United Order of Tents

Norfolk County · dedicated 2021 · 1620 Church St.

The United Order of Tents of J.R. Giddings and Jollifee Union, founded by and for African American women, emerged from efforts to aid enslaved people who sought freedom along the Underground Railroad. Annetta M. Lane and Harriet R. Taylor, who had both been enslaved, formally organized the Tents’ Southern District #1 in Norfolk shortly after the Civil War. A Christian mutual aid society, the Tents provided financial assistance and burial insurance, established nursing homes, sponsored scholarships, supported civil rights activists, and aided mission work abroad. National membership grew to about 50,000 in the 20th century. This property became the headquarters of Southern District #1 in 1913.

USGS Historical Topographic Map Collection

Example

under a mile from where William Gabby lived in the 1760s

what this marker records spans 1777 to 1789, overlapping William Gabby's years here

From one family's 77-marker roster

Upload your family tree and TreeAlive finds the markers near where your own ancestors lived.

See your family's markers

Start with a tree file, a FamilySearch sign in, or a WikiTree ID.

Report a problem with this page

The marker isn't at this spotOur pin may be off. If you know where it stands, tell us.I couldn't find the markerWe record what the source recorded. We have not been to look.The sign reads differentlyThat would be an error, and we can pass it to the program.The historical map looks wrongThe period map behind the pin, not the marker itself.Something else

We may pass what you report to the state's marker program. Please don't include personal details.

Marker program managed by the Virginia Department of Historic Resources.

United Order of Tents

More markers nearby