Letters and Commendations from Her Friends

Washington City, D. C., July, 1879.

Truth is sometimes more strange that fiction, as is most happily illustrated in the remarkable case of Mrs. Maria W. Stewart, the worthy widow of the late James W. Stewart, who did efficient service in the Navy of the United States during the war of 1812. Mrs. Stewart, after an honorable widowhood of nearly fifty years, during which time she has sustained herself by patient, persevering industry, in spite of many adverse circumstances, has now gained a limited competency. For some time past her usefulness has been manifested at the Freedman's Hospital in this District. Last fall Dr. G. S. Palmer, M. D., surgeon in charge of the hospital, gave Mrs. Stewart a letter of introduction to the subscriber, with a request to have an examination made of Mrs. Stewart's claim for pension. The facts and circumstances in her favor at first appeared to be "few and far between;" but by the aid of her retentive memory and by virtue of important documentary and other evidence obtained from Boston and Washington City, D. C., the necessary applications and proof were made to the Pension Office for pension and bounty land; and in March, 1879, a pension of $8 per month was granted to Mrs. Maria W. Stewart, commencing with March 9, 1878; and in due time she will probably be granted a land warrant for one hundred and sixty acres of Government domain. A combination of providential incidents and circumstances seem to have culminated in her favor to bring about such an unexpected and happy result. With prudence and economy the prospects for the "lone widow" are substantially brightened; and by the material aid thus obtained she hopes to be able soon to produce and republish her little volume of religious thoughts, contemplations, and early reminiscences, much of which is connected with her early zealous, devout, and happy experience.

AMOS HUNT,

Notary Public, No. 210 A street N. E.,
Washington City, D. C.

Boston, April 4, 1879.

Mrs. Maria W. Stewart:

Dear Madam: It is seldom, indeed, that two persons, after a separation of forty-six years, are permitted to see each other again in the flesh. It was specially gratifying to me, therefore, to have a visit from you to-day, as for a long period I had entirely lost sight of you, and knew not whether you were living or dead. The sight of you at once carried me back in memory to the very commencement of the anti-slavery movement in this city. You had then not long been married, and were in the flush and promise of a ripening womanhood, with a graceful form and a pleasing countenance. Soon after I started the publication of The Liberator you made yourself known to me by coming into my office and putting into my hands, for criticism and friendly advice, a manuscript embodying your devotional thoughts and aspirations, and also various essays pertaining to the condition of that class with which you were complexionally identified — a class "peeled, meeted out, and trodden under foot." You will recollect, if not the surprise, at least the satisfaction I expressed on examining what you had written — far more remarkable in those early days than it would be now, when there are so many educated persons of color who are able to write with ability. I not only gave you words of encouragement, but in my printing office put your manuscript into type, an edition of which was struck off, in tract form, subject to your order. I was impressed by your intelligence and excellence of character. That was nearly half a century ago. Through what marvellous experiences and changes we have since passed! How many rights and privileges are now accorded to the colored people at the North that were then everywhere denied them! And, though there is still a good deal of complexional prejudice to contend with, the change for the better is so great as to furnish cause for devout thanksgiving. But the marvel of marvels has been the total abolition of the old slave system at the South, and the transformation of its victims into full citizenship. True, their present condition is a very pitiable one, owing to the malignity of their former owners; nevertheless, as compared with what they were and what they had to endure as chattels personal, it is for them a great deliverance. I feel sure that a just God will yet fully vindicate their cause, and pour his retribution upon their cruel persecutors.

Your whole adult life has been devoted to the noble task of educating and elevating your people, sympathizing with them in their affliction, and assisting them in their needs; and, though advanced in years, you are still animated with the spirit of your earlier life, and striving to do what in you lies to succor the outcast, reclaim the wanderer, and lift up the fallen. In this blessed work may you be generously assisted by those to whom you may make your charitable appeals, and who may have the means to give efficiency to your efforts.

Cherishing the same respect for you that I had at the beginning, I remain your friend and well-wisher,

WM. LLOYD GARRISON.

Biographical Sketch

About 1867 I became acquainted with the subject of this sketch in the city of Washington, D. C., a lady exceedingly modest and very retiring in her expression. I at once became deeply interested in her, because there was a quiet sadness and melancholy of expression which, to a close observer, denoted a life of sorrow and disappointment. But soon after I lost sight of her, as she obtained a position under the Government, and by her more than faithful attention to her duties she almost entirely excluded herself from the outside world, and I rarely ever met her, excepting she was going or coming from church or Sabbath-school, or from visiting or gathering in the school poor and destitute children in the neighborhood of the hospital, so they might be taught to fear God and keep His Commandments.

