The Untold History Of Lucy And Albert Parsons

Lucy Parsons was born Lucia in 1851 in Virginia to an enslaved woman named Charlotte. According to Princeton University, Lucy's biological father was most likely Thomas J. Taliaferro — the man enslaving her and her mother. Throughout her life, Lucy gave varying answers about her ethnicity and "preferred that people speculate about her origins." When a reporter pressed for more information, Lucy reportedly stated, "I am not a candidate for office, and the public have no right to my past." And although Lucy claimed to have Black, Indigenous, and Latinx heritage, there are no records that indicate that she had Native or Latinx ancestry.

Albert Richard Parsons was born on June 20, 1848, in Montgomery, Alabama, and was descended from the Parsons family that landed in Narragansett Bay in 1632. According to his autobiography — written in 1886 after he was sentenced to death — Albert enlisted in the Confederate Army after his "young blood caught the infection" of war. Albert remained in the army for 18 months, joining Capt. Richard Parsons' Texas Cavalry Brigade afterward.

After the Civil War, both Lucy and Albert ended up in Waco, Texas. Lucy ended up briefly — though possibly not legally — married to Oliver Benton, a freed Black man 20 years older than her. Meanwhile, Albert became a Republican and attended Waco University for six months. Lucy also completed some schooling, and in the time before she met Albert, she had a child who died in infancy.

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