In this second week of Women's History Month, we are looking at books that will give you ideas for writing your female ancestor's life.
Title: Never Caught: The Washingtons' Relentless Pursuit of Their Runaway Slave, Ona Judge
Author: Erica Armstrong Dunbar
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Synopsis: "When George Washington was elected president, he reluctantly left behind his beloved Mount Vernon to serve in Philadelphia, the temporary seat of the nation’s capital. In setting up his household he brought along nine slaves, including Ona Judge. As the President grew accustomed to Northern ways, there was one change he couldn’t abide: Pennsylvania law required enslaved people be set free after six months of residency in the state. Rather than comply, Washington decided to circumvent the law. Every six months he sent the slaves back down south just as the clock was about to expire.
Though Ona Judge lived a life of relative comfort, she was denied freedom. So, when the opportunity presented itself one clear and pleasant spring day in Philadelphia, Judge left everything she knew to escape to New England. Yet freedom would not come without its costs. At just twenty-two-years-old, Ona became the subject of an intense manhunt led by George Washington, who used his political and personal contacts to recapture his property."
Why You Need This Book: Sometimes telling the story of a historical woman is difficult due to the lack of records. However, it's by considering her FAN Club that we can piece together that story. I like how Dr. Dunbar takes various records that document the people in Ona Judge's life to piece together the story of a formerly enslaved woman.
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