DS w 0
WILLIAM ASHLEY
216 years ago in 1804, a gentleman named William Ashley was born in the Commonwealth of Virginia... Eventually he made his way to Tampa, Florida by 1837... Tampa had recently been incorporated as a city just two years prior in 1835... William was an early local pioneer and would go on to become a prominent citizen, eventually being elected as it's first-ever city clerk in 1856...
William lived with his long time companion, Nancy Ashley who hailed from the Peach State of Georgia until his death in 1871.
The couple never married nor did they have children although they lived as Husband and Wife... The reason the pair never officially wed was because Nancy was in fact a slave.
Florida census records from 1850 and 1860 list only William in his household not mentioning a wife or children.
** Slaves were inventoried in the "Slave Schedule", catalogued by age, sex and skin color. This is where we find Nancy. The 1850 Slave Schedule shows that William Ashley owned a single slave, age 40, female, black. ( Census records and slave schedule can be found below )
In 1857 William ordered a plot to be purchased for himself, along with "The body of my servant girl Nancy when she may die,'' and that, upon his death, she receive "all my real and financial estate' and her freedom." William thought of Nancy and how she would fare if he were gone. He took uncommon steps to provide for her and ensure she would be free. William made it clear and publicly known that he wanted them to be together for eternity
After the Emancipation Proclamation, legally Nancy became William's cook although everyone in this still small Southern town knew that they lived together as a couple... Incredibly the 1870, Florida Census counted "Nancy Ashley" by name, as a citizen, not property and noted that she was a cook living with William. This would be the only public record ever recognizing Nancy.
William died the following year, on Oct. 30th, 1871, and was buried in the most prominent area of Oaklawn cemetery, Tampa's oldest. It served as the final resting place of former Florida Governors and Tampa City Mayors. As previously mentioned, It was Williams desire that Nancy be laid to rest beside him when she too passed.
Shortly thereafter Nancy's health had to begun to fail. She wrote her will on Aug. 8th 1872, leaving everything to a nephew and other relatives. She asked for "A respectable burial,'' likely with grave concern regarding Reconstruction tensions following the Civil War.
** John Jackson was executor of both William and Nancy's estates. He was Tampa's 9th ever Mayor and also served as the Hillsborough County surveyor. He had known William for years and in 1847 while surveying Tampa city streets, named "Ashley Drive" after his good friend William. It was the only major street not named after a President or Mayor at the time...
Probate records find that Jackson honored his friend William's final wishes by paying for Nancy's doctor visits and 19 months of "attendant' care" until May 31st, 1873. .It is said that Nancy died of a broken heart...The former Mayor follows all the way through with William Ashley's dying declaration by purchasing her coffin and paying for her burial.
In 1873, in the South during the time of Reconstruction, the townspeople strongly objected to Nancy being buried alongside William as the cemetery was still segregated. There was an adjacent area designated for former slaves which was the consensus of where they felt she should spend eternity.
Jackson, ever the dedicated and loyal friend would propose a compromise to his fellow townspeople which he hoped they would in turn empathize with.
The concession ultimately agreed upon was this....To exhume Williams body and place Nancy inside of his coffin with him... Given the historical backdrop, Mayor Jackson had a lot to lose by helping bury a black woman in a white man's grave but in the end and against all odds, he got it done. To top it off, Jackson memorialized the event by having it beautifully etched and eloquently told in one of the most unique epitaphs you will ever see.
"Here lies William Ashley and Nancy Ashley, Master and Servant. Faithful to each other in that relation in life, in death they are not separated
Stranger consider and be wiser.
In the grave all human distinction of race or caste mingle together in one common dust
" To commemorate their fidelity to each other this stone was erected by their Executor"
John Jackson.
1873
William and Nancy remain together in this exact spot 147 years after Nancy's death...
WILLIAM ASHLEY
216 years ago in 1804, a gentleman named William Ashley was born in the Commonwealth of Virginia... Eventually he made his way to Tampa, Florida by 1837... Tampa had recently been incorporated as a city just two years prior in 1835... William was an early local pioneer and would go on to become a prominent citizen, eventually being elected as it's first-ever city clerk in 1856...
William lived with his long time companion, Nancy Ashley who hailed from the Peach State of Georgia until his death in 1871.
The couple never married nor did they have children although they lived as Husband and Wife... The reason the pair never officially wed was because Nancy was in fact a slave.
Florida census records from 1850 and 1860 list only William in his household not mentioning a wife or children.
** Slaves were inventoried in the "Slave Schedule", catalogued by age, sex and skin color. This is where we find Nancy. The 1850 Slave Schedule shows that William Ashley owned a single slave, age 40, female, black. ( Census records and slave schedule can be found below )
In 1857 William ordered a plot to be purchased for himself, along with "The body of my servant girl Nancy when she may die,'' and that, upon his death, she receive "all my real and financial estate' and her freedom." William thought of Nancy and how she would fare if he were gone. He took uncommon steps to provide for her and ensure she would be free. William made it clear and publicly known that he wanted them to be together for eternity
After the Emancipation Proclamation, legally Nancy became William's cook although everyone in this still small Southern town knew that they lived together as a couple... Incredibly the 1870, Florida Census counted "Nancy Ashley" by name, as a citizen, not property and noted that she was a cook living with William. This would be the only public record ever recognizing Nancy.
