Mumbet Past Comments

Subject: thank you
Date: Thu, 11 Mar 1999
From: “Barry Collum”

I just wanted to thank you for creating the Mumbet page. Im doing school research, and found hardly anything on Elizabeth Freeman except for your site, and links from it! Thanks Again.

From: “Barry Collum”
Subject: me again.
Date: Mon, Mar 29, 1999, 6:50 PM

Just wanted to really let you know that I REALLY appreciate this site of yours. -Collum

Reply from the webmaster
Date: March 29, 1999

Dear Barry, You are welcome. I posted your last comment on mumbet.com in the comments section. You are the lone comment. I appreciated your comment very much.

From: “Walter Schirmer”
To: webmaster
Subject: Additional information

Date: Wed, Apr 14, 1999, 3:18 PM

I have extensively searched the Web and am grateful for your information. Elizabeth “Mumbet” Freeman isn’t mentioned on most of the “Black” sites I tried, but I’ve managed to build a “net” of connections. Let me know if you’re interested. Thanks again for posting!

Reply from the webmaster
I’m interested.

From: swpub
To: webmaster
Subject: mumbet
Date: Mon, Oct 11, 1999, 5:11 PM

Dear Brady Barrows:

I’ve found your website on Mumbet very helpful (and inspiring). I am writing a book for John Wiley & Sons that features biographical sketches of about 14 extraordinary colonial women — she, of course, is one of them. (I had only seen brief notations about her in a women’s history book, and was happy to see her name in cyber-lights.) I’m trying to locate an address, number or e-mail address for the Masssachusetts Historical Society, so that I can request permission to use the wonderful oil painting of Mumbet. For some reason it’s available via long-distance info — and can’t find on web. If you have that and don’t mind sharing, I’d be grateful. If not, don’t worry. I’ll find it. Mostly I wanted to say congratulations on a terrific site! Mary R. Furbee

Dear Mary R. Furbee:

Glad you enjoyed the site. It is about time that someone else places Mumbet in history. The Massachusetts Historical Society is in Boston. There is a link on my web page to their web site. It is masshist.org. You can see an enlarged image of the 1811 watercolor of Mumbet on my web site. I had to get permission from MHS to use it and pay a fee. Her image is being used on some other web sites without permission. Much success with your book. I would be interested in knowing more about it when published. —BB

From: swpub
To: “Brady Barrows” < brady@mumbet.com>
Subject: mumbet
Date: Fri, Oct 22, 1999, 1:02 PM

Dear Brady: Do you happen to have any idea what Mumbett’s daughter’s name was, and if she went with her to the Sheffields? Do you happen to know what happened to Brom? Thanks much, Mary R. Furbee, Writer & Instructor, 1 Bryson Street, Morgantown, WV 26505

Reply From: webmaster
Date: Oct. 23. 1999
Mary R. Furbee: Two very good questions which I have wondered about. I am still looking into it myself. If you find out, let me know. —Brady

[In Mumbet’s Will she mentions the name of her daughter as Elizabeth]

Reply From:swpub
Date: Oct. 23. 1999

Sure thing, MRF

From: Mmse44
To: webmaster
Date: Wed, Jan 5, 2000, 11:54 PM

Dear Website,

Why was the bracelet so important to mumbet? I liked your website because it is cool and interesring. I couldn’t find any other website on Mumbet. your friendly reasearcher, Sara

Date: Jan.7, 2000

Sara: All I know is that the bracelet was originally a necklace which was given to Mumbet pictured in the 1811 watercolor that she is wearing. Catherine Sedgewick had the necklace made into the bracelet and the Mass. Historical Society has possession of the bracelet. There are links to Mumbet on my website which you can refer and many articles which you can look up.

Brady Barrows

From: “Mary Wilds”
To:
Subject: col/mumbet book
Date: Sat, 23 Jun 2001

Hi, I thought the books on colonial and frontier women of America below might be of interest. Elizabeth Freeman has her own chapter! Thanks much. MRF

— They were puritan preachers,eastern aristocrats, native chiefs, and backwoods settlers. They were English, Scottish, African and Indian. They were rich, poor, slave and free. They were committed to a rebel cause — or loyal to a distant king.

Outrageous Women of Colonial America by Mary Furbee of Morgantown, West Virginia, features several remarkable founding mothers from throughout the 13 colonies. Published by John Wiley & Sons, the paperback book is geared

for children age 10-15 and was released in March.