In the month of September, 1878; I called at the Freedmen's Hospital to say farewell to the matron — my friend, Mrs. Stewart; and as a law had recently passed Congress granting pension to the widows of the war of 1812, and her late husband, James W. Stewart, having served four years under Commodores Porter and Decatur, and doing laudable service for the Government, he was honorably discharged in 1815; and as Mrs. Stewart (formerly Miss Miller, of Hartford, Conn.,) had married Mr. Stewart in Boston, where they both resided, she was left a widow in three years and four months after marriage. When I told my friend, Mrs. Stewart, I was coming to Boston she requested of me to do her a favor by investigating her case, and to find if there were persons living who might identify her as the widow of James W. Stewart. I of course promised her I would do all I could when I arrived in Boston, and I did so. One of the first things I did was to find some of the oldest citizens of color in the city of Boston, as Mr. Stewart had been dead forty-nine years. I finally succeeded in finding sufficient evidence from four reliable witnesses, who were personally acquainted with both Mr. and Mrs. Stewart. The witness made oath to the above statement. I had the affidavits made out, and sent them to Washington. She presented her claim to the Department, and it was accepted.

In investigating her case I was startled at the developments made, and at once understood why she carried such a sad, sorrowful, and mysterious countenance. In having occasion to very often visit the different courts I found her husband had been a gentleman of wealth, and left her amply provided for; but the executors literally robbed and cheated her out of every cent; so she was left entirely alone in the world — without mother, father, sister, or brother — in fact, not a living relative in the world to care for her, and with so much amiability and piety of character that she would have suffered wrong rather than defend her rights. She knew there was a will made, but never heard it read, as one of the executors took it out of the house as soon as it was drawn up — which was two days previous to her husband's death. She never knew the contents of her husband's will until 1879, when I myself informed her. It was made on the 15th of December, 1829.

In investigating her case I made frequent visits to the different courts, to find her marriage record and also his death record. I heard there was a will made. I also visited the Probate Court. I asked for the will; it was given to me; and I spent quite a time in reading it over, with surprise and indignation. I cannot express the horror I felt at the great wrong and injustice done the poor, helpless woman, now far advanced in years; but at that time one of the most beautiful and loveliest of women. O, what a shame — what a dreadful shame — for those robbers to so shamefully cheat her out of all that her husband had left her, and to send her away penniless, to combat a heartless world, among strangers. But surely God was good to her and did answer her prayers, as she devoutly prayed to Him for His guidance and protection, and she now blesses His Holy Name for keeping her through these many long years. Immediately after the death of her husband, she wrote and published her book; then went to New York; went to school seven years; then taught school several years; finally went South and did good work in instructing and teaching her unfortunate race. If it had not been for the pension bill that passed, she might have died in ignorance of the existence of her book, as she had not seen a copy of it for over forty years. In my great search to find evidence to identify her as the widow of the late James W. Stewart, I found out a great many marvelous things that would have remained hidden until the end of time. I also found out, from all the old personal friends of Mrs. Stewart, that she was then, as now, a very devout Christian lady, a leader in all good movements and reforms, and had no equal as a lecturer or authoress in her day; and I have no doubt if she could have had the advantages of an early education and an opportunity to have developed her superior intellect, she would have been the equal, if not the superior, of her sisters of the more favorite race. But, as it is, she is really a remarkable person, considering all under which she has labored; and I hope now, as our Heavenly Father has permitted her to live to see the injustice that has been done to her, she may be spared still many years to enjoy life as she never has before; and when life's journey is ended here, she will then receive her reward, for her work has been well and faithfully done on earth, and her summons will be, "Well done, thou good and faithful one; enter into the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation."

LOUISE C. HATTON.

Boston, May 28, 1879.

I have been requested by Mrs. Maria W. Stewart, the author of this little volume, to make mention to its readers the fact of my acquaintance with and my knowledge of her at the time this book was first published. Forty years or more have passed since that event. I was then a mere boy, returning home from Oneida Institute with Henry H. (now the Rev. Dr.) Garnett and Thomas Sidney, my fellow students, where we had been some three years under the instruction of that eminent thinker and preacher, Rev. Beriah Green. I remember very distinctly the great surprise of both my friends and myself at finding in New York a young woman of my own people full of literary aspiration and ambitious of authorship. In those days, that is at the commencement of the anti-slavery enterprise, the desire for learning was almost exclusively confined to colored young men. There were a few young women in New York who thought of these higher things, and it was a surprise to find another added to their number.

