Last month, I posted the beginning of the story of my ancestor, Mattie J. Jackson. My intention was to post a little bit of her story each week throughout Black History Month, but obviously that didn’t happen! My bad. If you haven’t already read the first part of the story – check it out here.

We left off with Westly (my 4^th great-grandfather) escaping to Chicago with the intention of finding a way for his wife, Ellen, and daughters, Mattie and Esther (my 3^rd great-grandmother) to join him. If you were waiting on the next portion of their story – here it is!

Once Westly Jackson escaped successfully to Chicago, it took another two years before Ellen Turner and her two daughters, Esther and Mattie, attempted to make their own escape. They were able to reach Illinois after two days. They slept in the woods at night. Ellen fed her daughters but refrained from eating herself. They had to part with some of the things they’d packed (like clothing) because they were too tired to walk and carry it all – and I’m sure it also slowed them down. An advertisement of their escape had already been sent out, and as they came to the brink of the river, a spy “made inquiries respecting [Ellen’s] suspicious appearance.” Ellen and her daughters were arrested, returned to St. Louis, and placed in prison for a week.  

After being imprisoned, Ellen and her daughters spent a month in Linch’s (Lynch’s) Trader’s Yard. After this time, they were sold to a man named William Lewis. Neither William Lewis nor his wife were kind people. Mattie recalls Mrs. Lewis constantly “pulling our ears, snapping us with her thimble, rapping us on the heads and the sides of it,” and says that “it appeared almost impossible to please her.” In one incident, Mattie remembers Mrs. Lewis being offended by something “slight” that Ellen had done. Mrs. Lewis “tartly and loudly reprimanded” Ellen, and Mr. Lewis came in and “rashly felled (Ellen) to the floor with his fist.”

In one recollection, Mrs. Lewis daily used a cowhide to beat a young girl whose job was to wake up early and tend to the Lewis’ children. Ellen was a cook for the Lewis household, and because the Lewis’ did not supply enough food for the servants, Ellen roasted the cowhide for them to eat.

Mr. Lewis went into business with his brother in law and moved six miles away from his home. At this time, the slaves that the Lewis family owned were split and Mattie ended up with Mrs. Lewis’ sister, Mrs. Larry. Mattie describes Mrs. Larry as being worse than Mrs. Lewis – so much so that even Mr. Lewis disapproved of Mrs. Larry’s treatment of her, and returned Mattie to her mother’s former master, (I assume) Charles Canory. Meanwhile, Ellen remained with Mr. Lewis’ family and after six years had passed, having not heard from her husband Westly, Ellen re-married a man named George Brown and had two more children – both sons. After four years, George was sold but escaped to Canada, leaving Ellen alone and now with four children.

One of Ellen’s sons, who was not named, was confined to a box from birth. Mrs. Lewis did not allow Ellen to tend to him because it took “too much time.” As a result of being confined to a box, the little boy’s muscles atrophied and he became paralyzed. At two years of age, he died. Ellen was given time to bury her son, but was required to return to work the same day.

I promise, I won’t take another month to post the next portion of their story.