The Delaware Public Archives was proud to unveil its newest State of Delaware Historical Marker on Wednesday, February 3, 2022, in Wilmington, Delaware honoring the Abraham Shadd Family.
A cobbler by day and an abolitionist by night, Abraham Shadd lived in Wilmington, Delaware in the early 19th Century with his family. Shadd owned several pieces of property, served in a number of anti-slavery organizations, and actively fought in the abolitionist movement. Following the 1850 Fugitive Slave Act, Abraham, his wife Harriet, and their 13 children would move to Canada. His eldest daughter, Mary Ann Shadd Cary, would become the first Black woman newspaper editor in North America, as well as an advocate for the abolitionist and women’s suffrage movements.
More than 90 guests and friends joined with the Honorable John C. Carney, Governor, State of Delaware, who opened the event by proclaiming February as Black History Month; the Honorable Bethany Hall-Long, Lieutenant Governor, State of Delaware; the Honorable S. Elizabeth Lockman, State Senator and State of Delaware Historical Marker sponsor; members of the Delaware Black Caucus; and direct descendants of Abraham Shadd.
