,,memoir                                
,,of                              ,,old 
,,elizabeth1                            
,a                                      
,,coloured ,,woman4         99       99 
99       99       99    ,there is       
neither ,jew nor ,greek1 there is       
neither bond nor free1 there   is       
neither male nor female1 for ye are all 
one in ,christ ,jesus4                  
,,gal4 iii4 #be4         99       99    
99       99       99                    
,,philadelphia3                         
,,collins1 ,,printer1 #gje ,,jayne      
,,street4                               
#ahfc4     ,,memoir1 ,c4      ,in the   
following ,narrative of ,old ,elizabeth1
 which     was taken mainly from her own
 lips in her #igth year1 her     simple 
language has been adhered to as strictly
 as was     consistent with perspicuity 
and propriety4   ,i was born in         
,maryland in the year #agff4 ,my parents
 were slaves4 ,both my father and mother
 were religious people1 and belonged to 

the ,methodist ,society4 ,it was my     
father's practice to read in the ,bible 
aloud to his children every sabbath     
morning4 ,at these seasons1 when ,i was 
but five years old1 ,i often felt the   
overshadowing of the ,lord's ,spirit1   
without at all understanding what it    
meant2 and these incomes and influences 
continued to attend me until ,i was     
eleven years old1 particularly when ,i  
was alone1 by which ,i was preserved    
from doing anything that ,i thought was 
wrong4  ,in the eleventh year of my age1
 my master sent me to another farm1     
several miles from my parents1 brothers1
 and sisters1 which was a great trouble 
to me4 ,at last ,i grew so lonely and   
sad ,i thought ,i should die1 if ,i did 
not see my mother4 ,i asked the overseer
 if ,i might go1 but being positively   
denied1 ,i concluded to go without his  
knowledge4 ,when ,i reached home my     
mother was away4 ,i set off and walked  
twenty miles before ,i found her4 ,i    
staid with her for several days1 and we 

returned together4 ,next day ,i was sent
 back to my new place1 which renewed my 
sorrow4 ,at parting1 my mother told me  
that ,i had nobody in the wide world to 
look to but ,god4 ,these words fell upon
 my heart with ponderous weight1 and    
seemed to add to my grief4 ,i went back 
repeating as ,i went1 none but ,god in  
the wide world4 ,on reaching the farm1  
,i found the overseer was displeased at 
me for going without his liberty4 ,he   
tied me with a rope1 and gave me some   
stripes of which ,i carried the marks   
for weeks4  ,after this time1 finding as
 my mother said1 ,i had none in the     
world to look to but ,god1 ,i betook    
myself to prayer1 and in every lonely   
place ,i found an altar4 ,i mourned sore
 like a dove and chattered forth my     
sorrow1 moaning in the corners of the   
field1 and under the fences4  ,i        
continued in this state for about six   
months1 feeling as though my head were  
waters1 and ,i could do nothing but     
weep4 ,i lost my appetite1 and not being

 able to take enough food to sustain    
nature1 ,i became so weak ,i had but    
little strength to work2 still ,i was   
required to do all my duty4 ,one        
evening1 after the duties of the day    
were ended1 ,i thought ,i could not live
 over the night1 so threw myself on a   
bench1 expecting to die1 and without    
being prepared to meet my ,maker2 and my
 spirit cried within me1 must ,i die in 
this state1 and be banished from ,thy   
presence forever8 ,i own ,i am a sinner 
in ,thy sight1 and not fit to live where
 thou art4 ,still it was my fervent     
desire that the ,lord would pardon me4  
,just at this season1 ,i saw with my    
spiritual eye1 an awful gulf of misery4 
,as ,i thought ,i was about to plunge   
into it1 ,i heard a voice saying1 rise  
up and pray1 which strengthened me4 ,i  
fell on my knees and prayed the best ,i 
could the ,lord's prayer4 ,knowing no   
more to say1 ,i halted1 but continued on
 my knees4 ,my spirit was then taught to
 pray1 ,lord1 have mercy on me--,christ 