Mrs. Stewart came to New York with less of the advantages of education than this small literary circle, but full of the greed for literature and letters. She was then a young widow, and still very much distressed at the loss of her husbAnd, The anguish that occurrence had brought to her caused the outburst of an overwrought soul in these "Meditations and Prayers," which she had published a year or so before. The surprise of the case was that a person who had received but six weeks' schooling, who could not even pen her own thoughts, who had to get a little girl ten years old to write every word of this book — that such a person could compose essays of this kind and give expression to such thoughts and be the author of such a work!

Mrs. Stewart's case excited much interest. She was received with much consideration. Her eagerness for instruction was gladly met by the school teachers of New York, and in the circle of my own acquaintance young women willingly aided her in the study of arithmetic, geography, grammar, and other branches. Ere long she became a member of a "Female Literary Society," and I remember of listening, on more than a few occasions, to some of her compositions and declamations.

From this beginning she advanced to sufficient fitness to become a public school teacher, and served as such in New York and Brooklyn. In 1853 she came South, and has since been engaged in teaching in Baltimore and Washington.

Now in her old days, encouraged thereto by several of her early friends, and especially by William Lloyd Garrison, who was one of her earliest benefactors, Mrs. Stewart has desired to republish these "Meditations." It is a singular fact that only a few months before his death Mr. Garrison was glad to renew his acquaintance with Mrs. Stewart, and very kindly gave her a letter which refers to this volume and the circumstances of its first publication, which were well known to him at that time.

With the hope that this little book may be of service to many souls, and aid as an encouragement to many hopeful and aspiring young spirits among my people, I very gladly commend it to its several readers.

ALEX. CRUMMELL.

I take great pleasure in saying something in behalf of the work done by Mrs. Maria W. Stewart, a woman of great piety and virtue, who came to Washington during the late war, without friends or relatives, to lend a helping hand toward educating her race. She taught Sabbath school for the Church of the Epiphany under the direction of Rev. Dr. Hall, in the morning, and in the afternoon for the Church of the Incarnation, on Twelfth street, and after this for Trinity Parish, on Ridge street, thus gaining many friends among all classes.

In 1871 she opened a Sunday school near the Freedman's Hospital, under the care of the Episcopal Church. Through the influence of Dr. Reyburn she collected the sum of two hundred ($200) dollars, with which she bought a comfortable building, and since then has managed a Sabbath school of seventy-five scholars. At times she has lacked teachers, but whenever an earnest call was made, students from the Howard University have always offered their services to help on the good cause. Too much cannot be said in praise of this excellent woman. The aim of her life is to promote the glory of God and the welfare of men.

Yours for the cause's sake,

WM. B. JEFFERSON.
Pastor of Third Baptist Church.

I have been requested to state what I know about the work done by Mrs. Maria W. Stewart in behalf of her race in this city during the war and since that time. I became personally acquainted with her in 1863, when she first came to work in our midst. She organized a school and succeeded in interesting the people in the great work of educating their children. I know how hard she labored to establish this school. My own children were among her first scholars. In a short time the people of this District decided to start an independent free school. A meeting was called and a committee, of which I was a member, was appointed. We then persuaded Mrs. Stewart to combine her school with the free school, and to use all of her influence in keeping up a free District school. She labored for a few months in this school, but being an Episcopalian, and this denomination not being favorable to free schools, we concluded to dismiss her unless she would agree to forsake her denomination. This she refused to do, and the result was she was discharged. However, she soon organized a pay school, and many persons like myself preferred to pay for their children's instruction, and thus have them taught by Mrs. Stewart. Through much suffering and great labor she succeeded in building up her private school. I have seen her going through the streets in the dead of winter looking up the little children who should be attending school; and whether their parents could pay or not, she was perfectly willing to give her time and strength in teaching them.

Her work in the District of Columbia among her people has made me consider her a "true teacher in Israel," because after laboring in the school-room all the week she considered it her duty to do something more in the way of education. She made out of her day school a general Sabbath school, that she might teach the children the wisdom of repentance, and also a knowledge of Him "who is the giver of every good and perfect gift."

Mrs. Stewart has done a great work here. Truly can we say of her that she "went about doing good." And she justly merits all the praise which has been bestowed upon her, because she has always highly sustained her dignity, both spiritual and moral, as an earnest and conscientious Christian worker.

Most respectfully,

HENRY BAILEY,
Pastor of Abyssinian Baptist Church.