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Mary Elizabeth Bowser Research Paper

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“Mary Elizabeth Bowser” Mary Elizabeth Bowser was born the year of 1839 in Richmond, Virginia. Mary was born to slave owner John Van Lew who was a well-off hardware merchant. Mary and fellow slaves were freed by Elizabeth and her mother after the death of their master John Van Lew who died the year of 1843. Despite the fact that she was considered a free slave, she chose to stay an work for the Van Lew family as a free paid servant. She was sent to an African American Quaker school in Philadelphia by Elizabeth Van Lew, during the year of 1860 tension with the Civil War began to brew so she moved back to Richmond. Just four days before the war began she married a free black man named William Wilson Bowser, they had a peculiar wedding ceremony

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