Archives of Maryland
(Biographical Series)

Maria White (b. circa 1818 - d. ?)
MSA SC 5496-51344
Maryland State Colonization Society Emigrant to Liberia from Caroline County, 1832

Biography:

Maria was born free to Willoughby and Sarah White, freeborn blacks of Caroline County.1 In 1832, the Whites were enumerated on Caroline County's Free Negro Census, where they indicated a desire to emigrate to Liberia.2  Later that year, Maria emigrated from the United States to Liberia with her parents, Willoughby and Sarah White, and five sisters: Mary, Amy, Catharine, Eleanor, and Hester, on the ship Lafayette. Departing from Baltimore on December 9, 1832, they arrived in Monrovia, Liberia on February 7, 1833 before settling in Caldwell, Liberia.3 In 1834, the family moved to Cape Palmas, where Willoughby died suddenly in 1835.4  That same year, Maria married William Polk, a teacher and the colonial register of Maryland in Liberia.5, 6 Based on the Liberia census, it appears that Maria's younger sister, Mary, lived with her for several years, perhaps due to the turmoil caused by Willoughby White's unexpected death.7, 8, 9 By 1838, Maria was a pregnant widow, giving birth some time that year to baby girl named Ema Polk.10, 11 Ema Polk may have also died since she does not appear with her mother on the 1840 and 1843 censuses.12, 13 Maria worked as a seamstress after her husband's death.14


1. SPECIAL COLLECTIONS (Papers of the Maryland State Colonization Society), Manumission Lists, 1832-1839, MSA SC 5977, Film Number M 13248-1, Emigrants Line 35-42.

2. SPECIAL COLLECTIONS (Papers of the Maryland State Colonization Society), Free Negro Census, Caroline County, 1832, MSA SC 5977, Film Number M 13255-1, Lines 829-838.

3. SPECIAL COLLECTIONS (Papers of the Maryland State Colonization Society), Manumission Lists, 1832-1839, MSA SC 5977, Film Number M 13248-1, Emigrants Line 35-42.

4. Hall, Richard L. On Afric’s Shore: A History of Maryland in Liberia, 1834-1857. (Baltimore: Maryland Historical Society, 2003), p. 444.

5. Maryland Colonization Journal, August 1836, Vol. 1, No. 5, p. 24.

6.  SPECIAL COLLECTIONS (Papers of the Maryland State Colonization Society), Subscribers Reports Census, 1817-1902, MSA SC 5977, Film Number M 13247-1, 1837 Census.

7. Ibid.

8. SPECIAL COLLECTIONS (Papers of the Maryland State Colonization Society), Subscribers Reports Census, 1817-1902, MSA SC 5977, Film Number M 13247-1, 1838 Census.

9. SPECIAL COLLECTIONS (Papers of the Maryland State Colonization Society), Subscribers Reports Census, 1817-1902, MSA SC 5977, Film Number M 13247-1, 1843 Census.

10. SPECIAL COLLECTIONS (Papers of the Maryland State Colonization Society), Subscribers Reports Census, 1817-1902, MSA SC 5977, Film Number M 13247-1, 1838 Census.

11. SPECIAL COLLECTIONS (Papers of the Maryland State Colonization Society), Subscribers Reports Census, 1817-1902, MSA SC 5977, Film Number M 13247-1, 1839 Census.

12. SPECIAL COLLECTIONS (Papers of the Maryland State Colonization Society), Subscribers Reports Census, 1817-1902, MSA SC 5977, Film Number M 13247-1, 1840 Census.

13. SPECIAL COLLECTIONS (Papers of the Maryland State Colonization Society), Subscribers Reports Census, 1817-1902, MSA SC 5977, Film Number M 13247-1, 1843 Census.

14. Ibid.
 

Return to Maria White's Introductory Page
 
 
 
 


This web site is presented for reference purposes under the doctrine of fair use. When this material is used, in whole or in part, proper citation and credit must be attributed to the Maryland State Archives. PLEASE NOTE: The site may contain material from other sources which may be under copyright. Rights assessment, and full originating source citation, is the responsibility of the user.

Tell Us What You Think About the Maryland State Archives Website!
© Copyright Tuesday, 08-May-2012 10:51:59 EDT Maryland State Archives