There are no known contemporary images of a woman enslaved by Stephen Heard known simply as Mammy Kate, but early references described her as imposing, over 6 feet tall, very strong and fearless. She also declared herself to be the daughter of an African king. These firsthand accounts are part of an oral tradition among the descendants of Stephen Heard that have elevated Mammy Kate to near mythological status for her bravery in freeing Heard from his British captors at Augusta during the American Revolution.
On 14 February 1779, Heard was present at the Battle of Kettle Creek and was subsequently captured and imprisoned at Fort Cornwallis in Augusta. He would have been executed had he remained there. Hearing of his capture, Mammy Kate set out on his horse, Lightfoot, and after reaching the Augusta, gained the trust of the British soldiers at Fort Cornwallis by doing their laundry, and therefore got close to Heard. The story goes that she convinced him to get into a basket and she carried him out on her head. This part may be apocryphal, but is central to the story. She did in fact get Stephen Heard safely back to Fort Heard, (present-day Washington, Georgia). Mammy Kate was given her freedom for this daring act, as well as a small plot of land and a four-room house. She continued to live at Heardmont alongside her husband, Daddy Jack, who remained enslaved and worked as Heard’s gardener. Ironically, Mammy Kate left her nine children to Stephen Heard’s children upon her death. It does raise questions as to the broader relationship dynamics at work but there is nothing to be found, even in genealogical resources that I’ve consulted.
Published accounts of this story emphasize that Mammy Kate lived in “freedom from care and want” and that she loved her “kind” master. It should be pointed out that, ultimately, African-Americans, even free African-Americans, didn’t have carefree lives or a sense of self determination at this time and such accounts should be taken at face value and within a broader context.
Even less is known about Daddy Jack than Mammy Kate. I was unable to find any mention of their countries of origin in Africa or their children.
A 2011 article in the Athens-Banner Herald notes that Mammy Kate was the first Black woman in Georgia honored as a patriot by the Sons of the American Revolution and Daughters of the American Revolution. Daddy Jack was also afforded this honorific. Heard’s descendants, who have diligently worked to preserve family stories over the centuries, were happy to see the recognition for Mammy Kate and Daddy Jack.
The very presence of two marble slabs bearing their names in the Heard Cemetery is proof that Mammy Kate and Daddy Jack were held in high esteem. Unfortunately, there are no birth or death dates on their memorials. They were likely installed at the same time, possibly years after their deaths. I can’t think of another enslaved man or woman who died before Emancipation that are honored in this way, though I imagine there could be a few in existence.