http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/ampage?collId=mfd&fileName=43/43003/43003page.db&recNum=3&itemLink=/ammem/doughtml/dougFolder6.html&linkText=7
The artifact is a contract between Mrs. Frederick Douglass and a Stone Mason for a stone tablet bearing the name Frederick Douglass. The first thing I noticed about the artifact upon reading it, was that the tablet was commissioned two years after Douglass’ death. The price of the tablet, $240, was a large sum of money in 1897, the ability of Douglass’ widow to pay such a sum means that Douglass and she were not poor when he died, and that he left behind a substantial amount of money for his widow—thus Douglass, when alive, was probably very careful in managing his finances. It would make sense, given his childhood of starvation and poverty, for Douglass to be frugal as he understood the value of what money could get one (esp. as his freedom had to be bought). The contract states that the “tablet” is to be placed in Mt. Hope Cemetery in New York. So, it is probable that the tablet is to be Douglass’ headstone. The headstone is very plain bearing bronze leaves around the top and then Douglass’ own name in plain “round” letters. Given how humble a man Frederick Douglass was, it is unsurprising for him to have an equally humble and unadorned stone on his grave. The contract also states that the tablet is to be placed in the cemetery by November 15, 1897. I wondered if there was any significance to this date for Douglass beyond it just being the date by which the craftsman could complete this project.
I used Wikipedia to look up the date that Fredrick Douglass died, and it says that he died on February 20, 1895. (Checked another source too and it backs up this info). This is strange because this artifact says his headstone was commissioned in 1897 – two years after he had passed away. Was this stone to replace an original headstone? Was it not a headstone at all and instead some kind of memorial? Was Fredrick Douglass just not buried for two years? This discrepancy is as intriguing as it is confusing.
The statement that Douglass was frugal and careful at managing money seems to be a little unsubstantiated by this artifact. The tablet price is very high, but there are many ways of acquiring money. I figure that Douglass could have died broke and yet his widow could create a fund for people to contribute towards the price of the tombstone. The city or the cemetery itself could fund such a project. These ideas are a little far-fetched as well, but I don’t think the large expense itself proves that Douglass was a frugal man.
I used Wikipedia to look up the date that Fredrick Douglass died, and it says that he died on February 20, 1895. (Checked another source too and it backs up this info). This is strange because this artifact says his headstone was commissioned in 1897 – two years after he had passed away. Was this stone to replace an original headstone? Was it not a headstone at all and instead some kind of memorial? Was Fredrick Douglass just not buried for two years? This discrepancy is as intriguing as it is confusing.
The statement that Douglass was frugal and careful at managing money seems to be a little unsubstantiated by this artifact. The tablet price is very high, but there are many ways of acquiring money. I figure that Douglass could have died broke and yet his widow could create a fund for people to contribute towards the price of the tombstone. The city or the cemetery itself could fund such a project. These ideas are a little far-fetched as well, but I don’t think the large expense itself proves that Douglass was a frugal man.
I agree with the comments made in regaurds to Douglass’s finicial standing however, I would go a little further than the author did. Douglass was likely not only good at saving money, but also at making it which was proven in the narrative with Douglass’s tireless caulking. One thing I saw differently then the author was that it must have taken quite some time for headstones to be made in this time period due to the lack of technology. One question I would pose that the author did not is why it took so long for the headstone to be commisioned.
I agree with the comments made in regaurds to Douglass’s finicial standing however, I would go a little further than the author did. Douglass was likely not only good at saving money, but also at making it which was proven in the narrative with Douglass’s tireless caulking. One thing I saw differently then the author was that it must have taken quite some time for headstones to be made in this time period due to the lack of technology. One question I would pose that the author did not is why it took so long for the headstone to be commisioned.
The documentation of the commission of this tablet is an interesting representation of both the legal speak of that time and the massive amount of inflation that has occurred over the past century. $240 during the late 19th century was a rather large sum of money, which indicates some sort of wealth that Mrs. Douglass or the Douglass family in general had amassed.
One interesting point to note would be the length of time that passed between the death of Frederick Douglass and the commission of the headstone. It could indicate some large event that occurred during Mrs. Douglass’s life, etc…
From reviewing this artifact, I found it noteworthy that first, the day that this document was made is not listed, and the place where the date would be is left blank. I would be interesting to know why only the month and year are mentioned, and if the actual day is left blank for a reason, or just chance. I think that it may be incorrect to assume that because the price of this work is $240, it means Douglass’s wife must be well off. I say this because the work is being bought two and a half years after Douglass died, which may mean that his wife had to save money to buy it.
The documentation of the commission of this tablet is an interesting representation of both the legal speak of that time and the massive amount of inflation that has occurred over the past century. $240 during the late 19th century was a rather large sum of money, which indicates some sort of wealth that Mrs. Douglass or the Douglass family in general had amassed.
One interesting point to note would be the length of time that passed between the death of Frederick Douglass and the commission of the headstone. It could indicate some large event that occurred during Mrs. Douglass’s life, etc…
From reviewing this artifact, I found it noteworthy that first, the day that this document was made is not listed, and the place where the date would be is left blank. I would be interesting to know why only the month and year are mentioned, and if the actual day is left blank for a reason, or just chance. I think that it may be incorrect to assume that because the price of this work is $240, it means Douglass’s wife must be well off. I say this because the work is being bought two and a half years after Douglass died, which may mean that his wife had to save money to buy it.