia, and promised them he would pay them a
visit on his return to Georgia. William and Ellen Craft,
on their arrival in Philadelphia, committed themselves to the care
of mister Brown, who was on a lecturing tour through Pennsylvania,
and he brought them on to Boston. The Fugitive Slave
(11:23):
Law drove them to England, where they again joined their
old friend. Through mister Brown's influence and interest was created
for William and Ellen in England, and they were placed
in a school where they remained two years. In his
Sketches of Places and People Abroad, mister Brown describes an
interview between Ellen craft and Lady Byron as follows. Some
(11:46):
months since a lady apparently not more than fifty years
of age, entered a small dwelling on the estate of
the Earl of Lovelace, situated in the County of Surrey.
After ascending a flight of stairs and passing through a
marror passage, she found herself in a small but neat
room with plain furniture. On the table lay copies of
(12:08):
the Liberator. Near the window sat a young woman busily
engaged in sewing, with a spelling book lying open on
her lap. The light step of the stranger had not
broken the silence so as to announce the approach of anyone,
and the young woman still sat at her task, unconscious
that anyone was near. A moment or two, and the
(12:29):
lady was observed, the student hastily arose and apologized for
her apparent inattention. This stranger was soon seated and in
conversation with the young woman. The lady had often heard
the word slave and knew something of its application, but
had never before seen one of her own sex who
(12:50):
had actually been born and brought up in a state
of childle slavery, and the one in whose company she
was now was so white, and had so much the
appearance of a well bred and educated lady, that she
could scarcely realize that she was in the presence of
an American slave. For more than an hour, the illustrious
(13:10):
lady and the poor exile sat and carried on a
most familiar conversation. The thrilling story of the fugitive slave
often brought tears to the eyes of the stranger. Of
how I would that every half bred, aristocratic slave holding woman,
whipping Negro hating women of America could have been present
(13:31):
and heard what passed between these two distinguished persons. They
would for once have seen one who, though moving in
the most elevated and aristocratic society of Europe, felt it
an honor to enter the small cottage and take a
seat by the side of a poor, hunted, and exiled
American fugitive slave. End of Chapter twenty
Chapters nineteen and twenty of Biography of an American Bondman
by his Daughter by Josephine Brown. This LibriVox recording is
in the public domain. Chapter nineteen. Take the spade of perseverance,
dig the field of progress wide, every bar to true instruction,
(00:23):
carry out and cast aside. It was the intention of
mister Brown when he went to England not to remain
there more than one year at the furthest but he was,
by the laws of the United States, the property of another,
and the passage of the Fugitive Slave Bill laid him
liable to be arrested whenever he should return to his
(00:44):
native land. Wendell Phillips Esquire advised the fugitive, for his
own safety not to return. Mister Brown therefore resolved to
remove his two daughters to England so that he could
see to their education. In July eighteen fifty one, the
girls arrived in Liverpool in the Royal British Male Steamer America,
(01:06):
under the charge of the Reverend Charles Spear, the distinguished
and philanthropic friend of the prisoner. Even here the fugitive
was not without persecution in the person of his children.
For mister Lewis, the company's agent in Boston, would not
receive them unless they were entered on the passenger's list
as servants. The only reason assigned for this was their
(01:29):
being colored. Thus, the vile institution which had driven mister
Brown into exile, followed his children on board a steamer,
over which the British flag waved. Soon after the arrival
of his daughters, mister Brown placed them in one of
the best seminaries in France, where they encountered no difficulty
on account of their complexion. The entire absence of prejudice
(01:53):
against color in Europe is one of the clearest proofs
that the hatred here to the colored person is solely
owing to the overpowering influence of slavery. Mister Brown's daughters,
after remaining in France one year, were removed to the
Home and Colonial School in London, the finest female educational
(02:13):
college in Great Britain. Here, as well as in the
French school, the girls saw nothing to indicate that the
slightest feeling of ill will existed on the part of
the students towards them because of their color. End of
Chapter nineteen, Chapter twenty, methinks I hear a tuneful voice
(02:35):
chiming afar or Land and sea. The sun of freedom wakes. Rejoice,
thy bonds are broken, thou art free. In the winter
of eighteen fifty, William and Ellen Craft, two fugitive slaves,
arrived in England, and, being in a strange land and
without the means of support, applied to mister Brown, who
(02:56):
was just on the eve of making an anti slavery
tour through Scotland. Mister Brown at once wrote to the
Crafts to join him. These two interesting fugitives were born
and brought up in Macon, Georgia. To make their slaves
more valuable, owners sometimes have them taught trades. A man
who understands a good trade will sell for three or
(03:19):
four hundred dollars more in the market. William Craft, having
learned the trade of a cabinet maker, was able to
earn considerable money for himself during hours when he was
not required to work for his owner. And slaveholders always
encourage their servants to labor and get their own clothes
and other necessaries of life, because all that the slave
(03:42):
gains in this way is so much saved by the master.
