Martha (Edmonson) Pennington (abt. 1820 - aft. 1910)

Born about 1820 in Montgomery, Maryland, United States

Biography

Martha (Edmonson) Pennington is a part of US Black heritage.

Martha was born about 1820 (very rough estimate) in Montgomery County, Maryland. Her father Paul Edmonson was a free black man, but her mother Amelia was a slave and by the laws of the land at that time Elizabeth too was property of Amelia's owner, Rebecca Culver. Martha was able to buy her freedom from Rebecca's trustee, her brother-in-law Francis Valdenar, sometime prior to her first marriage to Edward Young. ^[1]

Six of Elizabeth's younger siblings were part of the failed slave escape attempt in 1848 on the ship the "Pearl", a famous incident on which later Harriett Beecher Stowe was said to base her "Uncle Tom's Cabin" story.

Along with her sister Elizabeth and brother-in-law John Brent, Martha was a founding member of the John Wesley A.M.E. Zion church in Washington, DC in 1849. ^[2] She established the Woman's Aid Society, which raised most of the money needed for the first church building. ^[3]

According to a nephew, John H Paynter, in ^[4] Martha was first married to an Edward Young and had one son Edward, then married a Mr. Pennington. There is a marriage record for a Martha Edmonson to a Levi Pennington on 27 Nov 1861 in Washington, DC. ^[5]

In 1870 Martha and Levi are living in the District of Columbia.^[6]

In 1902 Martha is mentioned as attending a new church cornerstone laying for the John Wesley A.M.E. Zion Church, noting she is one of the three surviving church founders, all over 75 years .^[7]

Martha Pennington is mentioned as a surviving sister to Eveline Ingram (along with another sister Louise Joy) in Eveline's death notice in 1910. ^[8]

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Slave Owners

• William Henry Culver (-1826)
• Rebecca Culver (abt.1785-aft.1860)

Sources

1. ↑ Maryland State Archives Biography of Francis Valdenar
2. ↑ Congressional Record 5 May 1999 honoring 150 years of John Wesley A.M.E. Zion Church
3. ↑ "Escape on the Pearl", by Mary Kay Ricks, Harper Collins. 2009.
4. ↑ "The Fugitives of the Pearl", John H. Paynter, The Journal of Negro History, Jun 1916, Vo1 1, No 3, p. 243-264 Online Copy
5. ↑ Ancestry.com. Washington, D.C., U.S., Marriage Records, 1810-1953 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2016. Film 002079252. Original data: Marriage Records. District of Columbia Marriages. Clerk of the Superior Court, Records Office, Washington D.C.
6. ↑ 1870 US Census, Martha Pennington, age 50, bp Maryland, occupation domestic, with inferred husband Levin, 2 other adults, Year: 1870; Census Place: Washington Ward 1, Washington, District of Columbia; Roll: M593_123; Page: 46A. Ancestry.com. 1870 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2009
7. ↑ Evening Star, District of Columbia, 18 Aug 1902, Mon, p. 12. Church Cornerstone Laying attended by 3 surviving members of church founders: Mrs Evaline Inghram, Mrs. Martha Pennington, and Mrs. Cordelia Smith, each of these being over 75 years old Free Clipping
8. ↑ Death Notice for Eveline Ingram, Evening Star, Washington, DC 10 Apr 1910, Sun, p. 5 [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/80086552/death-notice-for-eveline-edmonson-ingr/ Free Clipping

• Death Notice for husband Levi Pennington, d. 28 May 1903, beloved husband of Martha E Pennington, funeral at John Wesley Church. Evening Star, District of Columbia, 30 May 1903, Sat, p. 5. Free Clipping