Louisa Short
John Tyler biographer Robert Seager believed that Louisa was an enslaved woman who worked in the house and was a seamstress for the Tylers. [1] Louisa was probably married to William Short, Sr., and she was probably the mother of Jerry Short, John Short, Roscius Short, Washington Short, and William Short, Jr. [2]
John Tyler wrote the following letter to his daughter in 1843, which mentions Louisa:
“I am very anxious to have a blacksmith and should be willing to part with Washington but if I can hear of a servant that would suit you… I will purchase him for you – I think that Louisa’s William, would make a good servant and if you choose to try your hand with him you can do so – He is a fine boy – and all of Wm Shorts children have a turn for the House – I will willingly my dear daughter pay the hire of a servant maid for you and I think you would do well to procure one of your Aunt Douglas’s – Either Delilah or Maria would suit you if you could get them. Besides it is no trifling matter to have a nurse who is a good seamstress.” [2]
Julia Gardiner Tyler writes about Louisa and Victoria Short in the following excerpt from a letter to her mother about her first child, David Gardiner “Gardie” Tyler:
“His gums sometimes somewhat annoy him and I expect he must soon have teeth cutting through. Louisa’s child, which is two days the younger, has nearly four- that is, two are entirely through and two others about to cut. Her name is Victoria Short and is formally presented to D. Gardiner Tyler as his Christmas present.” [3]
Based on Victoria Short’s 1865 marriage record and the 1870 census, Louisa Short was likely the grandmother of Victoria Short rather than her mother. [4] Julia’s reference to Victoria as “Louisa’s child” may indicate that Victoria’s parents had passed away or that Tyler had sold them.
Louisa appears in Freedmen’s Bureau records in Princess Anne County, Virginia. Her former owner is listed as John Tyler and her former residence is listed as Charles City, Virginia. Victoria Short also escaped to Princess Anne County, and Louisa appears under her household on the 1870 census. [5]
[1] Seager, Robert. And Tyler Too: A Biography of John and Julia Tyler, McGraw-Hill, 1963, p. 300.
[2] Anderson, Leslie. “Roshus Shorts, Company H,” 1st Colored Cavalry, https://1stuscoloredcavalry.wordpress.com/2018/12/24/roshus-shorts-company-h/.
[3] John Tyler to Elizabeth Tyler Waller, 16 Jan. 1843, David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University.
[4] Julia Gardiner Tyler to Juliana Gardiner, 28 Dec. 1846, Tyler Family Papers, Group A. Special Collections Research Center, College of William & Mary.
[5] Virginia Marriages, 1785-1940, retrieved from FamilySearch.org, https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XR4N-SFJ?from=lynx1UIV7.
[6] Virginia, Freedmen’s Bureau Field Office Records, 1865-1872, retrieved from FamilySearch.org, https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HT-DZR9-ZXN?from=lynx1UIV7&i=16. 1870 U.S. Census, Princess Anne County, Virginia, retrieved from FamilySearch.org, https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MFGQ-1MV.