Timeline Description: Jane Pittman is a fictional character in The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman. This novel tells the life story of a 110 year old African-American woman born into slavery, and still alive at the time of the Civil Rights Movement.
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 1850 | Birth of Jane Pittman(Early 1850s) Jane Pittman was born into slavery in the early 1850s. She was named Ticey at birth. |
| 1864 | A Union Soldier Gave Ticey the Name Jane A Union Soldier, Corporal Brown, tells 10 year old Ticey that Ticey is a slave name. He named her Jane Brown. She was later beaten when she announced her name was Jane Brown. |
| 1865 | Master Bryant Reads Emancipation Proclamation Some two years after the Proclamation, Jane's master finally tells his slaves of the Emancipation Proclamation. |
| June 27, 1865 | Passage of the 13th Amendment The 1865 passage of the 13th Amendment formally abolished slavery. Conditions for many slaves did not improve immediately. |
| August 11, 1865 | Massacre Jane, an orphan, and other freed slaves leave the plantation, led by Big Laura. A group of white patrollers attacks the group as they head North. Laura and her baby are killed, but Laura's young son, Ned, survives. Jane went on to raise Ned as her own. Jane hoped to reach Ohio and Corporal Brown. |
| August 15, 1865 | Moved to New Plantation After travelling with Ned for a short time, Jane accepted that she would not make it to Ohio and took work as a field hand on Mr. Bone's plantation. Jane worked on the plantation for the next ten to 12 years. |
| September 13, 1873 | Ned Moved Out Ned, now an adult, moved out of the house in September 1873. He had come into conflict with local white power groups, likely the Ku Klux Klan and was in danger. He moved to Kansas to avoid the danger presented, and later joined the army. |
| 1873 | Jane Married Joe Pittman After Ned left, Jane married Joe Pittman. Together, the two moved to a ranch near the Texas-Louisiana border, where Joe has found work. |
| June 8, 1876 | Joe Pittman Died In June 1876, Joe died, while trying to recapture a loose stallion. |
| July 27, 1898 | Ned and His Family Came Home Ned came home with his family, including his wife and three children. He began building a school, and taught egalitarian ideas. |
| July 26, 1899 | Ned Died Local whites were threatened by Ned's teachings. They hired a Cajun man, Albert Cluveau, to shoot and kill Ned. He did, and Ned died only a year after he returned. |
| March 17, 1912 | Death of Albert Cluveau When Cluveau lay dying, Jane told him the chariot of hell was coming for him. He died in fear and in pain, tormented by his own actions. |
| March 11, 1920 | Moved to Samson Plantation In March 1920, Jane moved to the Samson Plantation. There, she comes in contact with both whites and African-Americans challenging racial norms and beliefs. |
| August 20, 1921 | Jane Found Religion Jane had a religious experience or vision in August 1921. She was already nearly 70 years old. |
| August 12, 1958 | Jimmy "The One" Died A baby named Jimmy was born at the Samson Plantation and many on the plantation recognized him as a potential civil rights leader. He grew up to lead the people in the community as a civil rights leader. He was shot and killed at a protest. |
| August 17, 1958 | Jane Led Civil Rights Protest Only days after Jimmy's death, Jane led people in her community to join a civil rights protest in his name. Jane is, at this time, more than 100 years old. |
| 1962 | Jane Told her Story In 1962, Jane told her life story. |