Shawnee Capitive: The Story of Mary Ingles, a second book by Furbee, has also been released by Morgan Reynolds Publishing of North Carolina. The book features a western Virginia woman captured by the Shawnee during the French and Indian War, who made a dramatic journey back home,by foot in winter. The Ingles book is the first release in a series of forthcoming hardback

biographies of frontier appalachian women for children ages 8-12. Other books in the series will profile Nancy Ward, beloved woman of the Cherokee, and Anne Bailey, a frontier scout on early western frontier.

Outrageous Women of Colonial America features 14 women of diverse regions, races, professions and backgrounds.Some of the featured women, for example First Lady Abigail Adams and religious dissident Anne Hutchinson, are well-known historical figures.

Others profiled are comparatively obsure, for example the Wampanoag chief Weetamoo of New England who led her tribe in battle against encroaching white settlers, Anne Bailey a female scout on thewestern Virginia frontier during the “Indian Wars,” Esther Reed, a

Philadelphia-based fundraiser for the Americans, and the Loyalist Peggy Arnold, as much a spy as her notorious husband, Benedict.

Furbee is a clinical instructor and public-relations specialist at the West Virginia University School of Journalism, and this is her fourth

children’s book. Her other books include Women of the American Revolution (Lucent) and her forthcoming books include Anne Bailey: Frontier Scout (Morgan Reynolds); Wild Rose: the Story of Nancy Ward (Morgan Reynolds); and

Outrageous Women of the American Frontier (John Wiley).

FOR MORE INFO CONTACT THE PUBLISHERS (wiley.com; morganreynolds.com; lucentbooks.com)

OR CONTACT THE AUTHOR:

Mary Rodd Furbee, WVU Clinical Instructor/Author
112 Martin Hall, School of Journalism
West Virginia University

From: “Ann-Elizabeth Barnes”
To: webmaster
Subject: Mumbet
Date: Fri, 6 Jul 2001

I live in South Egremont and recently began giving tours of the Col. Ashley House and of course discovered for the first time the story of Mumbet. I am fascinated by her story, her courage, her sense of self, her intelligence and feel her time has come. She is a wonderful role model for children. My children who went to school here in Berkshire County never heard of her and I feel a real opportunity was lost in not connecting them to someone as important as Mumbet who actually lived in their home town! So, I would like to get together with you as my passion has become Mumbet and I also would like to create a made for TV movie about her life and times. My own Great great great great grandfather was Aaron Root who was a frequent visitor to Col. Ashley’s House and a fellow Selectman and crafter of the Sheffield Declaration and no doubt an admirer of Mumbet and her courage and wisdom! My number is below and I have yours from the website! May this be the beginning of a successful bringing to the world the word of Mumbet!

In common striving!

Ann-Elizabeth

Brady Barrows responded:

Dear Ann-Elizabeth Root-Barnes-Meyers:

Thanks for your email. What do you have in mind?

From: “Ann-Elizabeth Barnes”
To: “Brady Barrows”
Subject: Re: Mumbet
Date: Fri, 6 Jul 2001

You might well ask. I have no idea except that Cady Landa said that you had written a script and were looking for ways to get the word out and I thought two heads might be better than one? You live in Housatonic, I in Egremont so it wouldn’t be too much effort!

Ann-Elizabeth Root-Barnes-Meyers

Brady Barrows responded:

Dear Ann-Elizabeth Root-Barnes-Meyers:

This could be interesting. I just recently moved into Great Barrington. I kept the Housatonic number which forwards to my new number.

A screenplay is my next project but I am slow, but there is no hurry since Mumbet has been a Berkshire secret since 1781. The internet may change this. Were you thinking of producing this yourself, or what? There is enough talent in the area to accomplish it, but would take a lot of time, energy and money. It could be shot with digital video.

Do you work for metalogica.com? Very impressive site.

Brady
From: “Ann-Elizabeth Barnes”

To: “Brady Barrows”
Subject: Re: Mumbet on TV?
Date: Sat, 7 Jul 2001

I am an inspired neophyte who sees the potential of the Mumbet story. I would like to be part of a team that strategizes getting her story out. I could play any number of roles. Did you do the Mumbet website? My husband worked for Metalogica and now we use them as our hosting service. Joel Goodman, the proprietor, does webdesign as well as hosting and a multitude of other stuff. I am off to work at the 18th Century Day celebration in Sheffield, always looking for more background on Mumbet to give her context and create a whole picture of her life and times

Thanks for getting back to me

AEB

Brady Barrows Responded:

Yes I made the Mumbet site and hopefully it will make Mumbet famous.