save me4 ,immediately there appeared a  
director1 clothed in white raiment4 ,i  
thought he took me by the hand and said1
 come with me4 ,he led me down a long   
journey to a fiery gulf1 and left me    
standing upon the brink of this awful   
pit4 ,i began to scream for mercy1      
thinking ,i was about to be plunged to  
the belly of hell1 and believed ,i      
should sink to endless ruin4 ,although  
,i prayed and wrestled with all my      
might1 it seemed in vain4 ,still1 ,i    
felt all the while that ,i was sustained
 by some invisible power4 ,at this      
solemn moment1 ,i thought ,i saw a hand 
from which hung1 as it were1 a silver   
hair1 and a voice told me that all the  
hope ,i had of being saved was no more  
than a hair2 still1 pray1 and it will be
 sufficient4 ,i then renewed my         
struggle1 crying for mercy and          
salvation1 until ,i found that every cry
 raised me higher and higher1 and my    
head was quite above the fiery pillars4 
,then ,i thought ,i was permitted to    

look straight forward1 and saw the      
,saviour standing with ,his hand        
stretched out to receive me4 ,an        
indescribably glorious light was in     
,him1 and ,he said1 peace1 peace1 come  
unto me4 ,at this moment ,i felt that my
 sins were forgiven me1 and the time of 
my deliverance was at hand4 ,i sprang   
forward and fell at his feet1 giving    
,him all the thanks and highest praises1
 crying1 ,thou hast redeemed me--,thou  
hast redeemed me to thyself4 ,i felt    
filled with light and love4 ,at this    
moment ,i thought my former guide took  
me again by the hand and led me upward1 
till ,i came to the celestial world and 
to heaven's door1 which ,i saw was open1
 and while ,i stood there1 a power      
surrounded me which drew me in1 and ,i  
saw millions of glorified spirits in    
white robes4 ,after ,i had this view1 ,i
 thought ,i heard a voice saying1 ,art  
thou willing to be saved8 ,i said1 ,yes 
,lord4 ,again ,i was asked1 ,art thou   
willing to be saved in my way8 ,i stood 

speechless until he asked me again1 ,art
 thou willing to be saved in my way8    
,then ,i heard a whispering voice say1  
,if thou art not saved in the ,lord's   
way1 thou canst not be saved at all2 at 
which ,i exclaimed1 ,yes ,lord1 in thy  
own way4 ,immediately a light fell upon 
my head1 and ,i was filled with light1  
and ,i was shown the world lying in     
wickedness1 and was told ,i must go     
there1 and call the people to           
repentance1 for the day of the ,lord was
 at hand2 and this message was as a     
heavy yoke upon me1 so that ,i wept     
bitterly at the thought of what ,i      
should have to pass through4 ,while ,i  
wept1 ,i heard a voice say1 weep not1   
some will laugh at thee1 some will scoff
 at thee1 and the dogs will bark at     
thee1 but while thou doest my will1 ,i  
will be with thee to the ends of the    
earth4  ,i was at this time not yet     
thirteen years old4 ,the next day1 when 
,i had come to myself1 ,i felt like a   
new creature in ,christ1 and all my     

desire was to see the ,saviour4  ,i     
lived in a place where there was no     
preaching1 and no religious instruction2
 but every day ,i went out amongst the  
hay-stacks1 where the presence of the   
,lord overshadowed me1 and ,i was filled
 with sweetness and joy1 and was as a   
vessel filled with holy oil4 ,in this   
way ,i continued for about a year2 many 
times while my hands were at my work1 my
 spirit was carried away to spiritual   
things4 ,one day as ,i was going to my  
old place behind the hay-stacks to pray1
 ,i was assailed with this language1    
,are you going there to weep and pray8  
what a fool6 there are older professors 
than you are1 and they do not take that 
way to get to heaven2 people whose sins 
are forgiven ought to be joyful and     
lively1 and not be struggling and       
praying4 ,with this ,i halted and       
concluded ,i would not go1 but do as    
other professors did1 and so went off to
 play2 but at this moment the light that
 was in me became darkened1 and the     

