Authors to Talk on Sheffield's Elizabeth Freeman04:08PM / Wednesday, September 30, 2009
SHEFFIELD, Mass. — Authors David Levinson and Emilie Piper will discuss their research for their forthcoming book "To Stand One Minute a Free Woman: Elizabeth Freeman and the Quest for Freedom" at the Sheffield Historical Society's meeting Friday, Oct. 9, at 7:30 p.m. at Dewey Hall.
Freeman, also known as Mum Bett, won her freedom from slavery in the historic 1781 court case. Most of what we know about Mum Bett comes from the writings of Catherine Sedgwick, who was born in 1789, eight years after the case. She was one of seven Sedgwick children raised by Elizabeth Freeman, who went to work for the Sedgwick family as a free woman.
It was the Sedgwick children who lovingly called her "Mum Bett," their second mother. Much of what Catherine Sedgwick had to say was family folklore and undocumented.
Freeman owned a house in Stockbridge after leaving the Sedgwicks' employ and had a career as a nurse and midwife. She also left a will. These are just some of the facts revealed in a new book by Piper and Levinson in their book, to be published in 2010.
Piper became interested in Freeman's story when, as regional librarian in the Southern Berkshire School District, she was asked by Sheffield teachers to provide research and background on local history, as a way of making American history more relevant to their students. As a result of this effort, Piper had accumulated so much primary source material that the idea of a book suggested itself to her. She contacted Levinson, who had already written one book and edited another on African-American history and life in the Berkshires.
Levinson is a cultural anthropologist and former vice president of the Human Relations Area Files at Yale University. He founded and was president of the Berkshire Publishing Group from 1996 to 2007. He has written or edited nearly 100 articles, books, and collections for scholarly and general audiences, including
Piper has also been employed by the Berkshire Athenaeum, the Stockbridge Library, and the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts. She was editorial chairman of the Berkshire Genealogist, director of the Berkshire County Historical Commission, and president of the Berkshire Archaeology Group.
All society programs are free and open to the public. For more information: 413-229-2694 or www.sheffieldhistory.org. |
