Emilie "Emily" Frances Davis (February 18, 1839 – December 26, 1889) was a free African American woman living in

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

. She wrote three pocket diaries for the years 1863, 1864, and 1865 recounting her perspective on the

Emancipation Proclamation The Emancipation Proclamation, officially Proclamation 95, was a presidential proclamation and executive order issued by United States President Abraham Lincoln on January 1, 1863, during the American Civil War. The Proclamation had the eff ...

, the

Battle of Gettysburg The Battle of Gettysburg () was a three-day battle in the American Civil War, which was fought between the Union and Confederate armies between July 1 and July 3, 1863, in and around Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The battle, won by the Union, ...

, and the mourning of

President Lincoln Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was the 16th president of the United States, serving from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. He led the United States through the American Civil War, defeating the Confederate State ...

. These diaries are unique in their depiction of 19th century life of urban African American women and reactions to the events of the Civil War.

Early life and education

Davis was born free in

southeastern Pennsylvania The Philadelphia metropolitan area, also known as Greater Philadelphia and informally called the Delaware Valley, the Philadelphia tri-state area, and locally and colloquially Philly–Jersey–Delaware, is a major metropolitan area in the Nor ...

in 1839. Her father, Isaac Davis, moved to Pennsylvania from

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...

in the 1820s. Contemporary sources gave no account of her mother. The family lived in

Lancaster Lancaster may refer to: Lands and titles *The County Palatine of Lancaster, a synonym for Lancashire *Duchy of Lancaster, one of only two British royal duchies *Duke of Lancaster *Earl of Lancaster *House of Lancaster, a British royal dynasty ...

and Schuylkill counties before relocating to the Seventh Ward of Philadelphia by 1860, the first year in which the census records Emilie Davis as a resident. She was one of 13,008 free Black women (in addition to 9,177 free Black men) recorded as living in

Philadelphia County Philadelphia County is the most populous of the 67 counties of Pennsylvania and the 24th-most populous county in the nation. As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 1,603,797. It is coextensive with Philadelphia, the nation's ...

in 1860. In the mid-nineteenth century, the Seventh Ward was a hub of African American political, cultural, and religious life in Philadelphia. Davis attended the

Institute for Colored Youth The Institute for Colored Youth was founded in 1837 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. It became the first college for African-Americans in the United States, although there were schools that admitted African Americans preceding it. ...

and attended several black churches. She earned a living as a domestic servant and seamstress before her marriage. She was a member of the Ladies' Union Association of Philadelphia, which raised money and collected supplies for the

United States Colored Troops United States Colored Troops (USCT) were Union Army regiments during the American Civil War that primarily comprised African Americans, with soldiers from other ethnic groups also serving in USCT units. Established in response to a demand fo ...

Writings

Between 1863 and 1864, Emilie described going out for ice cream on four separate occasions, an indication of the expanding space that black Philadelphians inhabited during the Civil War. Earlier, in the summer of 1857, Charlotte Forten and a friend had been refused service at three Philadelphia ice cream parlors before they gave up. Davis wrote about notable lectures and concerts she attended. On January 25, 1865, she attended a lecture by

J. Sella Martin John Sella Martin (September 27, 1832 – August 11, 1876) escaped slavery in Alabama and became an influential abolitionist and pastor in Boston, Massachusetts. He was an activist for equality before the American Civil WarFrederick Douglass Frederick Douglass (born Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey, February 14, 1818 – February 20, 1895) was an American social reformer, Abolitionism in the United States, abolitionist, orator, writer, and statesman. He was the most impor ...

. On February 27, 1865, she attended a lecture by

Frances Ellen Watkins Harper Frances Ellen Watkins Harper (September 24, 1825 – February 22, 1911) was an American abolitionist, suffragist, poet, temperance activist, teacher, public speaker, and writer. Beginning in 1845, she was one of the first African American women to ...

. On May 11, 1964, she attended a concert by

Elizabeth Taylor Greenfield Elizabeth Taylor Greenfield (1817 – March 31, 1876), dubbed "The Black Swan" (a play on Jenny Lind's sobriquet, "The Swedish Nightingale" and Catherine Hayes's "The Irish Swan"), was an American singer considered the best-known Black conce ...

. On September 14, 1865, she attended a segregated concert by Thomas Wiggins, where she was required to sit in the balcony.

Marriage and family

On December 13, 1866, Davis (her name misspelled as "Emily" on the marriage registry) married George Bustill White, a barber and civil rights activist. George White's father whose father, Jacob C. White Sr., was a prominent black businessman. His brother, Jacob C. White Jr., co-founded the Philadelphia Pythians basketball team and who became principal of the all-black Roberts Vaux Junior High School. George White was active in the Pennsylvania Equal Rights League, a group that lobbied successfully in

Harrisburg Harrisburg ( ; ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), U.S. commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat, seat of Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, Dauphin County. With a population of 50, ...

for state support for federal civil rights amendments and at the local level for the

integration Integration may refer to: Biology *Multisensory integration *Path integration * Pre-integration complex, viral genetic material used to insert a viral genome into a host genome *DNA integration, by means of site-specific recombinase technology, ...

of Philadelphia's streetcars in 1867. Emilie and George had six children, Jacob C. White (b. 1867), Maria, Emilie (b. 1873), George (b. 1875), Carry (b. 1877), and Julia (b. 1881). In the 1880 census, Emilie's occupation was listed as “housekeeper.” In later years, she donated money to her church and rented a pew under her own name rather than her husband's, an indication of her place in the Black middle class.

Death

Davis died on December 26, 1889, and was buried at

Lebanon Cemetery Lebanon Cemetery was an African-American cemetery in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, established in 1849. It was one of only two private African-American cemeteries in Philadelphia at the time. Lebanon Cemetery was condemned in 1899. The bodies wer ...

, the burial place of

Octavius Catto Octavius Valentine Catto (February 22, 1839 – October 10, 1871) was an American educator, intellectual, and civil rights activist. He became principal of male students at the Institute for Colored Youth, where he had also been educated. Born ...

and other civil rights leaders of her generation. In 1903, she was reinterred to an unmarked grave at Eden Cemetery in

Collingdale, Pennsylvania Collingdale is a borough in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 8,908 at the 2020 census. Local governance The Borough of Collingdale follows a council-manager form of governance. The Borough Council is composed ...

when Lebanon Cemetery closed. Her husband, George White, died on June 1, 1899.

References

External links

*
Emilie Davis Diaries
- Digitized reproductions via the