Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1890-12-14
MAMMYD JUDY BAGBY.
She Had Nursed Four Generations OF Chill
dren-How She Fooled the Yanks.
IL n..-...L-.L

She Had Nursed Four Generations OF Chill
dren-Bow She Fooled the Yanks.
To the Editor of the Dispatch:
Will you allow me space in your paper
10 give some account of an humble but
still in some respects remarkable col
ored woman. Judy Bagby, who died in
this county king and Queen October
6, 1890 -? She was bought along with her
mother and other children when a girl by
Captain William Fleet, and became nurse
for some of his youngest children. Cap
tain Fleet gave her to his daughter at
her iutermarriage with Mr. Richard
Bagby. She remained in his possession
until his death and became nurse and
nanny" for all his children. At Mr..
Bagby's death she was allotted to my
wife and held the same position in my
family, and upon the marriage of my
Oldest daughter was with her at the
birth Of some of her children. SO she
had the rare experience of being nurse
and nanny to four generations. She
was very warm and ailectionate In her
attachments and thought that no people
were equal to her my people," as she
expressed it.
EFFUSIvE AFFECTION.
Her demonstrations of affection were
very ELUSIVE, and my children, both boys
and girls, were careful not to come too
near her in crowd, as she always en-
braced them and demanded kiss. She
lamented that the " lankees freed her, "
and said, Freedom amt done me any
good" and often said to me, "Mars
Bernard, 1 amt never been so well off
as | was fore freedom came and when L
was living in my house in your yard. |
never suffered for anything then, and set
as good a table as the white folks
Miss Dolly has many time left her pas
table and eat with me.
SAVED THE vALUABLEs.
May / be allowed to relate an incident
that occurred during the war in which
she was the chief actor? A rumor came
that large number of Yankees were
advancing, and we we're all astir to Sc
cure the valuables that they had failed
to carry away in former raids. Judy
came to her mistress and said Miss
Dolly, you give me the things and will
hide them where they can't find them.
They we're committed to her care, and
she took them to her house and she put
them in her potato-hole and spread
pallet on it. and persuaded "Aunt East.
er" to play sick, and when the Yankees
came she sat by her on hot July day and
with a turkey-wing fan brushed away the
flies and famed her sick sister, and beg
ged the Yankees mot to 'sterb Sister
Easter, cause she is mighty sick" Both
the old ladies acted their parts sdmira-
bly, and saved "the things" and mani
tested great delight that they had fool
ed the Yankees" She ever afterwards
referred to the incident with evident
qualification.
LOVE AND SYMPATHY.
Her children inherited from her an
affectionate regard for all the members
of the family and never meet them with
ont expressing pleasure. This feeling OF
love and sympathy which 30 strongly
and generally prevails between the
former owners and their slaves is not
appreciated nor believed to exist by our
northern friends, but there is the most |
abundant evidence of its existence and a |
constant manifestation of it still pres
ent in all the southern States. One OF
Judy's daughters, who is the wife of my |
former miller and was the maid and |
playmate of my wife when they were |
children, came from her home near
Yorktown and made my wife a visit |
short time ago, and they talked over
their childhood days, their sports, and |
escapades. and whippings. She is the |
mother Of nineteen children, of whom
fifteen are now living and grown. She
still addresses my wife as 4" Miss Dolly"
osTRAcIsED BY THE CHURCH.
Judy's sons are Democrats and have
suffered from their colored friends on &C.
count of it. One was prominent men,
Der in his church and the leading deacon,
and because he was Democrat was
driven from his Office and ostracised by
the church. Judy died at her sons Sam
Bagby) and said that her only regret was
that she could not see Miss Dolly and
the other children and shake their hands
before she cleft"
so has passed away one OF the old
honored servants OF former DAYS. one
that three generations were proud to call
a" Nanny Judy"
One VINO LOVES AND EsrRrMs HIS
FORMER SLAVES.
Successful Experiment.