peace and joy that ,i once had1 departed
 from me4  ,about this time ,i was moved
 back to the farm where my mother lived1
 and then sold to a stranger4 ,here ,i  
had deep sorrows and plungings1 not     
having experienced a return of that     
sweet evidence and light with which ,i  
had been favoured formerly2 but by      
watching unto prayer1 and wrestling     
mightily with the ,lord1 my peace       
gradually returned1 and with it a great 
exercise and weight upon my heart for   
the salvation of my fellow-creatures2   
and ,i was often carried to distant     
lands and shown places where ,i should  
have to travel and deliver the ,lord's  
message4 ,years afterwards1 ,i found    
myself visiting those towns and         
countries that ,i had seen in the light 
as ,i sat at home at my sewing1--places 
of which ,i had never heard4  ,some     
years from this time ,i was sold to a   
,presbyterian for a term of years1 as he
 did not think it right to hold slaves  
for life4 ,having served him faithfully 

my time out1 he gave me my liberty1     
which was about the thirtieth year of my
 age4  ,as ,i now lived in a            
neighborhood where ,i could attend      
religious meetings1 occasionally ,i felt
 moved to speak a few words therein2 but
 ,i shrank from it--so great was the    
cross to my nature4  ,i did not speak   
much till ,i had reached my forty-second
 year1 when it was revealed to me that  
the message which had been given to me  
,i had not yet delivered1 and the time  
had come4 ,as ,i could read but little1 
,i questioned within myself how it would
 be possible for me to deliver the      
message1 when ,i did not understand the 
,scriptures4 ,whereupon ,i was moved to 
open a ,bible that was near me1 which ,i
 did1 and my eyes fell upon this        
passage1 ,gird up thy loins now like a  
man1 and answer thou me4 ,obey ,god     
rather than man1 c4 ,here ,i fell into a
 great exercise of spirit1 and was      
plunged very low4 ,i went from one      
religious professor to another1         

enquiring of them what ailed me2 but of 
all these ,i could find none who could  
throw any light upon such impressions4  
,they all told me there was nothing in  
,scripture that would sanction such     
exercises4 ,it was hard for men to      
travel1 and what would women do8 ,these 
things greatly discouraged me1 and shut 
up my way1 and caused me to resist the  
,spirit4 ,after going to all that were  
accounted pious1 and receiving no help1 
,i returned to the ,lord1 feeling that  
,i was nothing1 and knew nothing1 and   
wrestled and prayed to the ,lord that   
,he would fully reveal ,his will1 and   
make the way plain4  ,whilst ,i thus    
struggled1 there seemed a light from    
heaven to fall upon me1 which banished  
all my desponding fears1 and ,i was     
enabled to form a new resolution to go  
on to prison and to death1 if it might  
be my portion3 and the ,lord showed me  
that it was ,his will ,i should be      
resigned to die any death that might be 
my lot1 in carrying his message1 and be 

entirely crucified to the world1 and    
sacrifice all to ,his glory that was    
then in my possession1 which ,his       
witnesses1 the holy ,apostles1 had done 
before me4 ,it was then revealed to me  
that the ,lord had given me the evidence
 of a clean heart1 in which ,i could    
rejoice day and night1 and ,i walked and
 talked with ,god1 and my soul was      
illuminated with heavenly light1 and ,i 
knew nothing but ,jesus ,christ1 and him
 crucified4  ,one day1 after these      
things1 while ,i was at my work1 the    
,spirit directed me to go to a poor     
widow1 and ask her if ,i might have a   
meeting at her house1 which was situated
 in one of the lowest and worst streets 
in ,baltimore4 ,with great joy she gave 
notice1 and at the time appointed ,i    
appeared there among a few coloured     
sisters4 ,when they had all prayed1 they
 called upon me to close the meeting1   
and ,i felt an impression that ,i must  
say a few words2 and while ,i was       
speaking1 the house seemed filled with  

