Sylvia Wilson

Sylvia Wilson was born in Maryland around 1815, but little is known about her early life.¹ She is often mentioned by historians when discussing the infamous kidnapping of her husband, Henry Wilson, from the Washington, D.C. boardinghouse of Ann Sprigg in 1848.² Henry was enslaved at the time but was working toward purchasing his freedom from his enslaver. One day, armed men entered the boardinghouse and seized Henry. He was quickly transported to Alexandria, Virginia, a hub of slave trade activity just across the Potomac River. Ohio Representative Joshua R. Giddings called for an investigation in Congress, and later worked with others to raise funds to return Henry to Washington, D.C. before he could be sent to the Deep South.³ In these accounts, Sylvia is often mentioned in passing as a servant who previously worked for President William Henry Harrison at the White House, but there is no known documentation to confirm at this time.⁴ 

Sylvia and Henry appear as free people in the 1850 Census living in Washington, D.C., and are both listed as “laborers.” In the 1860 Census, Sylvia is listed as a cook and Henry a musician. There is little else known about Sylvia’s later life at this time.