William Craft did more than to get clothes for himself.
In the course of five years, he laid aside one
hundred and fifty dollars. William became acquainted with Ellen, a
slave girl owned by doctor Collins and residing in the
same town. Like many of the slaves of the South,
(04:05):
Ellen was as white as most persons of the clear
Anglo Saxon origin. Her features were prominent, hair, straight, eyes
of a light hazel color, and no one, on first
seeing the white slave would suppose that a drop of
African blood coursed through her veins. With the permission of
their owners, William and Ellen were united in marriage after
(04:27):
the fashion of the slaves, but both of these persons
had long been lamenting their sad condition and were only
waiting for an opportunity of escaping from the house of bondage.
It is usual among what are called good slaveholders to
give their servants the Christmas week as a time of
rest and pleasure. Such was the custom of the owners
(04:50):
of William and Ellen. As the Christmas of eighteen forty
eight approached, the crafts, instead of studying how they should
best spend their time in pleasure, began and maturing a
plan of escape. I don't think this is a good
half dollar, said William, as he finished counting his money
late one night. Still continued he I shall have no
(05:11):
trouble in passing it. If some persons had your money,
they would have a jolly time this Christmas, remarked Ellen.
I wish we could get our freedom with it, replied
the husband. Now, William, said the wife. Listen to me
and take my advice, and we shall be free in
less than a month. Let me hear your plans, then,
said William. Take part of your money and purchase me
(05:32):
a good suit of gentlemen's apparel. And when the white
people give us our holiday, let us go off to
the north instead of spending our time in pleasure. I
am wide enough to go as the master, and you
can pass as my servant. But you are not tall
enough for a man, said the husband. Give me a
pair of very high heeled boots and they will bring
me up more than an inch and give me a
(05:54):
very high hat. Then I'll do, rejoined the wife. But then,
my dear, you would make a very boyish looking and
with no whiskers or mustache, remarked William. I could bind
up my face and a handkerchief, said Ellen, as if
I were suffering dreadfully from the toothache, and then no
one would discover the want of beard. What if you
were called upon to write your name in the books
(06:15):
at hotels, as I saw my master do when traveling,
or were asked to receipt for anything, I would also
bind up my right hand and put it in a sling,
and that would be an excuse itself for not writing.
I feared you could not carry out the deception for
so long a time, for it must be several hundred
miles to the free state, said William, as he seemed
(06:37):
to despair of escaping from slavery by following his wife's plan. Come,
William and treated his wife. Don't be a coward, get
me the clothes, and I promise you we shall both
be free in a few days. You have money enough
to fit me out and to pay our passage to
the north, and then we shall be free and happy.
This appeal was too much for William to withstand, and
(06:58):
he resolved to make the atte exempt, whatever it might
be the consequences. Permission having been obtained from their master,
William and Ellen went to spend their Christmas on doctor
Collins's farm, twelve miles from Macon. It was understood that
the slaves were to start on their journey on the
twenty fourth of December eighteen forty eight, and to return
to their employer on the day after Christmas at the
(07:21):
appointed time. Instead of going to the farm, the husband
and wife went to the railway depot and took the
six o'clock train for Philadelphia. Dressed in her new suit,
with her hat of the latest fashion and high heeled
boots with a pair of spectacles, she had rather a
collegiate appearance. Under the assumed name of William Johnson. She
(07:42):
took her seat in a first class car, while William,
with his servants ticket, entered the Jim Crow car. At Sabanah,
the fugitives took a steamboat for Charlestown, and from thence
by railway and steamboat. They arrived at Philadelphia in four days.
Many thrilling incidents occurred during their journey. At Charleston, mister
(08:02):
Johnson stopped at the best hotel and was not a
little surprised to find himself seated near the Honorable John C.
