Eunice Davis

Eunice Russ Ames Davis (October 22, 1800 – 1901) was a prominent multiracial abolitionist and founding member of the Boston Female Anti-Slavery Society. Born in North Andover, Massachusetts, she had a father, Prince Ames, who was a Black Revolutionary War patriot, and a mother with white and Native American heritage. This made her multiracial, which set her apart when she joined the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR). Eunice married Robert Ames in 1819, with whom she had two sons and a daughter. After his death in 1825, she moved to Boston and remarried John Davis, an African American Baptist minister. Her anti-slavery efforts began at the Zion Church in Boston, where she connected with other abolitionists like Margarett Scarlett and Anna Logan. She co-founded the Boston Female Anti-Slavery Society in 1833, working to gather support for anti-slavery laws. Eunice also supported William Lloyd Garrison's radical newspaper The Liberator, leading to a split within their society as some members disagreed with his views. In 1839, she led a petition campaign against Massachusetts' interracial marriage law, which was repealed in 1843. Later recognized by The New York Times as the "oldest living female abolitionist," Davis passed away in Boston in 1901 and was buried at Brookdale Cemetery. The DAR honors her as a Real Daughter due to her direct lineage from a Revolutionary War Patriot. Eunice Russ Ames Davis's life was marked by her contributions to the abolitionist movement and her heritage, making her a significant figure in both racial and ...