author

Nancy Prince

b. 1799

Born free in Newburyport, Massachusetts, this 19th-century traveler and memoirist wrote a rare firsthand account of life as a Black woman moving through Russia, Jamaica, and the United States. Her narrative blends personal history, religious faith, and sharp observations about race, freedom, and reform.

2 Audiobooks

A Narrative of the Life and Travels of Mrs. Nancy Prince

A Narrative of the Life and Travels of Mrs. Nancy Prince

by Nancy Prince

The West Indies: Being a Description of the Islands, Progress of Christianity, Education, and Liberty Among the Colored Population Generally

The West Indies: Being a Description of the Islands, Progress of Christianity, Education, and Liberty Among the Colored Population Generally

by Nancy Prince

About the author

Nancy Gardner Prince was born on September 15, 1799, in Newburyport, Massachusetts, to free parents of African and Native American descent. She later became known for her memoir, A Narrative of the Life and Travels of Mrs. Nancy Prince, a valuable firsthand account of her life and journeys in the 1800s.

After marrying Nero Prince in 1824, she traveled widely, including years in Russia and later time in Jamaica. Her writing reflects the unusual breadth of those experiences and offers a vivid view of the worlds she moved through as a Black American woman in the 19th century.

Prince was also active in religious and reform circles, including antislavery work in Boston. She is remembered today not only for the places she traveled, but for preserving her own story in her own words.