Born in Africa, enslaved in Cuba, victorious in a Florida court: Anna Kingsley’s remarkable journey

Anna Kingsley’s Treaty Victory Against White Relatives

Anna Madgigine Jai was just 13 when she was torn from Senegal and sold to Florida planter Zephaniah Kingsley in 1806. He soon freed her, and she built a life managing plantations and owning land under Spanish rule.

But after Florida joined the U.S. and Zephaniah died, his white relatives tried to grab everything in 1844. They claimed a Black woman couldn’t legally own property.

After her son died at sea while fighting for their rights, Anna sailed back from Haiti and faced the court herself.

She cleverly used the Adams-Onís Treaty to win her case, keeping her family’s wealth in an era when Black property rights barely existed.

The Kingsley Plantation still stands today, telling this remarkable story of courage against impossible odds.

African Princess Became a Slave at Age 13

Anna Madgigine Jai came from royal blood in Senegal’s Kingdom of Jolof, born as Anta Madjiguène Ndiaye in 1793. Her father stood in line for the throne, while her mother was the king’s former niece.

She got a great education preparing her for leadership among the Wolof people.

Her comfortable noble life ended when soldiers caught her during war at just 13 years old, changing her life forever.

Slave Traders Sold Her in a Cuban Market

War hit Anna’s homeland in 1806, leading to her capture and trip to slave pens on Gorée Island. Traders shipped her across the Atlantic to Cuba’s busy slave markets.

Zephaniah Kingsley, a rich plantation owner, bought her in Havana that September. During the trip to Florida, Kingsley forced her into a sexual relationship.

She arrived at his plantation already pregnant with their first child.

She Managed a Massive Florida Plantation

Kingsley took Anna to his big Laurel Grove plantation along Florida’s St. Johns River.

He made her one of several “wives” in his odd household setup.

Despite being young, Anna quickly took charge of running the household and watching over 100 slaves. She kept her cultural practices alive while changing her African name to Anna Madgigine Jai.

Spanish Law Gave Her Freedom and Property

On March 1, 1811, Kingsley officially freed Anna and their children through Spanish law, which let slaves gain freedom through purchase or owner’s choice.

At just 18, she became a free Black citizen with legal rights in Spanish Florida.

The Spanish system soon gave her 5 acres of land, and by 1812, Anna owned 12 slaves herself, starting her journey as a property owner.

Her Bravery During War Earned Her More Land

When American raiders attacked during the War of 1812, Anna bravely defended the plantation with a gun while Kingsley traveled. The Spanish government rewarded her courage with 350 acres of land.

While Kingsley handled business trips, Anna ran multiple plantation operations with skill. Under Spanish rule, she built wealth and grew her holdings, creating security for her family.

American Laws Threatened Everything She Built

The United States took Florida through a treaty in 1821, bringing harsh new racial laws. American rules banned Black property ownership and mixed-race marriage, putting Anna’s family in danger.

Their mixed-race children could no longer legally inherit property under American law. The once-friendly Spanish system changed to a hostile racial climate that risked everything Anna worked for.

The Family Fled to Haiti for Safety

By 1838, the Kingsley family moved to Haiti to escape America’s unfair laws. Zephaniah set up a new plantation called Mayorasgo de Koka in today’s Dominican Republic.

Anna and her children moved with about 60 other freed and enslaved people from their Florida properties.

They left behind valuable land in Florida, picking family safety over wealth in an increasingly dangerous racial climate.

Her Husband’s Death Sparked a Legal Battle

Zephaniah Kingsley died in New York City on September 14, 1843, leaving a will that gave much property to Anna and their mixed-race children.

His white sister Martha McNeill and other relatives filed a court claim on November 30, 1844, trying to take the inheritance.

They claimed the will couldn’t stand under Florida law because it gave property to Black people.

A Shipwreck Brought Her Back to Fight

Tragedy struck when Anna’s oldest son George died in a shipwreck while traveling to Florida to defend the family’s legal rights. His death pushed Anna to return to Florida in 1846 to fight the will contest herself.

She faced a much more hostile racial climate in Duval County than when she left.

Still, her drive to protect her family’s inheritance made her challenge powerful white interests in court.

She Won Her Case Using an International Treaty

Anna took a clever legal approach in Duval County court in 1846. She based her case on the 1819 treaty between Spain and the United States.

This treaty protected the rights of free Blacks born before 1822, allowing them to keep the legal privileges they held under Spanish rule.

The court upheld the treaty provisions despite the hostile political climate, giving Anna a rare victory for a Black woman in antebellum Southern courts.

Her Victory Protected Generations of Her Family

The court ordered estate executors to pay Anna $2,000 in 1847.

She used this money to buy a 22-acre farm located between her daughters’ homes in what later became Jacksonville.

Her legal win set an important precedent for free Black property rights during a time when such victories were nearly impossible.

Against overwhelming odds, Anna preserved her family’s inheritance and secured their future in pre-Civil War Florida when most Black Americans had no legal standing at all.

Visiting Kingsley Plantation, Florida

Kingsley Plantation at 11676 Palmetto Avenue in Jacksonville lets you explore where Anna Madgigine Jai Kingsley won her groundbreaking 1846 inheritance case.

The grounds are free to visit daily, and you can take a GPS cell phone audio tour anytime. The planter’s house opens Friday-Sunday from 10am-noon and 2pm-4pm.

You’ll see Florida’s oldest plantation house plus remains of 25 tabby slave cabins. The visitor center gift shop is open Wednesday-Sunday 9am-4:30pm.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

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