Author's Note: I just added this vid for kicks. I loved Jasmine Cephas-Jones as Maria! Ok, moving on...
Maria Lewis was born March 31st, 1768 in New York City. She was one of many children of Mrs. Susanna Van Der Burgh and Mr. Richard Lewis. She had 5 siblings and a half brother. She grew up uneducated, due to her family's financial situation, but she did grow up to be literate. Two of her sisters, Susanna and Sarah had made it to adulthood, but the rest of her siblings hadn't. Their father, Richard Lewis, was a laborer, and he didn't get much for what he did. Just like Maria, he was uneducated, but on the other hand, Maria was literate and could write a bit, her father couldn't. Her mother Susanna, could only barely write her name. On July 28th, 1783, Maria, at the age of 15, was forced to marry a man by the name of James Reynolds. Her father had arranged the marriage due to the fact Reynolds had told him he was quite wealthy, in hopes of giving Maria a better life. He was wrong. James had served in the Revolutionary war for a period of time, in the commissary department, and was older that Maria by several, if not 10 years. He was known to be quite a drinker, clearly loved her for her body, and only her body.
To be continued.... Be warned, next chapter talks about rape and abuse.
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Maria's Story
Non-FictionMaria Reynolds' story. No one should be angry or call this woman a whore or a slut, because you have no idea what she has been through. This is her story, which is historically accurate, so don't think I'm making a made up story for people to pity h...
