Anna Brooks – Waitress, Maid, Ex-Slave (c. 1850 – 1934); Lawrence
In Brief:
Rebecca Brooks Harvey’s daughter, Anna Brooks, had escaped slavery with her mother. She had been born about 1850 in Arkansas, probably the result of a white owner taking advantage of Rebecca. Anna worked as a domestic or maid and as a waitress in Lawrence.
More Information:
Anna Brooks escaped slavery with her mother, Rebecca Brooks Harvey, her mother’s husband David Harvey, and her half-brother, William W. Harvey.[1] They left Arkansas with General James G. Blunt’s Union Army troops and 100 other slaves, headed for freedom. Anna, her mother and brother arrived in Lawrence on January 26, 1863.[2]
Anna was born into slavery about 1850 in Arkansas, probably the result of a white owner taking advantage of Rebecca.[3] She worked as a domestic or maid and as a waitress in Lawrence. She lived with her half-brothers later in her life.[4] She passed away on June 21, 1934, and rests at Oak Hill Cemetery in Lawrence with her brother Frederick.[5]
Read more about her life and her mother’s full story at: Harvey, Rebecca Brooks
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- [1] Katie Armitage, “Seeking A Home Where He Himself Is Free,” Kansas History: A Journal of the Central Plains 31, Autumn 2008, 155, 172; findagrave.com/memorial/33920682/william-w-harvey
- [2] “Her Life Was Epic: Eventful Career of Mrs. Rebecca Harvey Who Died Yesterday,” undated newspaper obituary.
- [3] Armitage, “Seeking A Home,” 172.
- [4] Ibid.
- [5] findagrave.com/memorial/223086359/anna-brooks
By M. Jardon, May 2026
Image: Kansas Collection, Kenneth Spencer Research Library, University of Kansas Libraries, Lawrence, Kansas
