T.E. W. (terez93) reviewed One More Valley, One More Hill: The Story of Aunt Clara Brown (Landmark Books) on + 323 more book reviews
Went from reading my by-far-least-favorite volume in the series to one of my new favorites, in one week! This inspiring but in many respects, heartbreaking volume in the Landmark series, albeit one of the more modern ones, tells the story of an inspiring life, one life out of untold millions of former enslaved persons, and her journey to freedom. The most heart-wrenching aspect of Clara's extraordinary story is her lifelong and singular pursuit to find her daughter, who was sold at auction, along with her other family members, after the death of their plantation owner.
Clara Brown (1800-1885), sometimes called "The Angel of the Rockies," was certainly extraordinary, however, in that she was witness to some of America's most momentous events. She was born in Virginia but moved to Kentucky when she and her mother were sold to a tobacco farmer, where she "married" (enslaved persons weren't permitted to contract legal marriage, so ceremonies were informal and never legally binding) at 18 and had four children, one of whom, one of her twin daughters, tragically drowned at age eight.
Nor was this the only tragedy to come: in an all-too-common occurrence, her family was forever separated when her three surviving children and husband were all auctioned, each sold to different slave owners in 1835, following the death of their owner. To settle his estate, his property was liquidated, including all the slaves, and, following common practice, no consideration was made for family ties, as children were sold away from their parents, as husbands were from wives. As the book notes, much of Clara's life was spent in the pursuit of attempting to find her youngest daughter.
At age 56, Clara was granted freedom in her owner's will upon his death, and, from there, her life, in a sense, began, as did her long sojourn. As she was required to leave the state after gaining her freedom, and because in the Antebellum South, blacks were prohibited from purchasing stagecoach tickets, Clara joined up with a wagon train headed west, hired on as a cook and laundress for 26 men. She had heard that her youngest daughter may have moved West, and so she followed.
Over the course of two months and having traveled some 700 miles, enduring great hardship, Clara made it to Denver, Colorado, where she set up her own business, offering services as a cook and laundress. It is believed that Clara was the first black woman who had arrived in the wake of Colorado's gold rush. She settled in the mining town of Auraria, and increased her holdings when she took a partner in her lucrative laundry business. She also invested in properties in nearby towns, eventually saving more than $10,000.
Clara was also a founding member of a church group, which initially met at her home, hosting the first Methodist church services there. It was during this time that she began to be referred to as "Aunt Clara" by the many persons whose lives she touched, as her home had become something of a refuge for those in need, especially ill or impoverished travelers. She generously aided any and all in need, regardless of their religious leanings, race or nationality. Clara also donated to the construction of both a Catholic church and the first Protestant church in the Rocky Mountains.
Despite her many adventures, however, she never lost sight of her life's goal of reuniting with her lost family. Sadly, Clara had been informed fairly early on after the separation that her husband Richard and eldest daughter Margaret had died, the latter of a "chest ailment" which was probably tuberculosis. After the Civil War, when all slaves had been freed and she was able to travel, she sold all her property in the West and headed back to Kentucky, still seeking her lost daughter. Along the way, she facilitated the move of more than a dozen of her relatives and friends to Colorado and helped them to get established with businesses of their own.
In 1879, when she was nearly 80 years old, she served as an official representative of the Colorado governor to Kansas, where many freed blacks had moved. Because there were so many jobs available and labor was in scarce supply, the Colorado governor dispatched Clara and other envoys to try to persuade some of the new settlers to move to Colorado. Clara even donated some of her own funds to assist the new black communities in Colorado.
Although she had attained great success, Clara suffered several setbacks, including a terrible flood in 1864, which had destroyed much of the nascent town of Denver, and a huge fire also swept through another town where Clara had properties, in 1873. Because of all her charity, however, the community came to her rescue to assist her.
All her inquiries and decades of letter writing, assisted by literate friends and colleagues in Colorado and beyond, and lifelong efforts paid off, in the end. In a bittersweet and almost beyond imagining occurrence, shortly before her death, Clara had received word that a black woman named Eliza (Clara didn't even know what last name her daughter might be using, which severely hampered her search) was living in Council Bluffs, Iowa, but no one was certain whether or not this was actually Clara's long-lost daughter. At age 82, she traveled there, and, at long last, was reunited with her daughter Eliza Jane, her surviving twin, and her granddaughter, with whom she returned to Denver to live out her days.
Clara died in her sleep in October, 1885, and is buried in Denver's Riverside Cemetery. Because of her great charities, many attended her funeral, and the story of Clara's reuniting with her daughter was widely published, so many were also familiar with her story. Several state officials were present at her funeral, including the mayor of Denver and even the governor. The Colorado Pioneer Association made Clara Brown their first African-American member, and funded her large funeral.
Despite her extraordinary life, Clara Brown is little known outside her home community in Colorado. The Central City Opera House dedicated a memorial chair in her honor, and her life was made the subject of an opera, "Gabriel's Daughter," in 2003. This inspiring story is a vital one, providing much-needed insight into the lives of former enslaved persons and their struggles to find their place after freedom, and, as in this case, a lifelong effort of a HALF-CENTURY in attempting to reunite with family members.
