Biddy Mason (1818-1891)
Historians estimate that up to 1,500 enslaved African Americans lived in California during the 1850s. Most were brought to California by their enslavers during the Gold Rush. Robert Marion Smith brought several enslaved individuals to San Bernardino, California including Bridget or "Biddy" (circa 1818-1891) and her three daughters. In 1856 Smith planned to relocate himself, Biddy and her children to Texas, but was prevented from doing so by a petition for a writ of habeas corpus. According to an article entitled Suit For Freedom in the Los Angeles Star Newspaper, the court confronted the issue of whether or not Biddy and her children would remain enslaved. According to the article, Biddy claimed in the courtroom that “I have always feared this trip to Texas since I first heard of it.” Judge Benjamin Ignatius Hayes of California’s First Judicial District Court ruled in favor of Biddy and her children. Known as Biddy Mason upon winning her freedom, she moved to Los Angeles and became a community leader, philanthropist and property owner. In 1866 Mason bought a plot of land on Spring Street in what is today downtown Los Angeles. By 1885 she had built a two-story home on this site. Mason died in 1891 and, although her home has long since been demolished, a case file from the California Courts of Appeal dated 1915 contains some surveys and plans of the structure. Her former property is now the site of Biddy Mason Memorial Park.