light2 and when ,i was about to close   
the meeting1 and was kneeling1 a man    
came in and stood till ,i arose4 ,it    
proved to be a watchman4 ,the sisters   
became so frightened1 they all went away
 except the one who lived in the house1 
and an old woman2 they both appeared to 
be much frightened1 fearing they should 
receive some personal injury1 or be put 
out of the house4 ,a feeling of weakness
 came over me for a short time1 but ,i  
soon grew warm and courageous in the    
,spirit4 ,the man then said to me1 ,i   
was sent here to break up your meeting4 
,complaint has been made to me that the 
people round here cannot sleep for the  
racket4 ,i replied1 a good racket is    
better than a bad racket4 ,how do they  
rest when the ungodly are dancing and   
fiddling till midnight8 ,why are not    
they molested by the watchmen8 and why  
should we be for praising ,god1 our     
,maker8 ,are we worthy of greater       
punishment for praying to ,him8 and are 
we to be prohibited from doing so1 that 

sinners may remain slumbering in their  
sins8 ,while speaking these few words ,i
 grew warm with heavenly zeal1 and laid 
my hand upon him and addressed him with 
gospel truth1 how do sinners sleep in   
hell1 after slumbering in their sins    
here1 and crying1 'let me rest1 let me  
rest1' while sporting on the very brink 
of hell8 ,is the cause of ,god to be    
destroyed for this purpose8 ,speaking   
several words more to this amount1 he   
turned pale and trembled1 and begged my 
pardon1 acknowledging that it was not   
his wish to interrupt us1 and that he   
would never disturb a religious assembly
 again4 ,he then took leave of me in a  
comely manner and wished us success4    
,after he was gone1 ,i turned to the old
 sisters who by this time were quite    
cheered up4 ,you see1 said ,i1 if the   
sisters had not fled1 what a victory we 
might have had on the ,lord's side2 for 
the man seemed ready to give up under   
conviction4 ,if it had not been for     
their cowardice1 we might have all bowed

 in prayer1 and a shout of victory had  
been heard amongst us4  ,our meeting    
gave great offence1 and we were forbid  
holding any more assemblies4 ,even the  
elders of our meeting joined with the   
wicked people1 and said such meetings   
must be stopped1 and that woman quieted4
 ,but ,i was not afraid of any of them1 
and continued to go1 and burnt with a   
zeal not my own4 ,the old sisters were  
zealous sometimes1 and at other times   
would sink under the cross4 ,thus they  
grew cold1 at which ,i was much grieved4
 ,i proposed to them to ask the elders  
to send a brother1 which was concluded  
upon4  ,we went on for several years1   
and the ,lord was with us with great    
power it proved1 to the conversion of   
many souls1 and we continued to grow    
stronger4  ,i felt at times that ,i must
 exercise in the ministry1 but when ,i  
rose upon my feet ,i felt ashamed1 and  
so ,i went under a cloud for some time1 
and endeavoured to keep silence2 but ,i 
could not quench the ,spirit4 ,i was    

rejected by the elders and rulers1 as   
,christ was rejected by the ,jews before
 me1 and while others were excused in   
crimes of the darkest dye1 ,i was hunted
 down in every place where ,i appointed 
a meeting4 ,wading through many sorrows1
 ,i thought at times ,i might as well be
 banished from this life1 as to feel the
 ,almighty drawing me one way1 and man  
another2 so that ,i was tempted to cast 
myself into the dock4 ,but contemplating
 the length of eternity1 and how long my
 sufferings would be in that            
unchangeable world1 compared with this1 
if ,i endured a little longer1 the ,lord
 was pleased to deliver me from this    
gloomy1 melancholy state in his own     
time2 though while this temptation      
lasted ,i roved up and down1 and talked 
and prayed4  ,i often felt that ,i was  
unfit to assemble with the congregation 
with whom ,i had gathered1 and had      
sometimes been made to rejoice in the   
,lord4 ,i felt that ,i was despised on  
account of this gracious calling1 and   

