Harriet Jacobs (l. c. 1813-1897) was a former slave, abolitionist, and author of Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl (1861), her autobiography, describing her life as a slave in North Carolina, her flight to freedom in the North, and her experiences there. Her book is among the most important primary documents on slavery in 19th-century America.
More about: Harriet JacobsDefinition
Timeline
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c. 1813 - 1897Life of Harriet Jacobs, former slave, abolitionist, and author.
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c. 1825Harriet Jacobs is sold to the Norcom family.
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c. 1825 - 1835Harriet Jacobs fends off Dr. Norcom's advances and begins a relationship with Mr. Sawyer, bearing him two children.
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1835 - 1842Harriet Jacobs runs away from Norcom and hides in the crawlspace of her grandmother's house for seven years.
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1842Harriet Jacobs escapes to Philadelphia by boat and then goes on to New York City.
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1842Harriet Jacobs is employed by the writer and poet Nathaniel Parker Willis and his first wife Mary Stace Willis as a nurse for their daughter.
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1843 - 1845Harriet Jacobs flees to Boston to escape the arrival of Norcom who came to capture her.
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1845Harriet Jacobs returns to New York City when Mrs. Willis dies; goes to England with Nathaniel Parker Willis.
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1853 - 1858Harriet Jacobs writes Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl.
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1861Harriet Jacobs' Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl is published.
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1861 - 1866Harriet Jacobs lectures on abolition, helps refugees during the American Civil War, and establishes the Jacobs School in Virginia .
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1877 - 1897Harriet Jacobs runs a boarding house with her daughter in Washington, D.C. until her death.
