Douglass family

Douglass is an American family originating from Cordova, Maryland, United States, by primogenitor Frederick Douglass (né Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey, 1818–1895).

Douglass
Frederick Douglass (right, sitting) with grandson Joseph Douglass (left, standing) (ca 1890s).
Parent family	Bailey
Country	United States
Etymology	Douglas
Place of origin	Cordova, Talbot County, Maryland, US
Founded	1830s
Founder	Frederick Douglass
Estate(s)	Frederick Douglass National Historic Site Douglass Place

Frederick Douglass assumed the surname from the poem The Lady of the Lake (1810) by Sir Walter Scott, after his escape from slavery to hide from his former master, upon proposal by a friend:He explains in his first autobiography:[1]

I gave Mr. Johnson the privilege of choosing me a name, but told him he must not take from me the name of "Frederick." I must hold on to that, to preserve a sense of my identity. Mr. Johnson had just been reading the Lady of the Lake, and at once suggested that my name be "Douglass."

Members in selection

• Frederick Douglass (1818–1895), statesman, writer
• Anna Murray-Douglass (1813–1882) abolitionist, first wife of Frederick Douglass
  • Rosetta Douglass (1839–1906), teacher and activist
    • Fredericka Douglass Sprague Perry (1872–1943), philanthropist
  • Lewis Henry Douglass (1840–1908), soldier
  • Frederick Douglass, Jr. (1842–1892), abolitionist, essayist, newspaper editor, soldier
  • Charles Remond Douglass (1844–1920), soldier, clerk
    • Joseph Douglass (1871–1935), musician
  • Annie Douglass (1849-1860, died aged 10)
• Helen Pitts Douglass (1838–1903), suffragist, second wife of Frederick Douglass

See also

• List of things named after Frederick Douglass
• Frederick Douglass Memorial
• Frederick Douglass National Historic Site
• Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge

References

1. Douglass, Frederick (1845). Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave. Written by Himself. Boston, Massachusetts: The Anti-Slavery Office. p. 112.