In 1861, Harriet Ann Jacobs published a masterpiece, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl. Her book is the first and only narrative to give voice to a woman who escaped slavery. Cornelia Grinnell Willis not only purchased Harriet’s freedom, but she also developed a bond with Harriet and her daughter, Louisa, that lasted a lifetime. Both women suffered trauma as children and miraculously survived. They also had close ties to New Bedford that have not been examined previously. Cornelia married Nathaniel Parker Willis, considered an American Dickens during his lifetime though largely forgotten today. Join author and local historian Peggi Medeiros as she traces the fascinating lives of the Jacobs, Grinnell and Willis families in and out of New Bedford.
Peggi Medeiros is a historian specializing in New Bedford history. Her first book, New Bedford Mansions: Historic Tales of County Street, focused on what the money raised from whaling created in the city—grand mansions and public buildings, as well as nurtured artists like Albert Bierstadt and John James Audubon. She likes to joke that it is possible to connect anything to New Bedford. Her one failure was Alexander Hamilton; however, church bells were rung when he died. She lectured frequently on New Bedford history and is the secretary of the Dartmouth Heritage Preservation Trust. The trust oversees the 1762 Akin House in Dartmouth.