Brooks, Lucy Goode, 1818-1900

Lucy Goode Brooks; born September 13, 1818, Virginia, U.S.; died October 7, 1900 (aged 82), Richmond, Virginia, U.S.; born in Virginia to the slave Judith Goode and a white man; met another slave, Albert Royal Brooks, and taught him to read and write so that they could write passes to see each other; when her master died in 1838, she became the property of a man named Sublett; shortly after Goode became Sublett's property, he allowed her to marry Brooks on 2 February 1839 and allowed them to live together; joined the First Baptist Church of Richmond, 1838; 1841 when the Baptist church divided, she was one of the group that joined in forming the First African Baptist Church; When Sublett died in 1858, his heirs threatened to sell Lucy and her children to different masters. She was able to negotiate with merchants who purchased her children and allowed them to live with her as long as they showed up for work daily. The sole exception was a daughter who was sold to owners in Tennessee. The knowledge that they could be separated made the Brookses work hard to try to buy the freedom of Lucy and the children. Her new master, Daniel Von Groning, who also owned her three youngest boys, allowed Albert to pay for their freedom in installments. It took four years, but on October 21, 1862, their deed of manumission was signed. The older three boys were not freed until the Civil War was ended; leader of the Ladies Sewing Circle for Charitable Work; founded the Friends' Asylum for Colored Orphan; orphanage opened in 1869; organization is still operational and functions as the Friends Association for Children,though its current focus is to provide childcare and family support services to low- and moderate-income families; died on October 7, 1900 in Richmond, Virginia, and she was buried in the Mechanic's Cemetery of Richmond.