Virginia Hewlett Douglass

Virginia Hewlett Douglass
Virginia Hewlett Douglass, c. 1869. Photographed by G.H. Loomis, Boston
Born
Virginia Lewis Molyneaux Hewlett

(1849-06-01)June 1, 1849
Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S.
DiedDecember 14, 1889(1889-12-14) (aged 40)
Washington, D.C., United States
Other namesVirginia Lewis Molyneaux Hewlett Douglass
SpouseFrederick Douglass, Jr.
Children7
FatherAaron Molyneaux Hewlett

Virginia Hewlett Douglass (June 1, 1849 – December 14, 1889; née Virginia Lewis Molyneaux Hewlett) was an African-American suffragist.[1] She was married to Frederick Douglass, Jr.[2]

Biography

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Hewlett was born June 1, 1849, in Cambridge, Massachusetts,[3][4] the daughter of the first African-American instructor at Harvard University (from 1859 to c. 1871), Aaron Molyneaux Hewlett and physical education instructor, Virginia Josephine Lewis (c.1821–1882).[5][4]

On August 4, 1869, Virginia Hewlett Douglass married Frederick Douglass Jr. in Cambridge.[6][4][7] Together, they had seven children, Fredrick Aaron Douglass (1870–1886), Virginia Anna Douglass (1871–1872), Lewis Emmanuel Douglass (c.1874–1875), Maud Ardell Douglass (1877–1877), Gertrude Pearl Douglass (1883–1887), Robert Smalls Douglass (1886–1910), Charles Paul Douglass (1879–1895).[4] When her sister-in-law, Mary Elizabeth Murphy (married to Charles Remond Douglass), died in 1879, Virginia and Fredrick raised their two minor children, Charles Frederick and Joseph Henry.[citation needed]

In 1877, a petition for women's suffrage support by the District of Columbia African-American community was created and signed by Virginia Hewlett Douglass, Frederick Douglass, Jr., Nathan Sprague, and Rosetta Douglass Sprague.[8][9] The petition had been part of a movement organized by National Woman Suffrage Association.[9] On September 21, 1881, she wrote a letter to the editor of the Washington Sunday Item newspaper against school segregation and prejudice.[4]

She died on December 14, 1889 in Washington, D.C., at the age of 40, and her death was listed as from consumption.[10][11][12] She was buried in Graceland Cemetery[10] and later moved to Woodlawn Cemetery in Washington, D.C. After her death, her brother Emanuel took custody of her two minor children, Charles Paul and Robert Smalls.[12]

References

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  1. ^ "Virginia Hewlett Douglass". Alexander Street Documents. Retrieved 2020-11-28.
  2. ^ "These Photo Albums Offer a Rare Glimpse of 19th-Century Boston's Black Community". Smithsonian Magazine. Retrieved 2020-11-28.
  3. ^ Fought, Leigh (2017). Women in the World of Frederick Douglass. Oxford University Press. p. 310. ISBN 9780199782611.
  4. ^ a b c d e Bernier, Celeste-Marie (2018-07-31). If I Survive: Frederick Douglass and Family in the Walter O. Evans Collection. Edinburgh University Press. pp. 26–28, 49, 629. ISBN 978-1-4744-3973-2.
  5. ^ "General information about Aaron Molyneaux Hewlett and Madam Molyneaux Hewlett, 1861-". Hollis, Harvard University. Retrieved 2020-11-28.
  6. ^ "Untitled". Evening Gazette. August 12, 1869 – via Alexander Street, Proquest.
  7. ^ Gregory, James Monroe (1893). Frederick Douglass the Orator: Containing an Account of His Life; His Eminent Public Services; His Brilliant Career as Orator; Selections from His Speeches and Writings. Willey & Company. p. 200. ISBN 978-0-7950-1414-7.
  8. ^ "Documented Rights Image Detail: Petition for Woman Suffrage Transcript". Archives.gov. Retrieved 2020-11-28.
  9. ^ a b "Petition for Woman Suffrage from Frederick Douglass Jr. and Other Residents of the District of Columbia". DocsTeach.org. Retrieved 2020-11-28.
  10. ^ a b "Mortuary Matters". Newspapers.com. Democrat and Chronicle. 22 December 1889. p. 2. Retrieved 2020-11-28.
  11. ^ "Obituary". Leader newspaper, Washington DC. December 21, 1889. p. 2.
  12. ^ a b Blight, David W. (2018-10-16). Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom. Simon and Schuster. p. 678. ISBN 978-1-4165-9388-1.
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