author
Nancy Prince
b. 1799
Born free in Massachusetts at the turn of the 19th century, this remarkable traveler turned a life of hardship and movement into a vivid memoir. Her writing offers a rare firsthand view of Russia, Jamaica, and Black life in the Atlantic world.
2 Audiobooks
About the author
Nancy Gardner Prince was an African American writer and traveler born on September 15, 1799, in Newburyport, Massachusetts. Best known for her 1850 memoir, A Narrative of the Life and Travels of Mrs. Nancy Prince, she left behind one of the few published firsthand accounts by a Black American woman of her era.
After marrying Nero Prince in 1824, she traveled to Russia and lived in St. Petersburg for years, where she witnessed major events and wrote about everyday life, politics, and religion. Later, she spent time in Jamaica doing missionary and relief work, and her memoir connects these journeys with reflections on race, freedom, poverty, and faith.
Prince's life stands out for its range and independence. Writing as a free Black woman in the 19th century, she recorded experiences that historians and readers still value for their detail, courage, and unusual global perspective.