Ann Eliza

John Tyler wrote about his desire to sell an enslaved woman named Ann Eliza in 1827 in order to finance his trip to Washington as a newly elected member of the Senate and to pay for a tutor for his children. [1] John Tyler biographer, Dr. Christopher Leahy, writes the following on Ann Eliza:

“It is not clear why [Tyler] chose this particular enslaved woman to sell. Perhaps she was a skilled cook or seamstress, which would have made her attractive to buyers and likely a quick sale. Perhaps she had been a discipline problem for the Tyler family. Or worse, perhaps he needed to remove the woman from his household because he had had a sexual relationship with her, and Letitia demanded her exile.” [2]

As Dr. Leahy notes, the details of Tyler’s decision to sell Ann Eliza are uncertain, as are the details of her life and story. She was not the only person Tyler separated from family and friends by sale; he also sold at least four other people: Aggy, Christiana, Henry, and Ned. Tyler likely sold many more people over his lifetime.

[1] John Tyler to Henry Curtis, 23 Nov. 1827, John Tyler Papers, Library of Congress.

[2] Leahy, Christopher. President without a Party: The Life of John Tyler, LSU Press, 2020, p. 78.