Rose O'Keefe

Rose O'Keefe grew up in the suburbs of New York City, except for four years spent with her family living outside of Paris, France from 1957-1961.

After graduating from SUNY Potsdam, Rose moved to Rochester, New York, and discovered the beauty of the Genesee River Valley and Finger Lakes region on camping outings with family and friends.

Since then, she has become a local historian with a special interest in the Frederick Douglass family's years in Rochester from 1847-1872. She has enjoyed presenting slide shows on Rochester's South Wedge, the southeast side of the city, the Douglass family, and most recently, a broader look at the greater Genesee Valley.

More information is available on her website.

Anna Murray-Douglass: Frederick’s Most Important Ally

August 4, 2020 by Rose O'Keefe Leave a Comment

I offer the following tribute to Anna Douglass, first wife of Frederick Douglass and mother of their five children, on the anniversary of her death Aug. 4, 1882:

Both Frederick Bailey and Anna Murray were born in rural Maryland in the early 1800s and grew up under harsh racist customs that strictly defined roles for men and women by sex, race and class.

By the time Frederick and Anna met in the 1830s in Baltimore, his owner valued him as a slave who was a skilled caulker. Yet Anna, despite being a free woman skilled as a domestic and cook, was not well paid by her white employers. [Read more…] about Anna Murray-Douglass: Frederick’s Most Important Ally