From: “Booth, Roger”
To: webmaster
Subject: Mumbet Translation
Date: Fri, 22 Mar 2002 10:57:06 -0500

Dear Sir/Madam;

I am an Englishman living in Massachusetts, who has just stumbled across the Mumbet.com website and the fascinating story of Elizabeth Freeman.

When I looked at the transcript, I noticed one word near the end that had not been deciphered. This is the phrase in question “John Ashley Jun. Esq. Recognizes with [s***ties] as the law Directs…”. I have no access to the original documentation, but I would hazard a strong guess that the missing word is ‘sureties’. This fits the number of letters and the contextual meaning of the document.

Please let me know if you have any questions,

Roger Booth

Brady Barrows responded:
thanks, I will note your correction/addition on a revision.

From: “Will Garrison”
To: webmaster
Subject: Mumbet stamp
Date: Wed, 27 Mar 2002 11:29:54 -0500

Brady Barrows:

We met briefly at Mary Wilds’ lecture at Sheffield last summer. I enjoyed looking through your website. I’m writing to ask if it’s all right with you for me to post a request on the comments page. The request is for anyone interested in Mumbet to write to the U.S. Postal Service. Prompted by the Col. Ashley House advisory committee, I’m submitting Elizabeth Freeman as a subject for a U.S. Postal Service stamp. It’s a long process, largely done in secret (the Postal Service does not respond to submissions, one only knows of success when stamps arrive at local post office). The more folks who write in, the better. I attach the copy of the letter I sent to the Citizen’s Stamp Advisory Committee, c/o Stamp Development, U.S. Postal Service. I have permission from the Massachusetts Historical Society to use the painting of Mumbet.

Thanks!

Will Garrison, Historic Resources Manager
The Trustees of Reservations
Stockbridge, Massachusetts
www.thetrustees.org

Brady Barrows responded:

will do.
[Mumbet on a Stamp]

From: “Freeman, Elizabeth”
To: webmaster
Subject: MUMBET
Date: Tue, 23 Jul 2002 11:39:33 -0500

HI, MY NAME IS ALSO ELIZABETH FREEMAN. AND THERE WAS A TIME WHEN I DID NOT LIKE OR APPRECIATE MY NAME BECAUSE IT WAS NOT CULTURAL ENOUGH. AS I VENTURED INTO A BOOK TITLED “AFRICANS IN AMERICA”, I LEARNED OF MUMBET AND SEVERAL OTHER “HEROES” IF I MUST SAY. AFTER LEARNING ABOUT MUMBET, I THANKED MY PARENTS FOR GIVING ME MY NAME. ORIGINALLY, I WAS BORN ELIZABETH ANNE BALDWIN AND MARRIED INTO FREEMAN. THERE WAS A TIME WHEN I WAS GOING TO LEGALLY CHANGE MY NAME BUT FOR THE SAKE OF MOM, I DID NOT. AFTERN LEARNNG OF MUMBET, I IMMEDIATELY FELT THAT I WAS DESTINED TO BECOME ELIZABETH FREEMAN; AS I AM AN ADVOCATE OF HUMAN EQUALITY AND EQUAL RIGHTS; AND VOICE MY OPINIONS STRONGLY IN MY POETRY.

I WAS SURPRISED TO COME UPON THIS SITE AS I PLUGGED ELIZABETH FREEMAN INTO THE SEARCH ENGINES. AND I THOROUGHLY ENJOYED YOUR SITE AND NOTE THAT ITS ABOUT TIME WE LEARNED OF OTHER HEROES BESIDES MALCOLM, MARTIN, FREDERICK, HARRIET AND MARCUS. I WILL CONTINUALLY SEARCH FOR MORE INFORMATION ON MUMBET AND OTHER AFRICAN-AMERICAN HEROES THAT WE SO DESPERATELY NEED TO KNOW ABOUT.

KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK!

PEACE!

ELIZABETH “L.A.” FREEMAN

Brady Barrows Responded:

Dear Ms Freeman,

Your message is posted on the world wide web on my site.

From: “Andrea Doremus Cuetara” < adoremus@rcn.com>
To: webmaster
Subject: postage stamp
Date: Thu, 1 Aug 2002 23:28:54 -0400

Oh, I just love the idea of an Elizabeth Freeman postage stamp and will follow Will Garrison’s suggestions for action!! Hope everyone does. That’s great that he already got the MHS permission to use the painting.

Thanks for all your continued work.
Andrea Doremus Cuetara