Mariah Crabb Papers, 1831-1878
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Administrative/Biographical History
The life and times of Mariah Crabb on Ohio's moving frontier is little known. However, these documents offer some contextualized information on her life as a slave and as a free woman during the 1830's and 1840's.
Sometime around the year 1826, Mariah moved from Virginia to Fort Seneca, Seneca County, Ohio with her owners, Elizabeth and Martin Hausman. Five years later the Hausmans manumitted Mariah and her family, although no stated reason for it is in the record. The handwritten manumission document is dated 1 January 1831 and the indenture grants freedom to Mariah and her heirs. The record further suggests that she continued to live in the area of Huron County, Ohio and that she later moved to Oberlin, Ohio in Lorain County. By drawing on the correspondence she had with the Hausmans and her family, one must piece together this skeletal story of her life. There are no records found providing birth or death information for Mariah Crabb.
Mariah was married to Jacob Crabb. No documentation exists to confirm the date or location of their marriage. This union produced three daughters, Mary (b.1824, d. 1903), Lucy and Elizabeth. Mary and Elizabeth Crabb spent time living in Buffalo, New York. It is likely that Mariah also lived in Buffalo. A statement of character from I. Flaharty (?) received by Mariah in 1845 refers to his acquaintance with her in both Oberlin and Buffalo over eleven-year period.
Mary returned to Oberlin to take advantage of the educational opportunities offered and enrolled in the Collegiate Institute (name changed to Oberlin College in 1850). There is record of her enrollment at the Oberlin's Collegiate Institute in the spring of 1840. Mary may have initially attended the town's racially integrated public schools. A letter to her mother Mariah, dated 1846, suggests that Mary moved to Sandusky, Ohio to accept a teaching position. Elijah Brown (b.1822, d.1900), a cook on the ships of the Great Lakes, and Mary Crabb were married on 21 January 1847. Sandusky and Oberlin city records suggest they did not have children. Elijah and Mary returned to Oberlin for the remainder of their lives and are buried in the Westwood Cemetery in Oberlin, Ohio.
Sources Consulted
Sandusky and Oberlin city records; Mariah Crabb papers.
Author: Ed Schwaegerle Forms of Material (links to similar genres) Administrative Information
The papers of Mariah Crabb document her manumission, her relationship with her former owners, and the activities of her family in the 1830s and 1840s. One of the more important documents is Mariah Crabb's handwritten Manumission Indenture. On July 1, 1831, Martin and Elizabeth along with their son David, freed Mariah and her family for a sum of $150.
Consisting largely of personal letters written to Mariah Crabb from her former owners, Martin and Elizabeth, the letters document the Hausman's great fondness for her and repeated requests for Mariah to visit with the children. Due to Elizabeth's age, her son David pens the last letter in 1840. Letters are also received from the Crabb daughters, Mary, Lucy and Elizabeth, her husband Jacob and several others. Topics revolve around religion, education, career choices and the general well being of the individuals under discussion. Almost all letters are signed by the authors. One letter exists written to Lucy Crabb from her sister, Mary.
Records kept by Mariah over the years also include legal receipts, property records (land deeds), tax records, including commentary about home repair, and information on a tenant who lived on the property. Several other miscellaneous receipts document daily life struggles on Ohio's western frontier to purchase groceries, sewing materials, and so on. There is a property tax receipt for Mary Crabb in Norwalk, Ohio for the year 1878.
In 1845 I. Flaharty (?) of Buffalo, New York, wrote a personal statement regarding Mariah Crabb's character for "honesty and industry". Also in this series is certification of her membership in the African Methodist Episcopal Church in Buffalo [New York].
The historical significance of the collection is to be found in the number of documents in it, not just the manumission indenture of a slave woman.
SERIES DESCRIPTIONS
Series 1. Manumission Indenture, 1831
Handwritten document dated 1 January 1831 giving freedom to Mariah Crabb and her heirs from Martin and Elizabeth Hausman. The manumission document also bears the signature of David Hausman.
