The Montiers: From Enslavement to Paul Robeson and Beyond

The important story of an interracial family that can be traced through multiple generations and into the 21st century.The African-American Montier family traces its roots to the British-born Caucasian son of Philadelphia’s first mayor, Richard Morrey, who had a relationship with Cremona, a young woman who had been enslaved by the Morrey family, resulting in five mixed-race children. Before his death, Richard would pass to Cremona 200 acres of land, giving her an almost unique position in 18th-century Philadelphia. On this land a small Black town known as Guineatown would grow up, with an associated cemetery. Cremona’s descendants and luminaries associated with the family include Cyrus Bustill, a black activist and baker who made bread for the Continental Army; David Bustill Bowser, a 19th-century activist who designed and created the colors for eleven African-American regiments at Camp William Penn; the great Paul Robeson, renowned scholar, lawyer, diplomat, athlete, singer, and actor; and William Pickens, Sr., a co-founder of the NAACP. The Montiers traces this unique family to the present day.Table of Contents1. The Origins and Life of Cremona Morrey2. The Powerful Slaveholding English, New York, and Philadelphia Quaker Backgrounds of Richard and Humphrey Morrey3. A Forbidden Romance Develops during Racially Explosive Times4. Richard Morrey: A Gentleman Player?5. Richard and Cremona’s Visible, Child-Producing Relationship6. Richard Passes to Cremona Nearly 200 Acres Before His Death7. Was the Relationship True Love or Coerced?8. Cremona, Jr. and Her Relationship with Husband John Montier during the Revolutionary War9. The Development of Guineatown, Home to Descendant Cyrus Bustill and Other Early Residents10. Early and Modern Descendants of the Family, including Paul Robeson and William Pickens, Sr., a Co-Founder of the NAACP and Philly’s Pioneering Black Lawyers11. The Legacy of the Historic Interracial Relationship, including the Disappearance of 73 Guineatown Graves Read more