Mott House
4 Pryer Manor Road
This is a private residence - please be respectful.
Brief History
This historic home was once the residence of James and Lucretia Mott, prominent Quakers known for their abolitionist and suffragist beliefs.
During their time in Mamaroneck, the Motts operated a flourishing flour mill, aptly named The Mott Mill, which prospered due to the high demand for flour in Europe caused by disruptions from the French Revolution. The couple lived here with their six children during the Revolutionary War.
A Complicated History...
James Mott, a descendant of Ann Parson (wife of town founder John Richbell), came from a family intertwined with the history of slavery in Mamaroneck. Despite their Quaker traditions, the Motts initially owned two enslaved workers: Billy and Jinny.
Who were they?
Jinny was born free in Africa, the daughter of a king. She described her early life as full of joy: “no frost, no ice, no snow – without care and without clothes.” Her life changed forever in 1744 when she was kidnapped and sold in New York City’s slave market. Samuel Underhill, James Mott’s father-in-law, purchased her.
Billy, or, “Banjo Billy”, was born in 1728 in Long Island to enslaved parents and sold to Samuel Underhill's neighbor. Underhill traded to acquire Billy when he later moved to a farm in Mamaroneck to prevent separating the couple. James Mott eventually bought the farm, acquiring both Jinny and Billy with it.
Despite gaining their freedom through the New York Society of Friends' (A Quaker group) abolitionist decree, Jinny and Billy chose to stay with the Mott family, raising a large family at the mill.
A Familiar Name
James and Lucretia Mott were deeply committed to the abolition of slavery. James famously refused to use products tied to slave labor, avoiding cotton-based goods and opting for maple syrup over cane sugar. James Mott’s brother, Richard Mott, shared the Motts' abolitionist ideals, producing anti-slavery calendar pamphlets.
After moving to Philadelphia, Lucretia became a national figure in both the abolitionist and women’s suffrage movements, going on to be a main organizer of the Seneca Falls Convention. The initial writer of the Equal Rights Amendment even named the document the "Lucretia Mott Amendment".