Monimia Travers was born in Virginia around 1801 and was brought to Fort Vancouver by Captain Llewellyn Jones prior to 1850. Captain Jones purchased Monimia from her previous owner, Isaac Burbayge in April of 1849, prior to the Jones’ journey to the Oregon Territory. In a manumission (the act of a slave owner setting their slave free) document recorded in May 1851, Jones states he is giving her "…freedom unconditionally, and she is in all respects free to go and do as may seem to her most to her advantage, without let or hindrance from me, my agents, heirs or assigns."

In another document he states that Monimia “is an honest and perfectly conscientious woman and deserves kind and good treatment at the hands of every one.”

Why Captain Jones "freed" her is not known but there is some speculation that Jones left the Oregon Territory "within days"​ of granting Monimia her freedom. Another possible reason was that a few months before Monimia was freed the Oregon Spectator published the laws passed by the Territorial Legislature that excluded Blacks and Mulattoes from coming to Oregon and indicated that the laws would be enforced. Whatever the reason, Monimia was granted her freedom.

 

What happened to her after this is unknown since she does not appear in any Oregon or Washington census records.

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