Calhoun at the dinner table. Both at Richmond and Washington,
the fugitives came very near being detected. But the most
amusing incident that happened during this novel journey was mister
Johnson's making the acquaintance of a white family who were
(08:25):
also coming north. On the second day of the journey,
a well dressed old gentleman, accompanied by his two daughters,
both unmarried but marriageable, entered the car in which mister
Johnson was and took seats a short distance from him.
The old gentleman, being rather communicative, soon entered into conversation
with the young man in spectacles. You appeared to be
(08:48):
an invalid, said the gray haired gentleman, as he looked
earnestly into the face of mister Johnson. Yes, replied the other,
I have long been afflicted with inflammatory rheumatism. Ah, I
know what that is and can heartily sympathize with you,
returned the old man. From the time of this conversation,
both father and daughters appeared to take great interest in
(09:12):
the young invalid. At every depot where they took refreshment,
William acted his part as servant admirably. He waited on
the old gentleman and his daughters, as well as on
his own master, and about his politeness and attention attracted
the notice of all that is a valuable servant of yours,
said the old gentleman to mister Johnson, as William passed
(09:35):
through the cabin of the steamer while on the way
from Savannah to Charleston. Yes, sir, he is a boy
that I am very much attached to, returned the young man.
Good negroes are valuable appendages, said the old man, yawningly,
as he pulled his gold watch from his pocket to
see the time. As the train approached Richmond, the old
gentleman expressed great regret that they were to lose the
(09:58):
company of their new acquaintance. I am also sorry that
we are too part, remarked mister Johnson. It was then
discovered that Miss Henrietta, the oldest of the young ladies,
seemed to have more interest in the young man than
one would entertain for a mere acquaintance. We are very
much fatigued with this long journey, said the old gentleman,
(10:19):
and I'm sure you must be tired. Why won't you
stop with us and rest yourself for a few days.
My wife, knowing that you have been our traveling companion,
will be glad to welcome you and my daughter Henrietta
here will be delighted. Miss Henrietta, feeling that this gave
her an opportunity to speak, said, do mister Johnson stop
(10:40):
and regain your strength. We have some pretty walks about Richmond,
and I shall be so pleased to show them to you.
The young indolid found that this was carrying the joke
too far and began to regret his intimate acquaintance with
the young lady. However, he gave as an excuse for
declining the invitation that urgent business demanded his immediate presence
(11:03):
in Philadelphia, and promised them he would pay them a
visit on his return to Georgia. William and Ellen Craft,
on their arrival in Philadelphia, committed themselves to the care
of mister Brown, who was on a lecturing tour through Pennsylvania,
and he brought them on to Boston. The Fugitive Slave
(11:23):
Law drove them to England, where they again joined their
old friend. Through mister Brown's influence and interest was created
for William and Ellen in England, and they were placed
in a school where they remained two years. In his
Sketches of Places and People Abroad, mister Brown describes an
interview between Ellen craft and Lady Byron as follows. Some
(11:46):
months since a lady apparently not more than fifty years
of age, entered a small dwelling on the estate of
the Earl of Lovelace, situated in the County of Surrey.
After ascending a flight of stairs and passing through a
marror passage, she found herself in a small but neat
room with plain furniture. On the table lay copies of
(12:08):
the Liberator. Near the window sat a young woman busily
engaged in sewing, with a spelling book lying open on
her lap. The light step of the stranger had not
broken the silence so as to announce the approach of anyone,
and the young woman still sat at her task, unconscious
that anyone was near. A moment or two, and the
(12:29):
lady was observed, the student hastily arose and apologized for
her apparent inattention. This stranger was soon seated and in
conversation with the young woman. The lady had often heard
the word slave and knew something of its application, but
had never before seen one of her own sex who
(12:50):
had actually been born and brought up in a state
of childle slavery, and the one in whose company she
was now was so white, and had so much the
appearance of a well bred and educated lady, that she
could scarcely realize that she was in the presence of
an American slave. For more than an hour, the illustrious
(13:10):
lady and the poor exile sat and carried on a
most familiar conversation. The thrilling story of the fugitive slave
often brought tears to the eyes of the stranger. Of
how I would that every half bred, aristocratic slave holding woman,
whipping Negro hating women of America could have been present
(13:31):
and heard what passed between these two distinguished persons. They
would for once have seen one who, though moving in
the most elevated and aristocratic society of Europe, felt it
an honor to enter the small cottage and take a
seat by the side of a poor, hunted, and exiled
American fugitive slave. End of Chapter twenty
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