College Commission Examines Cornelia Connelly’s Ties to Slavery

In the spring of 2018, students in Professor Michelle Moravec’s digital humanities course were researching Cornelia Connel ly’s life, particularly aspects that were not as well-known as her later accomplish ments such as founding the Society of the Holy Child Jesus. The students focused on Cornelia’s early life and came to under stand that her husband had owned, and they both had been served by, enslaved people, a fact acknowledged by the Society of the Holy Child Jesus several decades ago.

At the same time, colleges and univer sities nationwide were examining their own histories to identify and acknowledge their connections to slavery. Much of this research was spurred by a book published in 2013 by historian Craig Steven Wilder called Ebony and Ivy: Race, Slavery, and the Troubled History of America’s Universities. A significant number of schools had presidents who were slave owners or were dependent on funds from slave owners, buildings on their campuses that were built by slaves, and more.

In 2018, President Hirsh established a Commission for Rosemont to research its ties to slavery. When Rosemont first an nounced its Commission, similar studies had been, or were being conducted by Georgetown, Rutgers, Columbia, Dart mouth, and nearby Bryn Mawr College. Also, in 2018, Harvard hosted a major conference on Slavery and Universities. Since then, many other schools – includ ing neighboring Villanova University – have launched studies of their institution’s connections to slavery.

“I’ve tried to follow all of the many, many colleges and universities that are going through this process,” said President Hirsh. “To my knowledge, Rosemont is the smallest institution to undertake this process to date. I think we should be very proud of this work and this experience.”

Members of the commission – led by Sr. Jeanne Hatch, SHCJ, vice president for Mission at Rosemont and Troy Chiddick, dean of students – examined documents from the SHCJ archives at Rosemont and Oxford, England.

Rosemont was founded after the institu tion of slavery had been abolished, but as

Erin Brown, a descendant of two enslaved people owned by the Connelly family, visited Rosemont's Campus.

Professor Moravec’s class and the Com mission had learned, the founder of the SHCJ and her family had connections to slavery, as did many who lived in the American South in the 1830s.

Joyce Norcini ’77 This class learned that Pierce Connel ly, Cornelia’s husband, once owned enslaved people. In 1831, Cornelia married Pierce Connelly, an Episcopalian priest, and they moved to Natchez, Mississip pi. When their first child, Mercer, was born in 1832, Dr. William Mercer, a close friend, gave the family two of his slaves: Phoebe Grayson and her daughter, Sar ah Goff (also known as Sally). Connelly also owned Phoebe’s grandchildren: George, Mary, and James Henry and two additional people outside of this family unit, Jenny and Abraham. These people labored for Pierce and Cornelia, who eventually sold or transferred ownership of them.

In 1838, after their conversion to Catholicism, the Connelly’s moved to Grand Coteau, Louisiana, and lived among Catholic slave owners. In 1842, before returning to Europe to pursue the priesthood, Pierce sold Sally and her children to the Jesuit community at St. Charles College. Phoebe, by then in her later years, was given to the Jesuits.

At the end of January, Erin Brown, the great-great-great-great granddaughter of Phoebe Grayson and the great-great-great granddaughter of Sally Gough, visited Rosemont to meet and personally thank the members of the Commission for their work. Brown also met with Sr. Carroll Julia no, Society Leader of the SHCJ American Province. The SHCJ had been in commu nication with descendants long before the College and Brown’s visit.

“I want to thank Rosemont for caring enough about the issue to establish a Commission on the Legacy of Slavery,” said Brown. “The reality is that Phoebe and Sally were gifted to the Connelly family before they converted to Catholicism and were kept until sold after Pierce decid ed to become a priest in 1842. As such, while they were Catholic slave owners, it fortunately does not have bearing on Cornelia after she decided to answer God’s call to become a nun and doesn’t reflect on the SHCJ or the College. Also, when they did sell them, which was done on her husband’s behalf, she at least sold them to the Jesuits so the Gough family could stay together. That is a silver lining on the very dark cloud known as slavery.”

In addition to the Connelly family, the Commission also researched the College, the Society of the Holy Child Jesus, and the Archdiocese of Philadel phia.

“In light of the mission of the Col lege ‘to meet the wants of the age,’ President Hirsh charged the Commission to research the College’s connections to Slavery,” said Sr. Jeanne. “Although the study revealed no direct connec tion to slavery, the College has benefited from a national economy supported by a system of enslaved persons. It is the hope of the commission that the nine recommendations will inspire and enable the wider College community to work toward a more equitable Soci ety eradicating injustice and racism. It was my privilege to work with dedicat ed individuals who pursued the charge with a compassionate desire for greater equity in our world.”

The commission has produced a final report entitled "Rosemont Col lege: An Account of Connections with Enslaved People" that was submitted to the College Archives.

The Commission has made the following recommendations: 1. Integrate Rosemont’s connection with enslaved peoples and institu tional racism into the official history of the College presented to adminis trators, employees, faculty and staff, students, alumni, and trustees. 2. Review and further develop a curriculum that reflects current developments in studies in racism and social justice. 3. Create opportunities for members of our community to share how we are impacted by the lasting connections of enslaved peoples in order to learn from our different stories, perspec tives, and experiences, and to build an inclusive campus culture. 4. That Rosemont College plan a Ser vice of Reconciliation that incorporates rituals from our Catholic tradition, as well as those of other faith traditions, and that includes descendants of Phoebe Grayson and

Sarah Goff, as well as early Black members of our alumni, faculty, and staff. 5. That a permanent marker of this history be constructed on campus in

consultation with the Mission and Min istry Action Committee (MMAC) as well as with descendants of Phoebe Grayson and Sarah Goff and early Black members of our alumni, faculty, and staff. 6. That the Institute for Ethical Leadership and Social Responsibility focus its annu al Symposium on the Effects of Racism and integrate this topic into a four-year cycle, beginning in 2021. 7. That Rosemont dedicate resources to capture oral histories to offer a more complete history of Black members of the College community. 8. That Rosemont College join with others in Catholic Higher Education addressing structural and institutional racism in both the Church and society. 9. That this report and supporting docu ments regarding Rosemont’s connection to enslaved peoples be placed in the

College Archives as part of its institu tional memory.

The recommendations were turned over to the MMAC. The members of that standing committee have already met and accepted the transfer of all recommenda tions to their agenda.

At the January Open Campus Meeting, President Hirsh explained to the Rosemont community that the original report will be filed in the Archives, but a second copy will serve as a “living document,” open to further information, documentation, or editing as time goes on.

“Cornelia Connelly’s legacy illustrates how the church’s history in America is complicated, but that is why the work the Commission does is worthy of sustained effort, so I hope that it continues,” said Brown.

Members of the College's Commission on the Legacy of Slavery gathered for dinner with Erin Brown during her visit to campus in January 2020.