1 - Mammy Kate
Stephen Heard |
Around 1759, Virginian Stephen
Heard moved his family to St. Paul’s Parish, Georgia, comprised mostly of
Wilkes County. His French and Indian War service under General Washington granted
him 150 acres 14 miles from the mouth of the Little River. In this area not yet
secure against Creek and Cherokee Indians, Heard and his brother Barnard build
a stockade enclosing a cluster of cabins, the early origin of the town of Washington.
Heard cast his lot with the
colonists in the war against Britain, which cost him dearly. Tories turned his
wife and young adopted daughter out into the snow, causing them to die of
exposure. After taking part in the Battle of Kettle Creek, Heard was captured
and sentenced to death.
In steps the patriot leader’s six-foot
mammy, Kate, regarded by an 1820 letter writer to be the “biggest and tallest”
black woman he had ever seen. Of pure African descent, Mammy Kate claimed
descent from a great king. Kate and her husband, known as Daddy Jack, mounted
two of Heard’s Arabians, Lightfoot and Silverheels, and rode fifty miles to
Augusta.
Mammy Kate |
To ingratiate herself with the
Tories, Kate offered to wash their clothes over a period of a couple months. Close
to time for Heard’s scheduled hanging, she appealed to the British officer to extend
this service to her master as well, so he would not die in dirty clothing. When
she received permission, Kate entered Heard’s cell with a large, covered
basket. She left carrying Heard, a handsome man of small stature, in that basket - on her head - right past the guard!
Lightfoot, Silverheels and Daddy
Jack waited on the outskirts of town. Heard told Mammy Kate for her act of service
he would set her free. She replied that he might do that, but she would never
set him free. Thanks to Kate, Heard
served a brief stint as governor of Georgia. He gave his loyal servants
freedom, a tract of land and a four-room house, but Kate continued to serve the
family until her death.
In 2013, the Georgia Sons of the
American Revolution made Mammy Kate the first black woman below the Mason-Dixon
to receive a bronze medallion for her patriotic service. Daddy Jack was awarded
as well, the medals placed on their graves.
Very interesting post Denise. I always learn interesting things about our history on CQ.
ReplyDeleteBlessings,Tina
Wow ... in a basket on her head!? Incredible. Truth really is stranger than fiction. :)
ReplyDeleteThat is a treasure of a story. Thank you for sharing!!!
ReplyDeleteThanks, y'all! Yep, the coolest stories are always the historical ones.
ReplyDelete