Clara Brown facts for kids
Clara Brown (around 1800–1885) was an amazing woman who was once enslaved in Virginia and Kentucky. After gaining her freedom, she became a respected community leader and helped many former slaves settle in Colorado during the Gold Rush. People knew her as the 'Angel of the Rockies'. She was Colorado's first black settler and a very successful businesswoman.
Clara was born in Virginia around 1800 and later moved to Logan County, Kentucky, with her family. When she was 18, she married another enslaved person, and they had four children together. Sadly, in 1835, her family was torn apart when they were all sold to different slave owners.
At 56 years old, Clara finally received her freedom. However, a law in Kentucky meant she had to leave the state. She bravely traveled west, working as a cook and laundress, until she reached Denver, Colorado.
Clara settled in a mining town now called Central City, Colorado. There, she worked hard as a laundress, cook, and midwife. With the money she earned, she wisely invested in properties and mines in nearby towns. People lovingly called her "Aunt Clara" because she offered so much emotional and financial support. She helped start a Sunday school, opened her home for prayer services, and generously supported her community.
After the Civil War ended, Clara could travel freely. She sold all her investments to go back to Kentucky and search for her daughter. Even though she didn't find her daughter right away, she paid for 16 or more relatives and other former slaves to move to Colorado. Finally, in 1882, she reunited with her daughter, Eliza Jane, and Eliza Jane's daughter. In 1885, the last year of her life, Clara Brown was honored by being voted into the Society of Colorado Pioneers for her important role in Colorado's early history.
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Clara's Early Life
Clara Brown was born into slavery near Independence, Missouri, on January 1, 1800. When she was young, Clara and her mother were sold to Adam Smith, a tobacco farmer in Virginia, and worked in the fields. Later, she moved with the Smith family to Kentucky.
At 18, Clara married a slave named Richard. They had four children: Richard, Margaret, Paulina Ann, and Eliza Jane. Sadly, Paulina, who was Eliza Jane's twin, drowned at age 8. In 1835, their owner, Ambrose Smith, died. To settle his property, Clara's family was brought to a slave auction. They were sold separately and sent to different, far-off places. A plantation owner from Kentucky, George Brown, saw Clara's intelligence and strength and paid a lot of money to buy her.
Gaining Freedom and Moving West
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When Clara Brown was 56, she was granted her freedom, as George Brown had stated in his will. She had to leave Kentucky because of a state law.
Journey to Colorado
Clara was hired as a maid and cook by a family traveling west to Leavenworth, Kansas Territory. From there, in April 1859, Colonel Benjamin Wadsworth hired Clara to cook for 26 men on a wagon train. It was a hot and difficult eight-week journey to Denver, Colorado. Some people complained about a black woman traveling with them, but Clara persevered. She is thought to be the first African American woman to arrive in Colorado during the gold rush.
Life in Denver and Central City
In the Denver area, Clara first settled in Auraria, where she worked at the City Bakery. She was one of the first members of the nondenominational Union Sunday school, working with two Methodist ministers.
Following the many miners heading into the mountains, Clara started the first laundry business in Gilpin County, in a place called Gregory Gulch (now Central City, Colorado). She also worked as a midwife, cook, and nursemaid. Clara's income grew a lot when she expanded her laundry business with a partner. She invested her earnings in mine claims and land. Within a few years, she had saved $10,000. She reportedly owned 16 lots in Denver, 7 houses in Central City, and property and mines in Boulder, Georgetown, and Idaho Springs.
Clara was very generous to everyone in the community. She hosted the first Methodist church services at her house. She helped anyone in need, whether they were new European-American settlers or Native Americans. People lovingly called her "Aunt Clara." Her home was known as "a hospital, a home, a general refuge for those who were sick or in poverty." She once said, "I always go where Jesus calls me." The Catholic Church and the first Protestant church in the Rocky Mountains were partly built with Clara's donations.
Searching for Family and Helping Others
Clara sent letters to try and find her family, with the help of friends who could write. She heard that her husband Richard and daughter Margaret had both died, and her son Richard was lost. But she promised herself she would find her daughter Eliza Jane.
After the Civil War ended, she sold her properties to travel back to Gallatin, Kentucky. She didn't find Eliza Jane there, but she helped 16 (or possibly 26) relatives and other former slaves travel to Colorado by train and wagon train. She also helped them find work once they settled. Clara also went to Kansas in 1879 to help former slaves "build a community and farm the land." By the time she was eighty years old, Clara's money was almost gone. This was due to her generous donations, her efforts to find her family, and sadly, being cheated by real estate agents.
Clara moved to Denver when she could no longer live at the higher altitude of Central City, staying in a friend's home. After years of writing letters, Clara heard that her daughter lived in Council Bluffs, Iowa. At 82 years old, she traveled there to meet her. The Council Bluffs Nonpareil newspaper reported on March 4, 1882, that Clara was "still strong, vigorous, tall, her hair thickly streaked with gray, her face kind." Clara returned to Denver with her granddaughter after a long visit. Her daughter, Eliza Jane, later visited her until Clara's death.
In honor of her pioneering role in Colorado history, Clara was voted into the Society of Colorado Pioneers. She was interviewed by the Denver Tribune-Republican newspaper on June 26, 1885.
Death and Tributes
Clara Brown died in Denver on October 23, 1885. She was buried in Denver's Riverside Cemetery. Important Colorado leaders attended her funeral, including Denver mayor John Long Routt and governor James Benton Grant. The Central City Opera House dedicated a special memorial chair in her name.
Clara Brown is also the subject of an opera called Gabriel's Daughter, created by Henry Mollicone and William Luce. It first played at Central City Opera in 2003.
In 1989, Clara Brown was honored by being inducted into the Colorado Women's Hall of Fame.
