Anne Maria Weems (b. circa 1840 - d.?)
MSA SC 5496-009938
Escaped Slave, Montgomery County, Maryland, 1855
Biography:
Anne Maria Weems was born into slavery about 1840 in Maryland to John and Arabella Talbot Weems. John Weems was a free man of color, but his wife Arabella was enslaved and therefore so were her children. Maryland law stipulated that the status of negro children was based upon the status of the mother. Arabella and her children were the property of Adam Robb, a tavern keeper, who lived in Montgomery County. Robb also owned Josiah Henson for a short period of time before selling him off to Isaac Riley. Ann Maria Weems was baptized into the Catholic faith at St. Mary's Church in Rockville, Maryland. In 1847 Weems owner Adam Robb died intestate, leaving the fate of his slaves, including the Weems family, to be determined by an appointed trustee. Ann Maria was only five years old at the time her master died. Robb's estate was divided between his two daughters Jane Robb Beall and Catherine Robb Harding.
Ann Maria, her mother and siblings were sent to Robb's daughter Catherine Harding and her husband Henry. The Harding family were heavily in debt and could not afford to maintain the slaves they received.
On September 23, 1855, at the age of fifteen Anne Maria Weems ran away from her owner, Charles M. Price. Weems was disguised as a male. In the ad placed for her capture Weems is described as a mulatto with freckles on her face, and thick sandy hair. Weems traveled under the alias Joe Wright. Weems would make a long journey from Maryland to Canada. Ann Maria first stopped off in Washington, DC for six weeks. It is unknown when Anne Maria Weems died, but she likely died in Canada.
Return to Anne Maria Weems's Introductory Page
|
Tell Us What You Think About the Maryland State Archives Website!
|