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| Field name | Value |
|---|---|
| Collection Reference Number | GLC07484.01 |
| From Archive Folder | Documents Relating to the 1890s |
| Title | Frederick Douglass to Benjamin Franklin Auld regarding a ship building firm |
| Date | 24 March 1894 |
| Author | Douglass, Frederick (1818-1895) |
| Recipient | Auld, Benjamin Franklin |
| Document Type | Correspondence |
| Content Description | Thanks Auld for helping him obtain the date when Auld's father, Hugh, began the ship building firm where Douglass served in Baltimore. Asserts that Hugh may have begun the business as early as 1827, and he (Douglass) may have been eight years old in 1825 when he came to Baltimore to look after Benjamin's brother Thomas. Estimated the date based on the death of Captain Aaron Anthony, his early master. Recalls his service to the Aulds in Baltimore, carrying water and Hugh's dinners. Writes, "The principle thing I desired in making the inquiries I have of you was to get some idea of my exact age. I have always been troubled by the thought of having no birth day." Notes that Lucretia Auld (daughter of Aaron Anthony and wife of Thomas Auld, Hugh's brother) had previously informed him he had been eight years old when he was sent to Baltimore. After Anthony's death, he was relieved to be able to continue to serve in Baltimore. Written on Cedar Hill, Anacostia, D.C. stationery. |
| Subjects | African American Author African American History Slavery Maritime Construction |
| People | Douglass, Frederick (1818-1895) Auld, Benjamin Franklin (b. 1828) Auld, Hugh (b. 1799) Auld, Thomas (b. 1824) Auld, Thomas (b. 1798) Anthony, Lucretia (fl. 1894) |
| Place written | Washington, D.C. |
| Theme | African Americans; Slavery & Abolition; Naval & Maritime |
| Sub-collection | The Gilder Lehrman Collection, 1860-1945 |
| Additional Information | In his early years, Douglass was a slave for the Auld family. |
| Copyright | The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History |
| Module | Civil War, Reconstruction and the Modern Era: 1860-1945 |