Enslaved Seamstresses on the Watson Plantation

By Elizabeth Sacktor and Anaëlle Cama

An overview layout of historic 19th-century artifacts arranged in rows against a plain off-white background. Includes: A series of nine small, dark, photographs housed in ornate gold and dark wood frames. Multiple light-colored, white, and cream garments made of historical textiles like linen and cotton. Items include long-sleeved nightgowns, chemises, petticoats, everyday day dresses, and children & infant clothes. Near the bottom left, three mannequin heads display detailed, ruffled fabric and straw bonnets with long fabric ties. A collection of vintage footwear featuring multiple pairs of tiny leather and fabric baby shoes, soft slippers, and a single tall, lace-up white leather lady's boot with a stacked heel.
A selection of objects from the Watson Family donated to Historic Northampton. The clothing was likely made by their enslaved seamstresses.

The Watsons were a wealthy and influential family in late-19th to early-20th-century Northampton who made their money as enslavers and plantation owners in Alabama. Before the Civil War, they enslaved at least 228 people on their cotton plantation in Newbern, Alabama, and in their household in Greensboro, Alabama. The Watson descendants were among the early supporters of and donors to the Northampton Historical Society (now Historic Northampton). Many of the items donated were brought from Alabama when the family moved here in 1860. Some of the clothing donated likely was made by the enslaved seamstresses owned by the family.

A black-and-white photograph captures the wide exterior of a grand, multi-story house viewed from a slightly low angle across a spacious, grassy lawn. The large residence features two primary wings meeting at a central, forward-projecting tower section. This central tower includes distinct round, portal-style windows near the roofline, while the main wings display tall, rectangular double-hung windows. A continuous, deep covered porch wraps across the front of both wings, supported by a series of classic, light-colored columns. Lush, climbing ivy and leafy vines heavily drape over the porch headers and columns. Two people are visible standing in the shaded porch area of the right wing. The house sits on a gently sloping grass lawn, with a curved dirt or gravel pathway visible on the right. Diverse flower beds, low shrubs, and ornamental plants are arranged near the porch foundation, while the upper corners of the frame are softly bordered by the overhanging leaves and branches of mature trees.
Photograph of Wildwood, September 9, 1891. In 1909, the children of Henry Watson Jr. sold the property to two local developers, who abandoned the property and allowed it to fall into disrepair. However, in 1915-18, the Childs family purchased the land and transformed it into a park. When the couple died in the mid-century, the park’s ownership went to a charitable corporation established in their will, Childs Park Foundation Inc. Childs Park remains open for public use today at the old Wildwood site. Photograph by Arthur Watson. Historic Northampton (ID no. 1976.151.3).
A record detailing the names and recorded ages of enslaved people, categorized into groups. The ledger is organized into five main sections (men, women, boys, girls, children), with a running total at the top of each category.
A page from Henry Watson’s “Record of Negroes Ages Births and Deaths.”

From Antebellum Alabama to Northampton

In 1860, the Watson family moved from their home in Alabama to Northampton to treat the chronic illness of the family’s matriarch, Sophia Watson. They purchased the land known today in Northampton as Childs Park before it was eventually purchased by the Childs family and turned into the park we know today. Soon after the Watsons arrived in Northampton, Sophia died, and the family left the country for Europe to avoid the political turmoil of the Civil War.

Upon returning to Northampton in 1865, the Watsons established permanent residency on a property called Wildwood. They also continued to manage their Alabama plantation, now a share-cropping operation.

Their children would grow up to become influential members of the town’s civic and political life, and contributed financially to many well-known Northampton organizations, including Forbes Library, Lathrop House, Cooley Dickinson Hospital, and the Edwards Congregational Church. They were also active early members of the Northampton Historical Society (today Historic Northampton) and donated over 100 objects to our collections, primarily clothing items from their time on the Alabama plantation.

