New birth year uncovered for Maggie L. Walker

A Richmond historian has added a few years to the life of Maggie L. Walker.

Until now, it has been widely accepted that Walker, a leading figure in the fight for rights of African-Americans and women in the Jim Crow era, was born July 15, 1867 - a date she herself used throughout her life.

But Elvatrice Belsches has debunked the date with her recent discovery of a bank account opened on Aug. 10, 1872, listing Walker, then Maggie Mitchell, as 8 years old.

The record, from the Richmond branch of the now-defunct Freedman's Savings and Trust Co., refers to Walker, her parents and her brother.

"We had suspicion that the date might not have been July 15, 1867, but we weren't sure," said David Ruth, superintendent of the Maggie L. Walker National Site in Jackson Ward. "This material pretty much seals the deal."

It was a lucky find, admits Belsches, who was working on a biographical essay on local educator Virginia E. Randolph for a Harvard University publication when she found the bank record.

On her first day of research at the Library of Virginia, she found that Randolph was born in 1870 and not 1874 as believed. She confirmed the find using the library's Freedman's Bank database.

"I was elated, so I turned my attention to Walker because I knew that a Freedman's Bank account was believed not to exist. I plugged in her name, Maggie Mitchell, and the rest, as they say, is history."

Belsches says the discovery is significant not only in narrowing the date of Walker's birth but also in helping understand her background in finance. She was the first woman to charter a bank in the U.S., St. Luke Penny Savings Bank, and the first black female bank president.

"This is an invaluable find in many respects because it changes several paradigms surrounding Walker's early life," she said.

Belsches noted that historians have generally believed Walker was introduced to finance later through her involvement with the Independent Order of St. Luke, an African-American women's fraternal order she eventually led to reach 24 states and 100,000 members.

"We now know that she was introduced to thrift and banking at a much earlier age. Moreover, she was, like thousands of others, introduced to the experience of a bank's failure," Belsches said.

"These pieces of information just keep coming forward," added Ruth, noting the recent discovery of other Walker-related documents by College of William & Mary students. "I think this demonstrates that history is alive. It's not just what we read in the history books."

Contact Wesley P. Hester at (804) 649-6976 or .