this fascinating person was an african-american
formerly enslaved by the van Lew family in Virginia who went on to be freed and
to work closely with the abolitionist daughter of that family as a spy for
the Union in the Civil War join me today to learn more about this extraordinary story
Mary Elizabeth Richards Bowser was born about 1846 in Virginia near Richmond the daughter of enslaved
parents she was also enslaved from birth her owners were the van Lew family John van Lew was
a wealthy merchant and though he owned slaves his wife and daughter were secret abolitionists this
would be quite significant as Mary grew up from the beginning the female van Luz seemed to take a
special interest in Mary having her baptized at the van Lew family church instead of the first
African Baptist Church in Richmond where the other enslaved people of the van Luz were baptized her
name on her baptismal record is listed as Mary Jane Richards after John van Lew died his wife
Eliza and daughter Elizabeth freed the family slaves and Elizabeth sent Mary to a boarding
school in Philadelphia so the formerly enslaved girl could get a good education she even got to
take a trip to Liberia in Africa to be a part of a missionary community with the trip being funded
by Elizabeth van Lew not long before the civil war began Mary returned to the van Lew home and
worked there once more this time as a paid servant Mary married Wilson Bowser on April 16th 1861 only
four days before the Confederate troops opened fire on Fort Sumner beginning the Civil War in
earnest records of Mary's life are sparse and it seems her husband joined the war on the Union side
as a soldier but there is no record of when or if they saw each other again there are no records of
Mary and Wilson having children together or of Mary having children at all but it doesn't mean
they didn't before the Civil War began Elizabeth van Lew John's daughter was already spying for
the Union knowing the Confederate states were seceding and that war between the two sides was
likely inevitable living in the South Elizabeth would send regular reports to Union officials
what the southern truth think government officials were doing when it was clear there was going to be
a war Elizabeth brought Mary into her spy ring by recommending her for a position as a servant in
the household of Confederate President Jefferson Davis Mary got the job though she was posing as
a slave despite being a free woman this ruse was quite successful for her however because everyone
in the day of his household thought she was a slave they talked openly around her about their
plans and strategies thinking a slave would have no understanding of these things and certainly
no network of communication most of the people Mary encountered in the Davis household assumes
she was illiterate which was not true thanks to elizabeth van Luce sending her to boarding school
this meant that the many people who came in and out of the Davis household often left important
papers out where Mary could see them and she would report back to Elizabeth and other union
officials on what those papers said Mary became a successful and important spy for the Union in
her position at Jefferson Davis's house some of the intelligence she collected even made it all
the way to General Ulysses Grant and all of it was passed on to the military leaders it would
help the most in fact the intelligence collected by Mary and by Elizabeth van Lu's spy ring in
general was noted for its value in the personal papers of Ulysses Grant General Benjamin Butler
and George S sharp because the US government destroyed most records of Mary Elizabeth and
others in the van lose spy ring after the war to protect them little is known of what Mary did
after the war what little is known is interesting and it shows that Mary continued to work to help
the former and slave community just a few days after Richmond fell to the Union Mary was working
there as a teacher to the former slaves in town who suddenly found themselves free she founded
a school for freed former slaves two years after the end of the or it was located in the town of
st. Mary's Georgia and served children during the day adults at night and Sunday school on Sundays
with all classes for all age groups taught by her personally in June of 1867 Mary wrote a
letter to the superintendent of Education for the Georgia Freedmen's Bureau in which she requested
he referred to her as Mary JR Garvin from then on this indicates that her husband Wilson Bowser had
either died deserted her or they divorced and that she had likely remarried however this is the only
known mention of the surname Garvin associated with Mary and the first name of her presumed
new husband is not known Mary gave at least two known lectures in the north about her education
her travel to Liberia and about her adventures as a spy during the war she used pseudonyms for both
lectures to protect herself because these lectures were given so shortly after the end of the war it
is assumed she left the school she founded in st. Marys Georgia sometime after writing to the
superintendent and went to the West Indies where it is believed her presumed new husband had gone
to do missionary work no record of Mary's death or place of burial is known to exist that letter
to the superintendent is the last known official record of Mary this does not mean popular culture
forgot her a novel by Louis M Levine called the secrets of Mary Bowser is based on Mary's
life a play by Ted Lange called Lady Patriot is also about Mary and was produced by Mary Lang
and performed at the Hudson backstage theatre in Santa Monica California with actor Christy
Ferris playing Mary Bowser a made-for-tv movie in 1987 called a special friendship was based
on the friendship and spy activities of Mary Bowser and Elizabeth van Lew in addition the
central character of the book an extraordinary union by ELISA Cole is based on Mary Bowser
Mary Bowser was honored by the US government by being inducted into the military intelligence
Hall of Fame in Fort Huachuca Arizona for her work as a spy during the Civil War
she is one of the best-known country music entertainers of our time however she is much more
than just a country music singer from her humble beginnings she has become a singer-songwriter
actress and successful business person join me the next time as I share some facts about this
incredible and inspirational woman thanks for joining me today I'll see you next time on the
ancestral findings podcast and for further info you can visit us at ancestral findings dot-com