Sadly, however, most stories did not have a happy ending: even Clara was never able to find her lost son, which was true for many other formerly enslaved persons after emancipation. It's also important to bear in mind that millions of these survivors of slavery built lives after they gained their freedom; Clara's inspiring story is only one of them.
Clara Brown (1800-1885), sometimes called "The Angel of the Rockies," was certainly extraordinary, however, in that she was witness to some of America's most momentous events. She was born in Virginia but moved to Kentucky when she and her mother were sold to a tobacco farmer, where she "married" (enslaved persons weren't permitted to contract legal marriage, so ceremonies were informal and never legally binding) at 18 and had four children, one of whom, one of her twin daughters, tragically drowned at age eight.
Nor was this the only tragedy to come: in an all-too-common occurrence, her family was forever separated when her three surviving children and husband were all auctioned, each sold to different slave owners in 1835, following the death of their owner. To settle his estate, his property was liquidated, including all the slaves, and, following common practice, no consideration was made for family ties, as children were sold away from their parents, as husbands were from wives. As the book notes, much of Clara's life was spent in the pursuit of attempting to find her youngest daughter.
At age 56, Clara was granted freedom in her owner's will upon his death, and, from there, her life, in a sense, began, as did her long sojourn. As she was required to leave the state after gaining her freedom, and because in the Antebellum South, blacks were prohibited from purchasing stagecoach tickets, Clara joined up with a wagon train headed west, hired on as a cook and laundress for 26 men. She had heard that her youngest daughter may have moved West, and so she followed.
Over the course of two months and having traveled some 700 miles, enduring great hardship, Clara made it to Denver, Colorado, where she set up her own business, offering services as a cook and laundress. It is believed that Clara was the first black woman who had arrived in the wake of Colorado's gold rush. She settled in the mining town of Auraria, and increased her holdings when she took a partner in her lucrative laundry business. She also invested in properties in nearby towns, eventually saving more than $10,000.
Clara was also a founding member of a church group, which initially met at her home, hosting the first Methodist church services there. It was during this time that she began to be referred to as "Aunt Clara" by the many persons whose lives she touched, as her home had become something of a refuge for those in need, especially ill or impoverished travelers. She generously aided any and all in need, regardless of their religious leanings, race or nationality. Clara also donated to the construction of both a Catholic church and the first Protestant church in the Rocky Mountains.
Despite her many adventures, however, she never lost sight of her life's goal of reuniting with her lost family. Sadly, Clara had been informed fairly early on after the separation that her husband Richard and eldest daughter Margaret had died, the latter of a "chest ailment" which was probably tuberculosis. After the Civil War, when all slaves had been freed and she was able to travel, she sold all her property in the West and headed back to Kentucky, still seeking her lost daughter. Along the way, she facilitated the move of more than a dozen of her relatives and friends to Colorado and helped them to get established with businesses of their own.
In 1879, when she was nearly 80 years old, she served as an official representative of the Colorado governor to Kansas, where many freed blacks had moved. Because there were so many jobs available and labor was in scarce supply, the Colorado governor dispatched Clara and other envoys to try to persuade some of the new settlers to move to Colorado. Clara even donated some of her own funds to assist the new black communities in Colorado.
Although she had attained great success, Clara suffered several setbacks, including a terrible flood in 1864, which had destroyed much of the nascent town of Denver, and a huge fire also swept through another town where Clara had properties, in 1873. Because of all her charity, however, the community came to her rescue to assist her.
All her inquiries and decades of letter writing, assisted by literate friends and colleagues in Colorado and beyond, and lifelong efforts paid off, in the end. In a bittersweet and almost beyond imagining occurrence, shortly before her death, Clara had received word that a black woman named Eliza (Clara didn't even know what last name her daughter might be using, which severely hampered her search) was living in Council Bluffs, Iowa, but no one was certain whether or not this was actually Clara's long-lost daughter. At age 82, she traveled there, and, at long last, was reunited with her daughter Eliza Jane, her surviving twin, and her granddaughter, with whom she returned to Denver to live out her days.
Clara died in her sleep in October, 1885, and is buried in Denver's Riverside Cemetery. Because of her great charities, many attended her funeral, and the story of Clara's reuniting with her daughter was widely published, so many were also familiar with her story. Several state officials were present at her funeral, including the mayor of Denver and even the governor. The Colorado Pioneer Association made Clara Brown their first African-American member, and funded her large funeral.
Despite her extraordinary life, Clara Brown is little known outside her home community in Colorado. The Central City Opera House dedicated a memorial chair in her honor, and her life was made the subject of an opera, "Gabriel's Daughter," in 2003. This inspiring story is a vital one, providing much-needed insight into the lives of former enslaved persons and their struggles to find their place after freedom, and, as in this case, a lifelong effort of a HALF-CENTURY in attempting to reunite with family members.
Sadly, however, most stories did not have a happy ending: even Clara was never able to find her lost son, which was true for many other formerly enslaved persons after emancipation. It's also important to bear in mind that millions of these survivors of slavery built lives after they gained their freedom; Clara's inspiring story is only one of them.
