From the Archives – A Sad Saga of Enslavement in Alexandria

In its earliest years, sadly, a number of Saint Mary parishioners were enslaved people. Mary Ann Masterson, a parishioner and the widow of shoemaker Loughlin Masterson, championed the cause of a wrongly enslaved woman in Alexandria. In 1826, her late husband had received Ann, a Catholic, in payment of a business debt. A stipulation was attached to the transaction: Ann would only serve until she reached the age of 25, then she would be freed. Any children born to Ann also would be granted their freedom when they were 25.

Ann was sold twice more, finally to Frederick Vaccari, also a Saint Mary parish- ioner. In 1833, while working for Vaccari, she gave birth to a daughter, Mary Catherine, named after Vaccari’s own daughter. Mary Catherine was purchased by an agent for Joseph Bruin, an infamous slave trader who operated a slave jail on Duke Street. Bruin refused to release Mary Catherine, stating she was bought with the intent that she remain enslaved for life. He denied any prior knowledge of an agreement that would have freed her at age 25.

The case went to court, with Mrs. Masterson pleading for justice for Mary Catherine. Unfortunately, the court sided with the slave-traders. It is not known what eventually happened to either Ann or her daughter Mary Catherine.

— Kitty Guy, Parish Historian

In 2020, to commemorate the 225th anniversary of our parish, we started “From the Archives” as a weekly feature online and in our bulletin to spotlight the history of Saint Mary’s. Due to its popularity, we are continuing the series. An archive of the features is located here.