Millie Tunnell facts for kids
Millie Tunnell was an amazing woman who lived to be over 100 years old! She was born into slavery on a plantation in Accomac County, Virginia, between 1780 and 1783. Millie became famous after her 100th birthday when local newspapers started interviewing her every year. People were amazed by her sharp memory. Even at 110, she could thread a sewing needle without glasses! She was known for smoking a corncob pipe and was thought to be the oldest living woman in Jamaica, Queens, at the time. When she was about 14, she even served George Washington at a tavern!
Millie's Early Life
Millie's exact birth date is a bit unclear because slave records were not always kept well. Some people thought she might have been as old as 114. Millie married Merrick Ewell, who was a slave on a nearby plantation. They were able to see each other daily and had six children together.
Merrick became free when his owner, Charles Ewell, passed away and freed all his slaves. Fearing he might be enslaved again, Merrick quickly moved to Greenport, Long Island, where he worked as a fisherman and farmer.
Later, in 1855, Millie's owner, Henry Tunnell, also passed away. His will said that Millie and her children should be freed. However, Henry's family challenged his will. This meant Millie had to keep working on the plantation. She worked hard and eventually earned enough money—$1,269—to buy her family's freedom. They finally arrived in the North around 1860.
Family and Reunion
Millie and her children settled in Flushing, New York. Later, Millie moved to Jamaica, Queens, to live with her daughter, Martha. For many years, her children didn't know what happened to their father, Merrick. He had remarried in Greenport and had three more daughters.
As Merrick grew older and weaker, he was placed in a special care home. By chance, a family member of another person at the home mentioned Merrick's name. Someone recognized the name and realized it was her father! She quickly arranged for him to be brought to Jamaica. After being separated by slavery for many years, Merrick and Millie were finally reunited as a family in 1886.
A Remarkable Woman
Reporters loved visiting Millie because she had such a sharp memory and a quick wit. Her age and life story were so interesting that she became a local celebrity. She continued to be in the local papers until she passed away in 1896 at 111 years old. Later, nine members of her family were buried in the family plot at Maple Grove Cemetery.
Honoring Millie Tunnell
Millie Tunnell was buried in Maple Grove Cemetery, but her grave didn't have a headstone. She had bought three burial plots, enough for nine people, but she couldn't afford a tombstone. So, for 125 years, her grave remained unmarked.
Then, the Friends of Maple Grove (FMG), a historical society, decided to help. They wanted to find a picture of Millie and honor her life. This led to a special Juneteenth community project. Historians and students from the Kew-Forest School worked together. Juneteenth is a holiday that celebrates the day enslaved people in Texas learned they were free, marking the end of slavery in the United States.
Carl Ballenas, the president of FMG, and Helen Day, a genealogist, partnered with the Daughters of the American Revolution and an art teacher, Narges Anvar. They created a school art project to honor Millie. A student named Annie Vaca ('23) created a beautiful artwork that was chosen. Words written by the students were placed on a bronze plaque on Millie's memorial stone, telling her life story. The names of her children were also carved onto the memorial. The memorial was delivered on June 8, 2021, and a special unveiling ceremony was live-streamed on June 19th, which is Juneteenth.
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