Mary Richards, also known as Mary Jane Richards Garvin and possibly Mary Bowser (born 1846), was a Union spy during the Civil War.[1] She was possibly born enslaved from birth in Virginia, but there is no documentation of where she was born or who her parents were. By the age of seven, she was enslaved by the household of Elizabeth "Bet" Van Lew, in Richmond, Virginia. The Van Lew family sent Richards to school somewhere in the north, and then to Liberia through the American Colonization Society. Richards returned to Richmond shortly before the outbreak of the American Civil War, where she was one of many black and white Richmond residents who collected and delivered military information to the United States Army under the leadership of Elizabeth Van Lew.[2]
Richards is often referred to as Mary Bowser. She was likely married to a Wilson Bowser at the start of the Civil War. A 1911 article about her in Harper's Monthly, which was based in part on the faulty memory of Bet Van Lew's niece, popularized Richards' story, and was the source of much of the ensuing lore around Richards, including a 1987 TV movie, A Special Friendship. The Harper's article included details that are not known to be accurate, such as that Richards had worked undercover directly in the Confederate White House, that she had a photographic memory, and that she tried to set fire to the Confederate White House at the end of the war; and other details that are clearly false, such as that her name was "Mary Elizabeth Bowser".[1][2][3]
Mary Richards, also known as Mary Jane Richards Garvin and possibly MaryBowser (born 1846), was a Union spy during the Civil War. She was possibly born...
published her first novel, The Secrets of MaryBowser, in 2012. The novel is based on the life of MaryBowser, a Virginia slave who became a spy for the...
and enslaved African Americans, including Mary Richards Bowser. Mary Jane Richards, aka Mary Elizabeth Bowser, was reputedly a formerly enslaved maid in...
Muriel Elizabeth Bowser (born August 2, 1972) is an American politician who has served as the mayor of the District of Columbia since 2015. A member of...
John Champe Albert D. Richardson Charles C. Carpenter Elizabeth Van Lew MaryBowser George Curtis Harriet Tubman Kate Warne Lafayette C. Baker Pauline Cushman...
patrons was named for Bowser. Rosa Dixon married fellow teacher James Herndon Bowser (who was a relative of Civil War spy MaryBowser) in 1879. Two years...
contributions were labeled Black Dispatches. One of these spies was MaryBowser. Harriet Tubman was also a spy, a nurse, and a cook whose efforts were...
prominent examples include Harriet Tubman, Mary Louvestre, Pauline Cushman, Elizabeth Van Lew, and MaryBowser. In his 1997 book examining the motivations...
U.S. Rep. Kellian Whaley Abolitionist and Spy Elizabeth Van Lew Spy MaryBowser Abolitionist Moncure Daniel Conway On April 17, 1861, when the Richmond...
Houdini by Katherine Factor (2020) Noor Inayat Khan by Rana Tahir (2020) MaryBowser by Kyandreia Jones (2020) Spy for Cleopatra by Katherine Factor (2021)...
the damsel in distress who is kidnapped by the main series antagonist, Bowser. In most of the games, her role is to be a captive until she is eventually...
professional bodybuilder Luke Bowanko – center for the Jacksonville Jaguars MaryBowser – freed slave who worked as Union spy during American Civil War, admitted...
Virginians who participated involved both before and after emancipation. MaryBowser, former enslaved Union spy during the Civil War William Harvey Carney...
Anita Olga Bowser (née Albu; August 18, 1920 – March 4, 2007) was an American politician in the state of Indiana. She served as a member of the Indiana...
"Bowzer's Ultimate Milkshake Party". Bauman lives in Los Angeles with his wife Mary and their two children, Nora and Eli. His nephew is Eric C. Bauman, former...
Mary Jane Croft (February 15, 1916 – August 24, 1999) was an American actress best known for roles as Betty Ramsey on I Love Lucy, Miss Daisy Enright on...
promotion and began wrestling under Boston promoters Tony Santos and Paul Bowser. In 1955, she began working for Vince McMahon, Sr.'s Capitol Wrestling Corporation...
Elizabeth Harriet Stevens Gray Bowser (June 13, 1831 – November 29, 1908) was an American artisan, businesswoman, and philanthropist. She was active in...
David Bustill Bowser (January 16, 1820, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – June 30, 1900, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) was a 19th-century African-American ornamental...
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