Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1857-02-14
DEATH OF PROBABLY THE LAST PENN.
SYLVANIA SLAVE.
From the Pittsburgh Chronicle.

Most of our readers intimate with the family of
Mr.. Allen Brown, formerly proprietor Of the Ex-
change Hotel, now the St. Clair, and Of Browns
Hotel, on Smithteld street, will recullect an old
negress who walked about the house as if she
were its mistress, her gaunt and attenuated figure
hetokening her as belonging to another generation.
As simply Judy Williams she was known to
almost every one-her extreme old age and inter-
esting anecdotes of men and days which have long
since passed away, rendering her an object of no
little interest. Judy is dead. After n pilgrim.
age of one hundred and five years in this world
Of wo." she quietly "shvfaed off this mortal coil. I"
and to day her remains-whut was left Of her after
the wear and tear OF a century-werc consigned
to their last resting place, the Allegheny Gem
eiery.
Judy was born in tho vicinity of Philadelphia
in the year 1852, precisely one hundred and five
years ago. At that early day Slavery existed in
Pennsylvania, MS it does now in tho South, and
Judy, being n woman of color and the daughter Of
a slave, was brought up as such in the house of
a Mr.. PRESLEY who resided in Philadelphia. She
was subsequently sold to a Mr.. Stencbox,a wealthy
man residing in the neishborhood Of thai city, and
from him John Brown, father of Allen Brown,
and grandfather of the Rev. Mr.. j. G Brown,
pastor of the Associate Reformed Church on
Diamond street, bought her in l770. Mr. Brown
then resided Mt a point called New Alexandria.
in Huntington County, and thither Judy was
taken.
In the year 1900 Mr.. Brown and his wife Eliz-
abeth removed to this county, and took up their
abode on the well.known pumpkin Patch Farm, /"
in Plum township, which Mr.. b. had purchased
some six years before. Pittsburgh had scarcely
an existence then, and outside Of a few settled
districts here and there, Western Pennsylyania
was but little better than a wilderness. judy
accompanied Mr.. Brown, and from that time until
her death, which took place yesterday, she has
remained in the Brown family.
In 1913 Mr., Brown gave her her freedom. She
was then active and vigorous, and continued so
until 1889, when she gradually commenced failing,
and although her memory continued good, and all
her faculties remained IN the best order, she was
incapable of physical labor since, and liyed ON the
bounty of Mr.. Allen Brown, whom she had
nursed, and who, up to the hour of her death.
treated her with the greatest attention and
kindness.
Judy had a thorough contempt for all of her
own color, and a very poor opinion of the honesty
of colored folks in general. This probably arose
from the fact that one year after her purchase by
Mr.. Brown she became the wife of an Englishman
named John Ralph, whom Nj. B.. took into his
employ under the now-forgotten, but then well
known Redemption" usage. They had tire,
children, all of whom are dead several years.
Ii IA while Major Andre was under arrest tina
she saw him, being hired 10 the family at who's,
house he was imprisoned. She described him n
being the hGndsOmest man she ever saw, ant
spoke of his bearing and appearance with a clear
ness that would almost lead one to suppose tina
she was describing an event that occurred bu
yesterday.
Judy was a good-looking woman when young
and enjoyed the best possible heal,h until a fey
days previous to her death. She was probabl
the last of the Pennsylvania slaves ard the oldes
woman in the State. Through her life she Dor
the character of a faithful servant.
The aggregate receipts of the American ColonI
Izatiop Society for she last month were goa 634 AZ