In January of 2026, Elizabeth Sacktor and Anaëlle Cama from Historic Northampton travelled to Durham, North Carolina, to explore Henry Watson’s papers at the Duke University Rubenstein Rare Book and Manuscript Library. Using the family’s correspondence and plantation records, they were able to identify the individual enslaved women who likely made Historic Northampton’s collection objects and built the wealth that supported the Watson family’s impact on Northampton today.

Scroll down to read about the Watson family and the lives of the women that they enslaved.

People in the Watson Household

  • A close-up photograph of a cream-colored, 19th-century child's dress on a white mannequin torso against a solid grey background. The dress features a gathered, square neckline and short, ruffled sleeves with a decorative, floral-patterned trim in shades of green, pink, and yellow. The fabric is patterned with delicate, vertical stripes of tiny green and purple floral vines. The bodice is gathered tightly at both the neckline and the high waistband, creating soft folds down the center, while the skirt is gathered full at the waist.

    Ann Maria

    1829 – 1855

    An enslaved seamstress purchased by Henry Watson for reproductive labor.

  • Arthur Watson

    1851 – 1922

    Arthur Watson was an influential Northampton politician, serving as mayor in 1900 and on the Board of Trustees at Forbes Library for 30 years. He was raised on a cotton plantation in Greensboro, Alabama, where his family enslaved 223 people. 

  • Elizabeth/Lizzy

    b. 1845

    Enslaved seamstress who was born on the Watson Plantation and lived in both the household and plantation until she gained freedom at age 20.

  • A section of Henry Watson's slave ledger that lists Ellen, who is placed as number 37, and noted as being 39 years old.

    Ellen

    b. 1807

    Enslaved cook and laborer both in the Watson household and on their plantation. It is likely she was first enslaved by the Pecks.

  • Photograph of a section of a yellowed handwritten document. It lists: "7. Caroline - 24 8. Spencer - 25 9 Eveline - 20 10 Harry - 31."

    Eveline

    c. 1820 – 1850

    Enslaved nurse for the Watson household and plantation, likely originally owned by the Pecks.

  • Henry Watson Jr.

    1810 – 1891

    A plantation owner from Alabama who established himself in Northampton following the Civil War. He enslaved 223 people.

  • Lavinia

    b. 1852

    An enslaved domestic laborer who was born into and spent her entire documented life within the Watson household.

  • Lucinda

    b. c. 1833

    Enslaved seamstress and nurse to the Watson children.

  • Photograph of section of slave ledger that lists: 29 Letty: 30 30 Milly: 8 31 Margaret: 4 1/2 32 Pheriba: 3 in Dec. 1842 33 Mary Ann: born 15 Dec. 1842."

    Margaret

    b. c. 1837

    Enslaved seamstress to the Watson family, purchased with her mother and sisters as a child by Henry Watson.

  • Patience

    c. 1824 – 1848

    Enslaved laborer on the Watson Plantation purchased by Henry Watson for reproductive labor and to pick cotton.

  • Photograph of a section of the Watson slave ledger. Transcription: "Line 4: Jacob — 31 Line 5: Peggy — 29 Line 6: Calvin — 6 - b 1 Sept 1842 Line 7: Dangerfield — 4 - b 11 Dec 1844 Line 8: Frank — 2/12 - b 11 Dec 1848."

    Peggy

    b. c. 1821

    Enslaved seamstress and caretaker of the Watson household.

  • Phillis

    c. 1790 – 1864

    Enslaved nurse to the Watson children and domestic laborer purchased by the Watsons at age 60.

  • Rosa Watson

    1856 – 1938

    An influential Northampton socialite born in Alabama to a family of enslavers.

  • Black-and-white photograph of Sophia Watson. She appears to be in her late 20s or 30s. Her brown hair is styled down. She is wearing a striped dress with puffy sleeves, and leaning one of her arms against a small coffee table.

    Sophia Watson

    1821 – 1860

    Alabama socialite and enslaver who died shortly after moving to Northampton. Many of the objects she brought with her now live in our collection.