was looked upon as a speckled bird by   
the ministers to whom ,i looked for     
instruction1 and to whom ,i resorted    
every opportunity for the same2 but when
 ,i would converse with them1 some would
 cry out1 ,you are an enthusiast2 and   
others said1 the ,discipline did not    
allow of any such division of the work2 
until ,i began to think ,i surely must  
be wrong4 ,under this reflection1 ,i had
 another gloomy cloud to struggle       
through2 but after awhile ,i felt much  
moved upon by the ,spirit of the ,lord1 
and meeting with an aged sister1 ,i     
found upon conversing with her that she 
could sympathize with me in this        
spiritual work4 ,she was the first one  
,i had met with1 who could fully        
understand my exercises4 ,she offered to
 open her house for a meeting1 and run  
the risk of all the church would do to  
her for it4 ,many were afraid to open   
their houses in this way1 lest they     
should be turned out of the church4  ,i 
persevered1 notwithstanding the         

opposition of those who were looked upon
 as higher and wiser4 ,the meeting was  
appointed1 and but few came4 ,i felt    
much backwardness1 and as though ,i     
could not pray1 but a pressure upon me  
to arise and express myself by way of   
exhortation4 ,after hesitating for some 
time whether ,i would take up the cross 
or no1 ,i arose1 and after expressing a 
few words1 the ,spirit came upon me with
 life1 and a victory was gained over the
 power of darkness1 and we could rejoice
 together in ,his love4  ,as for myself1
 ,i was so full ,i hardly knew whether  
,i was in the body1 or out of the       
body--so great was my joy for the       
victory on the ,lord's side4 ,but the   
persecution against me increased1 and a 
complaint was carried forward1 as was   
done formerly against ,daniel1 the      
servant of ,god1 and the elders came out
 with indignation for my holding        
meetings contrary to discipline--being a
 woman4  ,thus we see when the heart is 
not inspired1 and the inward eye        

enlightened by the ,spirit1 we are      
incapable of discerning the mystery of  
,god in these things4 ,individuals creep
 into the church that are unregenerate1 
and after they have been there awhile1  
they fancy that they have got the grace 
of ,god1 while they are destitute of it4
 ,they may have a degree of light in    
their heads1 but evil in their hearts2  
which makes them think they are         
qualified to be judges of the ministry1 
and their conceit makes them very busy  
in matters of religion1 judging of the  
revelations that are given to others1   
while they have received none           
themselves4 ,being thus mistaken1 they  
are calculated to make a great deal of  
confusion in the church1 and clog the   
true ministry4  ,these are they who eat 
their own bread1 and wear their own     
apparel1 having the form of godliness1  
but are destitute of the power4  ,again 
,i felt encouraged to attend another and
 another appointment4 ,at one of these  
meetings1 some of the class-leaders were

 present1 who were constrained to cry   
out1 ,surely the ,lord has revealed     
these things to her and asked one       
another if they ever heard the like8 ,i 
look upon man as a very selfish being1  
when placed in a religious office1 to   
presume to resist the work of the       
,almighty2 because ,he does not work by 
man's authority4 ,i did not faint under 
discouragement1 but pressed on4  ,under 
the contemplation of these things1 ,i   
slept but little1 being much engaged in 
receiving the revelations of the ,divine
 will concerning this work1 and the     
mysterious call thereto4  ,i felt very  
unworthy and small1 notwithstanding the 
,lord had shown himself with great      
power1 insomuch that conjecturers and   
critics were constrained to join in     
praise to his great name2 for truly1 we 
had times of refreshing from the        
presence of the ,lord4 ,at one of the   
meetings1 a vast number of the white    
inhabitants of the place1 and many      
coloured people1 attended--many no doubt

 from curiosity to hear what the old    
coloured woman had to say4 ,one1 a great
 scripturian1 fixed himself behind the  
door with pen and ink1 in order to take 
down the discourse in short-hand2 but   
the ,almighty ,being anointed me with   
such a portion of his ,spirit1 that he  
cast away his paper and pen1 and heard  
the discourse with patience1 and was    
much affected1 for the ,lord wrought    
powerfully on his heart4 ,after meeting1
 he came forward and offered me his hand
 with solemnity on his countenance1 and 
handed me something to pay for my       
conveyance home4  ,i returned1 much     
strengthened by the ,lord's power1 to go
 on to the fulfilment of ,his work1     
although ,i was again pressed by the    
authorities of the church to which ,i   
belonged1 for imprudency2 and so much   
condemned1 that ,i was sorely tempted by
 the enemy to turn aside into the       
wilderness4 ,i was so embarrassed and   
encompassed1 ,i wondered within myself  
whether all that were called to be mouth

