1816 - 1911
Written by Valore Lott
My great great grandmother Elizabeth “Betsey” Madison was born a slave around 1816 in Pensacola, Florida. She arrived in Bastrop County, Texas with her enslaver in the late 1840’s from Gipson County, Tennessee. Though records suggest that she was the mother of at least 11, later records show that only eight sons reached adulthood. She remained in Bastrop County, enslaved, until emancipation at which time she and several of her adult and two underage sons moved to Austin, leaving behind her husband Emanual and three sons. Betsey was one of the charter members of historical Ebenezer Third Baptist Church in 1875.
Several of Betsey’s sons reached significant community prominence. Henry S Madison was the first African American to serve Austin city council when he was appointed by reconstructionist governor Edmund Davis in 1871. Prior to and following this council appointment, Henry served as a community and political activist during the dangerous Reconstruction years. John W. Madison was one of the first mailmen hired when Austin set up its first mailbox delivery. It was quite a trusted role to be appointed to deliver mail at that time. Mailmen were government employees with salaries and benefits. John held trustee roles at Sam Houston College and historical Wesley Chapel. Her son, Rev. Charles ‘CL’ Madison, was a prominent and active minister in the regional African American Methodist church district and served at Wesley Chapel as pastor for three terms.
Betsey died at the age of 96 in 1911. She lived most of her Austin life with her sons John and Henry who lived next door to each other at 803 and 807 East 11th street at the bottom of Robertson Hill. Henry’s original cabin has been preserved by Austin Parks and Recreation and moved to Rosewood Park. A notable figure in her community, the Austin American Statesman Saturday edition (11/28/1911) announced her death as a column feature on page 6 which was rarely done for any African American citizen on any page of the newspaper on any day of the week.
Colored Grounds, Oakwood Cemetery