Account Book of Mary Catherine L’Hommedieu
Dublin Core
Title
Account Book of Mary Catherine L’Hommedieu
Subject
Photographs, Dering, Sylvester, 1758-1820, Mary Catherine L'Hommedieu, 1806-1838, Long Island (N.Y.)--History, Plantation life--New York-Shelter Island, Slavery--America--History, Account books, Personal papers
Description
Violet (1741-1831)
Violet was born in Southold, Long Island in 1741. Her mother, Judah, was enslaved by John Corey, a prominent member of the Southold community. Violet and her sisters, Dorcas, Matilda, Thankful and Shuboul, were born into that enslavement. Upon Corey's death, Violet was sold to Nicoll Havens to care for the young Esther Sarah and Mary Catherine Havens. Violet was separated from her sisters, but Matilda was sold to the Dering family who lived nearby. Records suggest that Judah may have moved between the two households, living with each of her daughters.
Esther Sarah eventually married Sylvester Dering, and she brought both Violet and Judah to Sylvester Manor with her. Violet was manumitted from slavery by Sylvester Dering in 1806 at age 65, but she continued to appear in family records until the end of her life in 1831. This scan of Mary Catherine L'Hommedieu's account book shows the cost of items that contributed to Violet's care later in life: firewood, flour, and food, among other items over many years. Mary Catherine recorded in her journal that she attended Violet's funeral, and that Violet was buried in an unmarked grave in Sylvester Manor's Afro-Indigenous Burial Ground.
The continued care for Violet after her manumission suggests the profound impact that she had upon Mary Catherine and Esther Sarah, and invites audiences to consider the complex relationships that could form between the enslaver and enslaved.
Violet was born in Southold, Long Island in 1741. Her mother, Judah, was enslaved by John Corey, a prominent member of the Southold community. Violet and her sisters, Dorcas, Matilda, Thankful and Shuboul, were born into that enslavement. Upon Corey's death, Violet was sold to Nicoll Havens to care for the young Esther Sarah and Mary Catherine Havens. Violet was separated from her sisters, but Matilda was sold to the Dering family who lived nearby. Records suggest that Judah may have moved between the two households, living with each of her daughters.
Esther Sarah eventually married Sylvester Dering, and she brought both Violet and Judah to Sylvester Manor with her. Violet was manumitted from slavery by Sylvester Dering in 1806 at age 65, but she continued to appear in family records until the end of her life in 1831. This scan of Mary Catherine L'Hommedieu's account book shows the cost of items that contributed to Violet's care later in life: firewood, flour, and food, among other items over many years. Mary Catherine recorded in her journal that she attended Violet's funeral, and that Violet was buried in an unmarked grave in Sylvester Manor's Afro-Indigenous Burial Ground.
The continued care for Violet after her manumission suggests the profound impact that she had upon Mary Catherine and Esther Sarah, and invites audiences to consider the complex relationships that could form between the enslaver and enslaved.
Creator
Mary Catherine L’Hommedieu
Source
Sylvester Manor Archive
Publisher
NYU Fales Library & Special Collections
Date
September 18, 1828
Rights
Permission to use materials must be secured from the copyright holder. Please contact the Fales Library and Special Collections, fales.library@nyu.edu, 212-998-2596
Files
Citation
Mary Catherine L’Hommedieu, “Account Book of Mary Catherine L’Hommedieu,” Sylvester Manor, accessed September 17, 2026, https://aphnyu.org/creatingdigitalhistory/2024/sylvestermanor/items/show/7.