Biddy Mason facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Biddy Mason
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| Born | August 15, 1818 |
| Died | January 15, 1891 (aged 72) |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Mid-wife, California real estate entrepreneur, nurse, philanthropist |
| Known for | Philanthropy, Founding the Los Angeles First A.M.E. Church in Los Angeles, California real-estate entrepreneur |
| Location | 333 Spring Street Los Angeles, California |
Biddy Mason (born August 15, 1818 – died January 15, 1891) was an amazing African-American woman. She was a nurse, a smart businesswoman, and a kind philanthropist. A philanthropist is someone who helps others, often by giving money.
Biddy Mason was born into slavery. But she worked hard to become free. She also helped start the first Black church in Los Angeles, California. This was the First African Methodist Episcopal Church. She used her skills and knowledge to help many people.
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Biddy Mason's Early Life
Biddy Mason was born around August 15, 1818. She was born in Hancock County, Georgia. Her exact birthday and birthplace are not fully known. When she was very young, she was taken from her parents. She moved to a large farm called a plantation. She spent most of her youth on a plantation owned by Robert Smithson.
Skills Biddy Learned
As a teenager, Biddy learned many useful skills. She learned how to manage a home and work on a farm. She also learned about herbal medicine and how to be a midwife. A midwife helps women when they are having babies. These skills were passed down from African, Caribbean, and Native American traditions. Biddy's knowledge was very helpful to everyone on the plantation.
Later, Biddy was owned by Robert Mays Smith and his wife Rebecca Dorn Smith. Biddy was very valuable to them. This was because she knew a lot about medicine, taking care of children, and looking after animals.
Biddy had three daughters: Ellen, Ann, and Harriet. They were born between 1838 and 1847.
Moving West with the Mormons
In 1847, Robert Smith and his family became members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons). They decided to move west with other church members. They joined a large group of Mormons traveling from Illinois.
Journey to Utah
During this long journey, Biddy worked very hard. She helped herd animals and prepared meals for everyone. She also continued to work as a midwife. All this time, she was also caring for her own three children. The group arrived in the Salt Lake Valley, Utah Territory in 1848. Many enslaved people, including Biddy, came with their owners to Utah. They helped build homes and clear land for farming.
Settling in California
In 1851, a group of Mormons, including Robert Smith and his family, moved to Southern California. They settled in San Bernardino, California. The leader of the church, Brigham Young, had told them that California was a free state. This meant that enslaved people would be free once they arrived there.
However, some people from the South, like Robert Smith, still tried to keep enslaved people in California. They ignored the law. Biddy Mason was still under Robert Smith's control. She did not know about the laws that could make her free.
Gaining Freedom
In 1856, Robert Smith decided to move to Texas. Texas was a state where slavery was legal. He planned to sell his enslaved people there. He told them they would be free in Texas, but this was not true.
Biddy was very worried about being separated from her daughters. She also feared remaining enslaved forever. She told her fears to two free Black men, Charles Owens and Manuel Pepper. These men helped her. They got a court order to stop Smith from taking Biddy and her family to Texas.
The Court Case
A court in Los Angeles heard Biddy's case. Smith tried to trick the court. He said Biddy wanted to go to Texas. He even bribed her lawyer not to show up. At that time, Black people were not allowed to speak in court against white people. So, Biddy could not tell her own story.
But on January 21, 1856, Robert Smith did not show up in court. The judge, Benjamin Ignatius Hayes, then made a big decision. He declared Biddy Mason and her family members free! In 1860, Biddy received an official paper that proved her freedom. When she was enslaved, Biddy did not have a last name.
Life in Los Angeles
After becoming free, Biddy Mason and her daughters moved in with Robert Owens. He was Charles Owens' father and a well-known businessman in Los Angeles. Biddy's daughter Ellen later married Charles Owens.
Biddy worked as a nurse and midwife in Los Angeles. She helped deliver hundreds of babies. She also used her knowledge of herbal remedies to care for people during a smallpox outbreak. This was very dangerous work. One of her bosses was a famous doctor named John Strother Griffin.
A Successful Businesswoman
Biddy was very good at saving money. She became one of the first African American women to own land in Los Angeles. She bought property and became quite wealthy. But she was also very generous. She shared her money with charities and helped many people.
- She fed and sheltered people who were poor.
- She visited people in prison.
- She helped start a traveler's aid center. This helped people who were new to the city.
- She helped create a school and day care center for Black children. It was open to any child who needed a place to go.
Because of her kind and giving spirit, many people called her "Auntie Mason" or "Grandma Mason."
Founding a Church
In 1872, Biddy Mason helped start the First African Methodist Episcopal Church of Los Angeles. This was the first Black church in Los Angeles. She held the first meetings in her own home on Spring Street. She even donated the land where the church was built. She also helped set up the first elementary school for Black children in Los Angeles.
Biddy Mason spoke fluent Spanish. She was a well-known person in the city. She sometimes had dinner at the home of Pio Pico. He was the last governor of Alta California and a rich landowner in Los Angeles.
Biddy Mason's Family Legacy
Biddy Mason's daughter Ellen married Charles Owens. They had two sons, Robert Curry Owens and Henry Louis Owens. Robert Curry Owens became a very wealthy Black man in Los Angeles. He owned a large building called the Owens Block. It was on Broadway in Downtown Los Angeles. This was the first Black-owned business building in the area.
Biddy Mason's Legacy
Biddy Mason often said,
"If you hold your hand closed, nothing good can come in. The open hand is blessed, for it gives in abundance, even as it receives."
This quote shows how much she believed in giving to others.
Biddy Mason passed away on January 15, 1891. She was buried in Evergreen Cemetery in Los Angeles. In 1988, a special ceremony was held. The mayor of Los Angeles and members of the church she founded were there. They placed a gravestone to honor her.
Biddy Mason is honored in the California Social Work Hall of Distinction. November 16, 1989, was named Biddy Mason Day. A special memorial was unveiled to celebrate her achievements.
Biddy Mason Park
Today, there is a park called Biddy Mason Park in downtown Los Angeles. It is near where her home used to be. The park has an art installation that tells her life story. It is called Biddy Mason's Place: A Passage of Time. It is an 82-foot-long (25 m) concrete wall with objects that show parts of Biddy Mason's life.
Biddy Mason is also shown in a mural by Bernard Zakheim. This mural is at the University of California, San Francisco.
Images for kids
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Drawing of San Bernardino, 1852, where Biddy Mason was held.
