Ann Eliza Douglass

The Clements Library at the University of Michigan has a collection of “David Bates Douglass Papers” which include 1,191 letters, documents and manuscripts relating to many aspects of Douglass’s family and professional life beginning in 1812. From this collection a biography was written which includes this passage:

“Douglass also enjoyed good fortune with his family. During their time at West Point, Ann gave birth to ten children. Eight of those children survived: Charles, Andrew, Sarah, Henry, Malcolm, Emily, Ellen, and Mary. The nature of Douglass's work often saw him away from home, and he frequently wrote long letters to his children with instructions for improving their education. Douglass spent considerable time worrying over the books his children read, the subjects they chose to study in school, and their religious education, while Ann implemented a daily study routine for both the boys and the girls, tended to the quotidian needs of her children, and managed the household.”