Oney

Oney Judge was a slave who lived and worked at Monticello, the plantation estate of Thomas Jefferson, the third President of the United States. She was born around 1773, and her exact date of birth is not known. Oney was among the 600 slaves owned by Jefferson at the time of his death in 1826. As a slave, Oney's life revolved around serving the large household and working in the fields to maintain the plantation's agricultural output.

Oney married a slave named Julius Jefferson, and the couple had two children, Peter and Martha. After Thomas Jefferson's death, Oney acted on her freedom, which had been awarded to her in Jefferson's will, and refused to return to Monticello to join her former owner's daughter, Martha Jefferson Randolph. This outcome was a significant consequence for Oney, as she had opportunities available to her as a free woman that were not accessible to her as a slave.

Free black women in the early 19th century in the United States had limited options and faced numerous challenges. However, valuable relationships were made by Oney in her life as a free person. She found independence and started a new life. Her legacy lived on, representing one of the courageous narratives of lives of free African American women during this time period in United States history.