Luray in Page County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
Bethany Veney
"Aunt Betty’s Story"
— The Long Road to Freedom —
Bethany had several owners in Page County, one of "a most violent temper," but found comfort in her religious faith. She met and married a fellow slave, Jerry Fickland, but they were separated when he was sold and taken south. "I stifled my anger and grief..." Bethany remembered. "So we parted forever, in this world."
Bethany's daughter with Jerry, Charlotte, was born in 1844. But the joy of her birth was tempered by fear. "You can never understand the slave mother's emotions as she clasps her new-born child," she said, "And knows that a master's word can at any moment take it from her embrace."
In the 1850s, she married Frank Veney, gave birth to a son, Joe, and earned enough money to rent her own home. She and Joe were purchased by a northerner in 1858, taken to Rhode Island in 1859, and then freed. Soon after, John Brown's 1859 raid on Harpers Ferry and the Civil War cut off communication with her "old home."
Joe sickened and died in late 1859. Bethany moved to Worcester, Massachusetts, where she built a new life and become a successful businesswoman. When the war ended, she journeyed back to Luray where, "I found my daughter Charlotte grown to womanhood, married, and had one child." She brought Charlotte and her family (and eventually 16 family members) back north.
With the help of a close friend of Frederick Douglass, Bethany published Aunt Betty's Story in 1889. She died in Charlotte's home in 1916.
Erected 2023 by Shenandoah Valley Battlefields.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • War, US Civil • Women. A significant historical year for this entry is 1813.
Location. 38° 39.815′ N, 78° 28.642′ W. Marker is in Luray, Virginia, in Page County. Marker can be reached from the intersection of West Main Street (Business U.S. 211) and Carillon Drive (Business U.S. 211), on the right when traveling west. Located in the Bethany Veney Remembrance Garden. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 41 Carillon Drive, Luray VA 22835, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Fort Philip Long (approx. ¼ mile away); Andrew Jackson School (approx. ¼ mile away); The World's First Bluegrass Festival (approx. 0.3 miles away); The Luray Valley Museum (approx. 0.3 miles away); Luray Caverns Virginia (approx. 0.3 miles away); Luray Caverns (approx. 0.3 miles away); Willow Grove Mill In Olden Days (approx. 0.3 miles away); The Shenk Farm (approx. 0.3 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Luray.
Also see . . . Bethany Veney. The Long Road to Freedom website. (Submitted on July 4, 2023, by Linda Walcroft of Woodstock, Virginia.)
Credits. This page was last revised on July 8, 2023. It was originally submitted on July 4, 2023, by Linda Walcroft of Woodstock, Virginia. This page has been viewed 103 times since then and 36 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on July 4, 2023, by Linda Walcroft of Woodstock, Virginia. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.