William died the following year, on Oct. 30th, 1871, and was buried in the most prominent area of Oaklawn cemetery, Tampa's oldest. It served as the final resting place of former Florida Governors and Tampa City Mayors. As previously mentioned, It was Williams desire that Nancy be laid to rest beside him when she too passed.
Shortly thereafter Nancy's health had to begun to fail. She wrote her will on Aug. 8th 1872, leaving everything to a nephew and other relatives. She asked for "A respectable burial,'' likely with grave concern regarding Reconstruction tensions following the Civil War.
** John Jackson was executor of both William and Nancy's estates. He was Tampa's 9th ever Mayor and also served as the Hillsborough County surveyor. He had known William for years and in 1847 while surveying Tampa city streets, named "Ashley Drive" after his good friend William. It was the only major street not named after a President or Mayor at the time...
Probate records find that Jackson honored his friend William's final wishes by paying for Nancy's doctor visits and 19 months of "attendant' care" until May 31st, 1873. .It is said that Nancy died of a broken heart...The former Mayor follows all the way through with William Ashley's dying declaration by purchasing her coffin and paying for her burial.
In 1873, in the South during the time of Reconstruction, the townspeople strongly objected to Nancy being buried alongside William as the cemetery was still segregated. There was an adjacent area designated for former slaves which was the consensus of where they felt she should spend eternity.
Jackson, ever the dedicated and loyal friend would propose a compromise to his fellow townspeople which he hoped they would in turn empathize with.
The concession ultimately agreed upon was this....To exhume Williams body and place Nancy inside of his coffin with him... Given the historical backdrop, Mayor Jackson had a lot to lose by helping bury a black woman in a white man's grave but in the end and against all odds, he got it done. To top it off, Jackson memorialized the event by having it beautifully etched and eloquently told in one of the most unique epitaphs you will ever see.
"Here lies William Ashley and Nancy Ashley, Master and Servant. Faithful to each other in that relation in life, in death they are not separated
Stranger consider and be wiser.
In the grave all human distinction of race or caste mingle together in one common dust
" To commemorate their fidelity to each other this stone was erected by their Executor"
John Jackson.
1873
William and Nancy remain together in this exact spot 147 years after Nancy's death...
DS w 0
WILLIAM ASHLEY
216 years ago in 1804, a gentleman named William Ashley was born in the Commonwealth of Virginia... Eventually he made his way to Tampa, Florida by 1837... Tampa had recently been incorporated as a city just two years prior in 1835... William was an early local pioneer and would go on to become a prominent citizen, eventually being elected as it's first-ever city clerk in 1856...
William lived with his long time companion, Nancy Ashley who hailed from the Peach State of Georgia until his death in 1871.
The couple never married nor did they have children although they lived as Husband and Wife... The reason the pair never officially wed was because Nancy was in fact a slave.
Florida census records from 1850 and 1860 list only William in his household not mentioning a wife or children.
** Slaves were inventoried in the "Slave Schedule", catalogued by age, sex and skin color. This is where we find Nancy. The 1850 Slave Schedule shows that William Ashley owned a single slave, age 40, female, black. ( Census records and slave schedule can be found below )
In 1857 William ordered a plot to be purchased for himself, along with "The body of my servant girl Nancy when she may die,'' and that, upon his death, she receive "all my real and financial estate' and her freedom." William thought of Nancy and how she would fare if he were gone. He took uncommon steps to provide for her and ensure she would be free. William made it clear and publicly known that he wanted them to be together for eternity
After the Emancipation Proclamation, legally Nancy became William's cook although everyone in this still small Southern town knew that they lived together as a couple... Incredibly the 1870, Florida Census counted "Nancy Ashley" by name, as a citizen, not property and noted that she was a cook living with William. This would be the only public record ever recognizing Nancy.
William died the following year, on Oct. 30th, 1871, and was buried in the most prominent area of Oaklawn cemetery, Tampa's oldest. It served as the final resting place of former Florida Governors and Tampa City Mayors. As previously mentioned, It was Williams desire that Nancy be laid to rest beside him when she too passed.
Shortly thereafter Nancy's health had to begun to fail. She wrote her will on Aug. 8th 1872, leaving everything to a nephew and other relatives. She asked for "A respectable burial,'' likely with grave concern regarding Reconstruction tensions following the Civil War.
** John Jackson was executor of both William and Nancy's estates. He was Tampa's 9th ever Mayor and also served as the Hillsborough County surveyor. He had known William for years and in 1847 while surveying Tampa city streets, named "Ashley Drive" after his good friend William. It was the only major street not named after a President or Mayor at the time...
Probate records find that Jackson honored his friend William's final wishes by paying for Nancy's doctor visits and 19 months of "attendant' care" until May 31st, 1873. .It is said that Nancy died of a broken heart...The former Mayor follows all the way through with William Ashley's dying declaration by purchasing her coffin and paying for her burial.
