Dorcas Richardson: A Story of Resilience and Freedom

Have you ever heard a story of a woman, once enslaved in antebellum Charleston for more than 30 years, who went on to personally care for hundreds of children across the state of South Carolina, and own her own business? While records are scarce, primary sources piece together the incredible story of a mother of five, whose life began in a system she was forced into, but despite the turmoil, went on to live a life of personal triumph, and resilience. Her name is Dorcas Richardson, and through primary sources hiding in the historic record, like a proud signature in a banking receipt from the 1870s, we are able to piece together the chapters of her legacy.

Dorcas Richardson’s (1821 – 1887) story begins to appear in the historical record on a deed of trust, following the marriage of Harriet Lowndes (1812 – 1892) to William Aiken, Jr. (1806 – 1887) c.1831. Upon her marriage, all of Harriet Aiken’s (Lowndes) possessions, including Dorcas, officially passed to her new husband. At the Aiken-Rhett House, Dorcas was enslaved by the Aiken family alongside other Black men, women and children, and while we do not know her exact role, we know that she lived in an oppressive environment and was considered the family's property. For decades, Dorcas only knew a life within the brick confines of the property, and while enduring her enslavement, she became a wife and mother of five.

Her emancipation at the end of the Civil War irrevocably changed the trajectory of her life. Dorcas and her family were left to navigate a newfound freedom, and it enabled Dorcas to finally take control of her life. According to primary sources, Dorcas started working as a volunteer at the Shaw Colored Orphan Asylum almost immediately.

Established in 1865, the Shaw Colored Orphanage Asylum was the first orphanage for Black children in South Carolina. Eventually working her way up to Head Matron, Dorcas learned praise for her ambition, intelligence, and watchfulness over the children. In one report by the Board of Trustees of the State Orphan Asylum in 1873, they state that “Mrs. Richardson merits our high approval for the constant watchfulness and care that she bestows on the Children.”

Dorcas detailed her duties as Head Matron as such, “[I] took general management of the institution, the care of the children, moral and personal, [and] acted as nurse and general drudge” (c. 1877-1888).

Dorcas continued to serve as Head Matron as the orphanage shifted ownership to the state in 1869 and experienced a dramatic decrease in funding. Unwilling to let budget constraints affect the well-being of the children, she personally organized fundraising efforts, like a fair, to solicit help from the community and supplement inconsistent financial support from the state. Dorcas’ dedication and resilience appears again in the historical record as she fought for an increased budget and used her own money to purchase vegetables for the orphaned children, with agreements that the orphanage would repay her.

At some point in her life, Dorcas Richardson learned to read and write. Literacy was a necessary skill to establish a life and financial freedom, but as early as the 1740s, South Carolina outlawed anyone from teaching enslaved men and women to learn to read and write, and if caught, punishment was severe. There is also no record of Dorcas’ literacy prior to her emancipation, at the age of 44. However, we do know that as the Head Matron of the Shaw Colored Orphan Asylum, Dorcas used her literacy to support the establishment of bank accounts for her children, family and friends, by proudly signing her name.

In 1875, the Shaw Colored Orphanage Asylum relocated to Columbia, SC, and Dorcas, now well into her 50s, once again started a new chapter as a business owner — operating a “Fruit and Wood Store” at 289 Meeting Steet. Dorcas spent the rest of her life as a resident of Charleston, living on the peninsula at multiple addresses, including 131 Nassau Street and Morris Street, until her passing in 1887.

Dorcas’ story did not begin in Charleston by her own choice, but once free, she chose to stay, making a monumental impact on the lives of hundreds of South Carolina children, leaving behind a legacy of courage, care, and resilience. Dorcas’ commitment to the creation of bank accounts in the name of her children, and others, and modeling financial literacy for her community showed others that they too could create financial independence as a key aspect of their freedom. Her story is one of perseverance and the human potential that can be realized in freedom. As we celebrate the freedom of the Black community this Juneteenth, Historic Charleston Foundation is honored to share and continue to learn from Dorcas’ story, while celebrating her legacy. Her life serves as a testimony that the Black experience in the19th century is not only one of tragedy and pain, but is also one full of accomplishment and triumph! 

‍— Madelyn Reber, Marketing and Communications Coordinator and Destiny Edwards, Marketing Intern

Source Materials

• Misc. archival records courtesy of the Margaretta Childs Collection, Historic Charleston Foundation.
• The Charleston Daily News, February 11, 1867.
• The Charleston Daily Courier, December 25, 1872.
• Ward 3 Charleston Census. August 15, 1870.  
• Testimony of Dorcas Richardson. South Carolina Assembly, Report on the Public Funds, 1877-1878, 818-819.

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