 piece for the ,lord1 suffered such deep
 wadings as ,i experienced4  ,i now     
found ,i had to travel still more       
extensively in the work of the ministry1
 and ,i applied to the ,lord for        
direction4 ,i was often invited to go   
hither and thither1 but felt that ,i    
must wait for the dictates of ,his      
,spirit4  ,at a meeting which ,i held in
 ,maryland1 ,i was led to speak from the
 passage1 ,woe to the rebellious city1  
c4 ,after the meeting1 the people came  
where ,i was1 to take me before the     
squire2 but the ,lord delivered me from 
their hands4  ,i also held meetings in  
,virginia4 ,the people there would not  
believe that a coloured woman could     
preach4 ,and moreover1 as she had no    
learning1 they strove to imprison me    
because ,i spoke against slavery3 and   
being brought up1 they asked by what    
authority ,i spake8 and if ,i had been  
ordained8 ,i answered1 not by the       
commission of men's hands3 if the ,lord 
had ordained me1 ,i needed nothing      

better4  ,as ,i travelled along through 
the land1 ,i was led at different times 
to converse with white men who were by  
profession ministers of the gospel4     
,many of them1 up and down1 confessed   
they did not believe in revelation1     
which gave me to see that men were sent 
forth as ministers without ,christ's    
authority4 ,in a conversation with one  
of these1 he said1 ,you think you have  
these things by revelation1 but there   
has been no such thing as revelation    
since ,christ's ascension4 ,i asked him 
where the apostle ,john got his         
revelation while he was in the ,isle of 
,patmos4 ,with this1 he rose up and left
 me1 and ,i said in my spirit1 get thee 
behind me ,satan4  ,i visited many      
remote places1 where there were no      
meeting houses1 and held many glorious  
meetings1 for the ,lord poured out his  
,spirit in sweet effusions4 ,i also     
travelled in ,canada1 and visited       
several settlements of coloured people1 
and felt an open door amongst them4  ,i 

may here remark1 that while journeying  
through the different states of the     
,union1 ,i met with many of the ,quaker 
,friends1 and visited them in their     
families4 ,i received much kindness and 
sympathy1 and no opposition from them1  
in the prosecution of my labours4  ,on  
one occasion1 in a thinly settled part  
of the country1 seeing a ,friend's      
meeting house open1 ,i went in2 at the  
same time a ,friend and his little      
daughter followed me4 ,we three composed
 the meeting4 ,as we sat there in       
silence1 ,i felt a remarkable           
overshadowing of the ,divine presence1  
as much so as ,i ever experienced any   
where4 ,toward the close1 a few words   
seemed to be given me1 which ,i         
expressed1 and left the place greatly   
refreshed in ,spirit4 ,from thence ,i   
went to ,michigan1 where ,i found a wide
 field of labour amongst my own colour4 
,here ,i remained four years4 ,i        
established a school for coloured       
orphans1 having always felt the great   

importance of the religious and moral   
agriculture of children1 and the great  
need of it1 especially amongst the      
coloured people4 ,having white teachers1
 ,i met with much encouragement4  ,my   
eighty-seventh year had now arrived1    
when suffering from disease1 and feeling
 released from travelling further in my 
good ,master's cause1 ,i came on to     
,philadelphia1 where ,i have remained   
until this time1 which brings me to my  
ninety-seventh year4 ,when ,i went      
forth1 it was without purse or          
scrip1--and ,i have come through great  
tribulation and temptation--not by any  
might of my own1 for ,i feel that ,i am 
but as dust and ashes before my almighty
 ,helper1 who has1 according to ,his    
promise1 been with me and sustained me  
through all1 and gives me now firm faith
 that he will be with me to the end1    
and1 in his own good time1 receive me   
into ,his everlasting rest4