Clara Vaught

The Boston Vigilance Committee recorded the various times Clara Vaught assisted freedom seekers.

Account Book of Francis Jackson, Treasurer The Vigilance Committee of Boston

Quick Facts

Significance:

A formerly enslaved abolitionist who assisted freedom seekers

Place of Birth:

Wilmington, North Carolina

Date of Birth:

c. 1812

Place of Death:

Boston, Massachusetts

Date of Death:

June 11, 1874

Born circa 1812 in Wilmington, North Carolina to Melinda and Thomas, Clara Vaught,¹ a Black woman, likely began her life enslaved.² Following her birth, Vaught remained largely absent from the historical record. However, in December 1852, the Account Book of Francis Jackson, Treasurer the Boston Vigilance Committee credited Vaught for boarding three freedom seekers at her home in Boston.³ It can be inferred that between 1812 and 1855, Vaught escaped enslavement and ultimately came to reside in Boston.

In March 1855, Jackson’s Account Book again credited Vaught for her work with freedom seekers, recording “Clara Vaught for boarding Geo. Mapsin.”⁴ The same year, the Massachusetts Census noted Eliza Cecil, age 11, and George Mapson, age 10, as members of Vaught’s household, which suggests that the George Mapson recorded in the Massachusetts Census is the same Geo. Mapsin recorded in Jackson’s Account Book.⁵ In 1855, the Massachusetts Census began on May 1, which indicates that the freedom seeker Mapson boarded with Vaught for at least two months, perhaps longer.⁶

1855 Massachusetts State Census Record listing Clara Vaught, Eliza Cecil, and George Mapsin.

In June 1856, Jackson’s Account Book again credited Vaught for opening her home to freedom seekers, noting “Clara Vaut for Elizabeth White from Edenton.”⁷ During 1859, Vaught continued her work aiding freedom seekers. On January 27, 1859 Jackson’s Account Book reimbursed Vaught $7.50 for boarding a Chas. Parmeter, and in April 1859 reimbursed Vaught a further $11.50 for boarding James Gaston and providing him with two shirts.⁸

Just four years prior to her death, the 1870 United States Census recorded Vaught as unable to read or write and with the occupation of “keeping house.” The Boston City Directory for 1870 recorded Vaught as married, a resident of 3 Sears Place, Boston, Massachusetts, and with the occupation of “intelligence office.”⁹ On June 11, 1874, Vaught died in Boston at the estimated age of sixty-two.¹⁰

Footnotes

1. Records vary on the correct spelling of Clara Vaught’s surname. The most frequent spelling is “Vaught,” although “Vaut” and “Voht” also appear in credible sources.
2. Massachusetts Vital Records, 1840–1911. New England Historic Genealogical Society, Boston, Massachusetts.
3. The Vigilance Committee of Boston, Account Book of Francis Jackson, Treasurer The Vigilance Committee of Boston (Marlboro, NH: The Chalet Underhill Farm, 1851), 24.
4. The Vigilance Committee of Boston, Account Book, 32.
5. Massachusetts. 1855–1865 Massachusetts State Census [microform]. New England Historic Genealogical Society, Boston, Massachusetts. Accessed through Ancestry.com
6. “Massachusetts, U.S., State Census, 1855.” Ancestry®. Ancestry®. Accessed January 19, 2021. Ancestry.com
7. The Vigilance Committee of Boston, Account Book, 50.
8. The Vigilance Committee of Boston, Account Book, 62.
9. Year: 1870; Census Place: Boston Ward 6, Suffolk, Massachusetts; Roll: M593_643; Page: 115B; Family History Library Film: 552142 and Mrs. Clara Vaught in U.S. City Directories, 1822-1995.
10. Town and City Clerks of Massachusetts. Massachusetts Vital and Town Records. Provo, UT: Holbrook Research Institute (Jay and Delene Holbrook).