Rebecca Primus (1836-1932), a trained teacher from a well established family in Hartford Connecticut, was sent to Royal Oak, Maryland to establish a school for freed African Americans. The purpose was to bring literacy to formerly enslaved people. She had an above average education, was northern born, middle class and single, making her a perfect candidate to move south and teach the freed people. Those that headed south had a dual purpose; education was the reason they were sent, but uplifting the community was their mission.
*See source 2 below for more info. on the photograph
So at the age of 29 she left her home and traveled to Talbot County to establish what would eventually be the Primus Institute. The fact that the school was named after her was remarkable and speaks to how highly she was regarded. She began a career teaching in the local church and eventually built a school, “larger than the white school” from wood used as Civil War barracks. She was responsible for gathering the funds to build the actual school house at a cost of approximately $400. Not only did she teach the children during the day, she taught adults in the evening and Sabbath school on Sundays. It’s believed that in the year 2000 an arsonist torched what was the Primus Institute. During her time in Royal Oak she became an integral part of their community.
Further Reading
- Beloved Sisters and Loving Friends: Letters from Rebecca Primus of Royal Oak, Maryland, and Addie Brown of Hartford, Connecticut, 1854-1868 edited and with commentaries throughout by Farah Jasmine Griffin
- This book, published in 1999, includes correspondence from Rebecca and her close friend Addie Brown. Some of these letters can be interpreted as depicting a possible romantic relationship between the two.
- Trinity College’s Primus Project
- Trinity College, located in Primus’s home city of Hartford, CT, has begun a project to research the institution’s past and improve its future, named after Rebecca Primus. Their site also includes a biography on her.
Sources
1. This biography was written by General Manager Peggy Morey as part of our 2018 exhibit “The Women of Talbot County.”
2. The photograph above is The Talcott Street Congregation, circa 1930, from the book “Beloved Sisters and Loving Friends” by Dr. Farah Jasmine Griffin on page 214. Church Mother, Rebecca Primus Thomas, is in the second row, seventh from left.