Westside Story Newspaper – Online The News of The Empire – Sharing the Quest for Excellence
San Bernardino has a rich history of early Black pioneering that can be traced back before the county’s official founding in 1853. Perhaps you’ve heard the names Charles Rowan, Lizzy
Flake, Grief Embers, Toby Embers, and Martha Embers. Much less is known about Hannah
(who went by several different surnames, including as Embers and Smiley) than her famous
companion, Biddy Mason. Both Hannah and Biddy were brought to San Bernardino by Mormon slaveholders in 1851. They lived on Jumuba ranch and worked throughout the colony as skilled midwives until they won their freedom in 1856 in Los Angeles. Hannah returned to San Bernardino to live out the rest of her days. Her daughter, Martha, married Israel Beal, who was a prominent Black pioneer in Redlands.
In collaboration with the National Underground Railroad Network for Freedom, the Santa
Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, and Hannah’s descendants, we are asking the
greater San Bernardino and Redlands area for help. If you have any information or insights into the history of Hannah, Jumuba Ranch, or early Black San Bernardino, please feel free to
contact us. With your help, we aim to preserve, celebrate and uplift the often overlooked history of Black pioneering in the Inland Empire.
What we are seeking: on Jumuba Ranch and Hannah
- Oral histories
- Family archives
- Newspaper clippings
- Maps
- Sketches
- Diaries
Contacts
Angela Wilkinson (angela.ingham.wilkinson@gmail.com): direct descendent of Hannah and
Israel Beal
Dr. Kevin Waite (kevin.a.waite@durham.ac.uk): associate professor of history and project
director
Christella Maldonado (christella_maldonado@partner.nps.gov): PhD student and research
specialist in Jumuba Ranch and early San Bernardino