In 1873, in the South during the time of Reconstruction, the townspeople strongly objected to Nancy being buried alongside William as the cemetery was still segregated. There was an adjacent area designated for former slaves which was the consensus of where they felt she should spend eternity.
Jackson, ever the dedicated and loyal friend would propose a compromise to his fellow townspeople which he hoped they would in turn empathize with.
The concession ultimately agreed upon was this....To exhume Williams body and place Nancy inside of his coffin with him... Given the historical backdrop, Mayor Jackson had a lot to lose by helping bury a black woman in a white man's grave but in the end and against all odds, he got it done. To top it off, Jackson memorialized the event by having it beautifully etched and eloquently told in one of the most unique epitaphs you will ever see.
"Here lies William Ashley and Nancy Ashley, Master and Servant. Faithful to each other in that relation in life, in death they are not separated
Stranger consider and be wiser.
In the grave all human distinction of race or caste mingle together in one common dust
" To commemorate their fidelity to each other this stone was erected by their Executor"
John Jackson.
1873
William and Nancy remain together in this exact spot 147 years after Nancy's death...
WILLIAM ASHLEY
216 years ago in 1804, a gentleman named William Ashley was born in the Commonwealth of Virginia... Eventually he made his way to Tampa, Florida by 1837... Tampa had recently been incorporated as a city just two years prior in 1835... William was an early local pioneer and would go on to become a prominent citizen, eventually being elected as it's first-ever city clerk in 1856...
William lived with his long time companion, Nancy Ashley who hailed from the Peach State of Georgia until his death in 1871.
The couple never married nor did they have children although they lived as Husband and Wife... The reason the pair never officially wed was because Nancy was in fact a slave.
Florida census records from 1850 and 1860 list only William in his household not mentioning a wife or children.
** Slaves were inventoried in the "Slave Schedule", catalogued by age, sex and skin color. This is where we find Nancy. The 1850 Slave Schedule shows that William Ashley owned a single slave, age 40, female, black. ( Census records and slave schedule can be found below )
In 1857 William ordered a plot to be purchased for himself, along with "The body of my servant girl Nancy when she may die,'' and that, upon his death, she receive "all my real and financial estate' and her freedom." William thought of Nancy and how she would fare if he were gone. He took uncommon steps to provide for her and ensure she would be free. William made it clear and publicly known that he wanted them to be together for eternity
After the Emancipation Proclamation, legally Nancy became William's cook although everyone in this still small Southern town knew that they lived together as a couple... Incredibly the 1870, Florida Census counted "Nancy Ashley" by name, as a citizen, not property and noted that she was a cook living with William. This would be the only public record ever recognizing Nancy.
William died the following year, on Oct. 30th, 1871, and was buried in the most prominent area of Oaklawn cemetery, Tampa's oldest. It served as the final resting place of former Florida Governors and Tampa City Mayors. As previously mentioned, It was Williams desire that Nancy be laid to rest beside him when she too passed.
Shortly thereafter Nancy's health had to begun to fail. She wrote her will on Aug. 8th 1872, leaving everything to a nephew and other relatives. She asked for "A respectable burial,'' likely with grave concern regarding Reconstruction tensions following the Civil War.
** John Jackson was executor of both William and Nancy's estates. He was Tampa's 9th ever Mayor and also served as the Hillsborough County surveyor. He had known William for years and in 1847 while surveying Tampa city streets, named "Ashley Drive" after his good friend William. It was the only major street not named after a President or Mayor at the time...
Probate records find that Jackson honored his friend William's final wishes by paying for Nancy's doctor visits and 19 months of "attendant' care" until May 31st, 1873. .It is said that Nancy died of a broken heart...The former Mayor follows all the way through with William Ashley's dying declaration by purchasing her coffin and paying for her burial.
In 1873, in the South during the time of Reconstruction, the townspeople strongly objected to Nancy being buried alongside William as the cemetery was still segregated. There was an adjacent area designated for former slaves which was the consensus of where they felt she should spend eternity.
Jackson, ever the dedicated and loyal friend would propose a compromise to his fellow townspeople which he hoped they would in turn empathize with.
The concession ultimately agreed upon was this....To exhume Williams body and place Nancy inside of his coffin with him... Given the historical backdrop, Mayor Jackson had a lot to lose by helping bury a black woman in a white man's grave but in the end and against all odds, he got it done. To top it off, Jackson memorialized the event by having it beautifully etched and eloquently told in one of the most unique epitaphs you will ever see.
"Here lies William Ashley and Nancy Ashley, Master and Servant. Faithful to each other in that relation in life, in death they are not separated
Stranger consider and be wiser.
In the grave all human distinction of race or caste mingle together in one common dust
" To commemorate their fidelity to each other this stone was erected by their Executor"
John Jackson.
1873
William and Nancy remain together in this exact spot 147 years after Nancy's death...
Inscription
in one
Faithful to each other in that relation in life and in death they are not seperated.
Stranger consider and be wiser in the Grave all human distinction of race or caste mingle together in one common dust
To commemorate their fidelity to each other this stone was erected by their executor John Jackson 1878
Family Members
Spouse
Advertisement
Records on Ancestry
Sponsored by Ancestry
Advertisement
