CASANFRA-L Archives

From: bill <>
Subject: [CASANFRA] Mammy Pleasant and Teresa Bell
Date: Mon, 12 Mar 2001 06:22:53 -0800

The power that Mammy Pleasant held over Teresa Bell and her late
husband, Thomas Bell is evident in this article from court records.
Litigation between Mammy and the Bell estate continued for many years.
More on Mammy Pleasant will be posted on America Hurrah. Respond to be
notified.
Bill
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The Mary E. Pleasant spoken of was a colored woman who had resided with
the plaintiff, Teresa Bell, and her husband, Thomas Bell, for many years
prior to the latter's death, and continued to reside with the plaintiff
after Bell's death until January, 1899. She was familiarly called in the
Bell family ''Mammy,'' and was regarded with indulgence by the family,
and she talked of the family affairs of her mistress as ''hers'' and
''ours,''
'Mrs. Bell said that Mrs. Pleasant had complete charge of her affairs,
that she was boss, that she herself understood nothing about business,
never had transacted business in her life, and never knew anything of
her affairs; that Mrs. Pleasant had always had charge of them as far
back as she could recollect, that she was the only mother that she had
ever known, and that she had always been a mother to her, and that she
was the same as her child, and that everything was entirely in her
hands, that whatever she had was Mrs. Pleasant's, and that whatever Mrs.
Pleasant had was hers, and that there never had been any distinction,
and that there was no use of trying to talk business with her, that she
would not know anything about it, didn't want to know anything about it,
that Mr. Bell had always kept her like a child, and so had Mammy -- she
always called her 'Mammy,' except sometimes 'Mary Ellen' -- and she did
this in response to a statement that I had made.'' It appears from the
evidence that all the moneys of plaintiff (Teresa Bell) were intrusted
to this colored woman as her servant, and were administered by her
without any kind of supervision.
Copyright (c) 1995 Matthew Bender & Company, Inc

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• [CASANFRA] Mammy Pleasant and Teresa Bell by bill <>