On this Day In Black History Jan 19 - Mason, Bridget "Biddy"

Mason, Bridget "Biddy" (1818 - 1891)

Bridget “Biddy” Mason, born a slave in Mississippi in 1818, achieved financial success that enabled her to support her extended family for generations despite the fact that she was illiterate. In a landmark case she sued her master for their freedom, saved her earnings, invested in real estate, and became a well-known philanthropist in Los Angeles, California.

Although born in Mississippi, Mason was owned by slaveholders in Georgia and South Carolina before she was returned to Mississippi. Her last owner, Robert Marion Smith, a Mississippi Mormon convert, followed the call of church leaders to settle in the West.

READ MORE: On this Day In Black History Jan 19 - Mason, Bridget "Biddy"
https://www.blackfacts.com/fact/mason-brid...