Series 2. Correspondence (incoming) arranged chronologically 1835,1838, 1840-1846, 1848
Consists of sixteen handwritten letters received by Mariah Crabb over the course of a decade. The letters are from her children, former owner Elizabeth Hausman and several others. The letters from Elizabeth Hausman account for their personal relationship. Letters from family members discuss a number of family issues including career choices, education and visits. There is also a letter from Mary Crabb to her sister Lucy Crabb regarding Lucy's education. There are discrepancies in the spelling of Mariah's name. In the letters from Elizabeth Hausman, the last name is spelled "Crab" and letters from her husband Jacob, and Sanford Brewster, the first name is spelled "Maria”.
Series 3. Financial and/or Property Records, 1834, (1834-1849), 1878, n.d.
Contains legal receipts, miscellaneous receipts and various property records. Receipts exist for household items such as groceries, as well as other unidentified receipts. Property records include land deeds, tenancy records, and information on Mariah's house in Huron County, Ohio. There is also a tax receipt from 1878 for Mary (Hester) Crabb's property in Norwalk Township, Huron County, Ohio. There are discrepancies in the spelling of Mariah's name on some of the receipts (spelled Maria).
Series 4. Miscellaneous Records, 1845
Character reference for Maria (spelling discrepancy) Crabb and a certification for her membership in the African Methodist Episcopal Church in Buffalo [New York].
INVENTORY
Series 1. Manumission indenture, 1831
Box 1
Mariah Crabb Manumission, 1 January 1831
Series 2. Correspondence (incoming) arranged chronologically 1835, 1838, 1840-1846, 1848
Box 1 (cont.)
Hausman, Elizabeth (F!. Seneca, Ohio) to Mariah
or Jacob Crabb (Huron, Ohio), 20 July 1835
Hausman, Elizabeth (Seneca County, Ohio) to
Mariah Crabb (Huron, Ohio), 31 July 1838
Hausman, Elizabeth (Seneca County, Ohio) to Mariah
Crabb (Huron, Ohio) 19 July 1840
Crabb, Mary (Charleston) [Lorain, Ohio] to Mariah
Crabb (Erie County, Huron, Ohio
7 October 1841
Brewster, Sanford (Huron, Ohio) to Mariah Crabb
(Milan, Ohio) 19 February 1842
Robinson, A.w. (Buffalo, New York) to Mariah Crabb
(Huron, Ohio) 12 September 1842
Turner, Elizabeth (Buffalo, New York) to Mariah Crabb
(Erie County, Ohio) 2 March 1843
Crabb, Jacob (Milan, Ohio) to Mariah Crabb (Oberlin,
Ohio) to Mariah Crabb (Oberlin, Ohio)
21 February 1844
Crabb, Mary (Buffalo, New York) to Mariah Crab
(Oberlin, Ohio) 18 July 1844
Crabb, Mary (Oberlin, Ohio) to Mariah Crabb
(Erie County) 28 July 1845
Crabb, Mary (Oberlin, Ohio) to Lucy L. Crabb
(Buffalo, New York) 3 August 1845
Crabb, Mary (Oberlin, Ohio) to Mariah Crabb
(Huron, Ohio) 14 January 1846
Crabb, Mary (Oberlin, Ohio) to Mariah Crabb
(Milan, Ohio) 23 February 1846
Crabb, Mary (Sandusky, Ohio) to Mariah Crabb
(Oberlin, Ohio) 1 April 1846
Turner, Elizabeth (Buffalo, New York) to Mariah
(Oberlin, Ohio) 14 February 1848
Series 3. Financial and Property Records (3f)
Box 1 (cont.)
Legal receipts, 1838, 1840, n.d.
Miscellaneous receipts, 1847, 1848, 1849
Property Records, 1834, 1835, 1837, 1839,
1841, 1844, 1878, n.d.
Series 4. Miscellaneous Records
Box 1 (cont.)
Statement of character regarding Mariah Crabb,
Buffalo [New York], 2 September 1845
Certification of Membership to the African Methodist
Episcopal Church granted to Mariah Crabb,
Buffalo [New York], 9 September 1845