Phebe Ann Jacobs, a Morris County Slave

To honor Black History Month, many high school students throughout the country are reading Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe. This book, published in 1852, became the second-best-selling book in the country during the 19th century. It was bested only by the Bible. Its popularity forced the issue of slavery to the forefront of American politics, and the abolitionist movement quickly increased momentum in the nine years between the book’s publication and the outbreak of the Civil War. One hundred and sixty-two years later, Uncle Tom’s Cabin remains a timeless record of the trials and tribulations of a human being enslaved.

Harriet Beecher Stowe was inspired by a variety of sources when she wrote Uncle Tom’s Cabin, one of which was born and raised in Morris County. Phebe Ann Jacobs was born at Beverwyck Farm, in present-day Parsippany-Troy Hills. When Phebe was born, in 1785, Beverwyck was a plentiful plantation that relied on slave labor, and slaves were brought from the Danish West Indies by Beverwyck’s original owner, General Lucas von Beverhoudt. Phebe left Beverwyck and was given to Maria Malleville at a very young age. Maria was the daughter of the president of Dartmouth College and later became of the wife of the president of Bowdoin College. After her marriage, Maria, with Phebe, moved to Brunswick, Maine, in 1820.

In Brunswick, Phebe was an active member of the religious scene and soon met Phebe Upham, who was to write Phebe Ann Jacobs’ biography, Narrative of Phebe Ann Jacobs. Mrs. Upham was good friends with Harriet Beecher Stowe, and it is believed that a handful of the scenes in Uncle Tom’s Cabin were modeled after the stories recounted in Narrative of Phebe Ann Jacobs. Unfortunately, Maria died in 1828 and her husband, William Allen, left Maine in 1839. From 1839 until her death on February 28, 1850, Phebe Ann Jacobs lived as a free and independent woman in Brunswick, ME.

Phebe was not only very active at her local church, she also led prayer meetings and religious discussions. As a Black woman who led white women in prayer and service, Phebe was able to break new ground and inspire an abolitionist spirit among the women with whom she worshiped. Upon her death, Phebe’s funeral was attended by the highest echelons of Brunswick society, and her old masters, the Allen family, returned to Brunswick from over 200 miles away in order to pay their last respects to their faithful servant.

For more information on Phebe Ann Jacobs, please visit The Pine Grove Cemetery of Brunswick Maine Blog and the Narrative of Phebe Ann Jacobs Summary, written by Jenn Williamson for the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. More information on the Beverwyck Plantation can be found at NJ’s Department of Environmental Protection and The President’s House in Philadelphia’s “Digs Unearth Slave Plantations in North,” written by Mike Toner for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The Morris County Historical Society houses various donated items from the “Beverwyck”/Condict Estate, including a leather screen on display in our dining room. Acorn Hall is open for tours Sunday from 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm and Wednesdays and Thursdays from 11:00 am to 4:00 pm.