Connect with us

METRO

Sarah Forbes Bonetta- The Yoruba Slave Who Became Queen Victoria’s Goddaughter

Published

on

By

Sarah Forbes Bonetta was originally born ‘Aina’ in 1843 to Egbado parents of the Yoruba ethnic group.

Her father was the high chief of Oke-Odan, an Egbado village in western Nigeria, till he was killed in 1848 when King Gezo of Dahomey, one of the notorious slave raiders in the 19th century, raided his village. Sarah’s parents and siblings whose names are unknown were killed in the raid which turned Sarah, an Egbado princess, into a slave.

Many of the villagers captured during the raid were made slaves and sacrificed to the gods of Dahomey but fortunately for Sarah, she was saved by the quick intervention of Captain Frederick E. Forbes, a British naval officer who was on a visit to Dahomey kingdom to persuade King Gezo to abolish slave trade…Click Here To Continue Reading>> …Click Here To Continue Reading>>

Captain Frederick E. Forbes persuaded King Gezo to present Sarah (then Aina) as a gift to Queen Victoria, he said: “She would be a present from the King of the Blacks to the Queen of the Whites.” King Gezo agreed and thus Sarah’s life was spared and subsequently she was named Sarah, Forbes, the captain’s surname and Bonetta which was the name of his ship (HMS Bonetta).

On the 9th of November, 1850, Captain Frederick Forbes took Sarah to Great Britain to meet Queen Victoria at Windsor castle. The Queen admired Sarah’s intelligence and ability to learn quickly.

Even Captain Frederick wrote: “She is a perfect genius; she now speaks English well, and has great talent for music… She is far in advance of any white child of her age in aptness of learning, and strength of mind and affection…” Shortly after, Captain Frederick Forbes died and so Sarah was sent to the Schoen family in Palm Cottage, Gillingham. Queen Victoria adopted Sarah as her goddaughter and sponsored her education.

Being the Queen’s goddaughter, Sarah had unlimited access to Windsor castle like other members of the royal family. Shortly after Sarah began to live with the Schoen family, she developed a health problem due to the damp weather of Britain.

Queen Victoria arranged for her migration to Sierra Leone to continue her education at the Female Institution, a CMS school in Freetown where she excelled in music and her academics. In 1855, Sarah returned to Great Britain.

Portrait of Sarah Forbes Bonetta Davies photographed by Camille Silvy
Portrait of Sarah Forbes Bonetta Davies photographed by Camille Silvy

In January 1862, Sarah Forbes Bonetta, now 19 years old, attended the wedding of the Queen’s eldest child, Princess Royal Victoria, as a guest. READ FULL STORY HERE>>>CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE READING>>>

Seven months later, she was offered a marriage to Captain James Labulo Davies, a 31-year-old wealthy Yoruba businessman who lives in Britain. Sarah was reluctant to accept the offer due to reasons known to her but she eventually accepted after much persuasion.

The wedding took place in August 1862 at the St. Nicholas Church in Brighton, England. It was such an extravagant one; dignitaries from different parts of the world were in attendance.

Sarah Forbes Bonetta and James Labulo Davies
Sarah Forbes Bonetta and James Labulo Davies

The new couple moved back to Africa and settled in the town of Badagary in Lagos, Nigeria. Shortly after her marriage, Sarah Forbes Davies had her first daughter and requested for permission from Queen Victoria to name her Victoria.

The Queen granted the permission and also adopted baby Victoria as her goddaughter. In 1867, Sarah and her daughter visited the Queen then returned to Lagos where she had two more children named Arthur and Stella. Sarah was diagonised with tuberculosis and later died on August 15, 1880 at the age of 37. She was buried in Funchal, Madiera Island, Portugal.

It was such a sad moment for her family. Queen Victoria wrote in her diary, “Saw poor Victoria Davies, my black godchild, who learnt this morning of the death of her dear mother”. Queen Victoria took good care of Sarah’s children and maintained close contact with them.

Queen Victoria
Queen Victoria

Till today, the decendants of James Labulo Davies and Sarah Forbes Bonetta Davies lived in England, Sierra Leone and Lagos, Nigeria.

Thanks for reading,

 

READ FULL STORY HERE>>...CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE READING>>>
Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

METRO

Surgeons were left stunned and ‘screamed in disbelief by what they found in drunk man’s stomach’! –

Published

on

By

 

We need to be careful in what we eat and not only physically, but also spiritually and psychologically. If we eat healthy food physically, we will have a proper growth and development, and our body will be supplied with good ingredients for its normal functioning.

But, we also need to be careful what we insert into our bodies. Sometimes people accidentally swallow something they shouldn’t. This was not the case with this drunk man.

Per reports, the surgeons were stunned when they needed to remove a steel cup from a man’s stomach, which they believe was initially inserted into his ‘behind…Click Here To Continue Reading>> …Click Here To Continue Reading>>

 

An unnamed man was reporting stomach pains for several days and no treatment seemed to work, despite seeing multiple doctors, according to The Post. He then saw Dr. Lal, who did an X-ray and discovered the cup inside him. READ FULL STORY HERE>>>CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE READING>>>

The man was then rushed to surgery where surgeons successfully removed a cup the size of a hand from what appears to be an incision in his stomach.

According to The Post, video shows the procedure which begins with one doctor cleaning the stomach area before carefully removing the silver cup with the bottom of the object facing up. Medical staff appears to be in disbelief as the surgeon holds up the tumbler for the camera.

The man, who works as a laborer, has recovered well, according to reports. The medical professionals have hypothesized that the cup reached his stomach after being inserted up the man’s ‘behind’. Doctors said the man got extremely drunk with three strangers after returning from a grocery store, where he had gone to get vegetables. By the time he sobered up, the unknown people were not present, and doctors aren’t sure if the man shoved the cup up his rectum himself or if he was assaulted.

