The death and burial of Margaret Smallwood, April 21, 1837

The death and burial of Margaret Smallwood, April 21, 1837

Slave labor; Death and burial; Burial Records

These two documents from 1837 provide an account of the death and burial of Margaret Smallwood, an enslaved woman who worked and died at Georgetown College at the age of 45. Margaret was born in St. Mary's County and was buried at the College Ground.

The "College Ground" was located near the site of the Reiss Science Building. This cemetery was built over in 1953 and the remains of roughly fifty people were reinterred at Mount Olivet Cemetery, but those remains were only a small fraction of all the people who were buried there.

Transcription and translation of the excerpt from the House Diary is as follows:

Transcription
Margarita pia (et) fidelissima collegii serva hoc vespere vita functa, post quorumdam dierum infirmitatem, quam patienter tullit, recipiens opportune sacramenta (et) auxilia spiritualia.  Rev. Bnus O’Reilly veniens ex Baltimore coenam sumpsit (et) pernoctavit in collegio.  Apparuit aurora borealis per horam.

Translation
Margarita, a pious and most faithful slave of the college this evening died, after an illness of a certain number of days, which she patiently bore, receiving in time the sacraments and spiritual remedies.  Reverend Bnus O’Reilly, coming from Baltimore, had supper and spent the night in the College.  The aurora borealis appeared for an hour.

Thanks to Professor Josiah Osgood in the Georgetown Classics Department for transcribing and translating this document.

The Holy Trinity burial register notes the following:

[April 1837] 21st Margaret Smallwood (col'd) wife to Charles Smallwood, from St. Mary's County, belonging to Georgetown College, was buried in the College Graveyard 45

 

Georgetown University
Holy Trinity Church

Georgetown Slavery Archive

04-21-1837

Elsa Barraza Mendoza, Josiah Osgood

Georgetown University Library

PDF

Latin
English

Manuscript

GSA312

Manuscript