 

READ FULL STORY HERE>>...CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE READING>>>
Continue Reading

METRO

3-Year-Old Girl Drowns In Shocking Accident Outside Of Ice Cream Store. Suddenly, Her Mother Remembers Her Blanket –

Published

on

By

 

The love of a child is priceless, so when that child passes away, it is a very devastating thing to intake. It is hard on the parents as well as the family. However, the love and joy for that child never goes away and they live forever through memories of happiness.

Three-year-old Sadie Grace Andrews is will forever be remember and honored after she was killed accidentally while outside of an ice cream parlor.

In Auburn, Alabama, Sadie was outside playing with her other siblings when by accident she ended up slipping into a grease trap and drowned.

Now she is being honored and remembered for her remarkable love Of God and the ones she cared for the most…Click Here To Continue Reading>> …Click Here To Continue Reading>>

“She had more faith than any child I’ve ever seen,” Sadie’s mother, Corrie Andrews, told AL.com. “And I’m not just saying that because she was my child.”

“We know without a shadow of a doubt, our baby is with Jesus,” Corrie added.

Corrie says that her daughter’s name means, “God’s Thoughtful Princess,” and that is exactly what Sadie was. She was the perfect princess, the best reflect of what her name embodies.

“And she really was that—always expressing gratefulness and love for God and other people. She would light up a room with her smile; she walked with a skip in her step. I’ve never met a more joyful child who loved God with all her heart.”

Sadie’s father, Tracy Andrews, said that he’s happy, appreciative and grateful for the three years that he along with their family got with spend with their precious Sadie, and reflected on the many lessons his daughter was able to teach him about life and love.

“She taught me about being happy and loving life and loving people,” Tracy said. “At 3 years old, there’s no preconceived notions. To her, everybody was good. She didn’t see the bad. She just loved people and it didn’t matter what they did.”

Lance and Kara Latham are the owners of Bruster’s Real Ice Cream, the shop where Sadie tragically drowned on Saturday. They released a Facebook statement on Sunday, extending their deepest condolences for the family’s loss. READ FULL STORY HERE>>>CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE READING>>>

“As the owner of the Auburn Bruster’s, our deepest condolences go to the family of the child who tragically died Saturday. They are acquaintances of ours and have been regular customers. We are truly heartbroken that this happened. Our thoughts also are with our young crewmember who tried to revive the child. Like all of us, he is quite shaken. The entire Bruster’s family is horribly saddened by this tragic accident.”

They encouraged others in the community to continue praying for the Andrews family.

Sadie’s uncle, Chad Vermillion, also organized a YouCaring campaign on the family’s behalf.

“The body of Christ is powerful when we act together and if we can help alleviate their burden let’s do so,” Vermillion wrote in the fundraiser’s description. “Above all else, please pray for my dear sister Corrie and brother-in-law Tracy. The pain is insurmountable right now.”

Corrie says God used Sadie the morning that she died, to prepare the mother of six for the grief that lay ahead.

Sadie was attached to a blanket from her grandmother, that she slept with every single night. On Saturday morning though, Sadie put the blanket in a bag and told her mom that she no longer needed it, and wanted to give it away.

“Looking back, it’s as if she knew she wouldn’t need it anymore.”

One thing is certain, Sadie Grace brought more joy to this world in her three short years than many of us can fathom in our entire lifetime. She exuded the love of Jesus, and her family takes comfort in knowing that she is Home with Him now.

Praying for peace that surpasses all understanding, and healing for every single person whose life was touched by this beautiful little angel.

 

READ FULL STORY HERE>>...CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE READING>>>
Continue Reading

METRO

She Didn’t Want to Pay for a Divorce. So She Shot Her Husband in His Sleep and the unexpected took place –

Published

on

By

 

Melanie Biggins, a 42-year-old woman from Missouri, found herself in a situation that ended in tragedy. She was married to Ettienne L. McEwan for nine years, but their relationship had been struggling. For the last year and a half of their marriage, Melanie had been having an affair. She wanted to leave her husband, but she felt trapped because she didn’t have the money to file for a divorce. Instead of finding another way out, she made a terrible decision that changed everything.

On August 31, 2022, Melanie called 911 in the early hours of the morning. She told the police that an intruder had broken into their home and shot her husband while they were both asleep in bed. When the police arrived, they found Melanie trying to save her husband by performing CPR. She claimed that she had woken up to the sound of a gunshot and saw her husband had been shot under his chin. She said she ran downstairs and saw the front door open but didn’t see anyone…Click Here To Continue Reading>> …Click Here To Continue Reading>>

 

At first, the police believed her story, but things didn’t add up. Melanie initially told them that the only gun in the house was her husband’s rifle. However, as the investigation continued, she admitted that she had bought a handgun from a pawn shop. The police also found a pillow and blanket with bullet holes on the floor, and they discovered a .38 Special handgun hidden under a bunk bed in another room. These clues made it clear that Melanie’s story about an intruder wasn’t true. READ FULL STORY HERE>>>CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE READING>>>

Eventually, Melanie broke down and confessed. She admitted that she had shot her husband. She explained that she had been unhappy in their marriage and wanted to end it but felt she couldn’t afford a divorce. In a moment of desperation, she made the tragic choice to kill him instead.

Melanie was originally charged with first-degree murder and armed criminal action, which could have led to a life sentence. However, she made a deal with prosecutors and pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of voluntary manslaughter. Because of this plea deal, she was sentenced to 10 years in prison instead of facing a much harsher punishment.

 

READ FULL STORY HERE>>...CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE READING>>>
Continue Reading

Trending