Eunice Davis

Eunice Russ Ames Davis (October 22, 1800 – 1901) was an American abolitionist and one of the founding members of the Boston Female Anti-Slavery Society. In 1896, The New York Times named her the "oldest living female abolitionist in the world". She was one of the first known multiracial women to join the Daughters of the American Revolution.

Early life and family Eunice Davis was born Eunice Russ in North Andover, Massachusetts. She was of African, European, Penobscot, and Narragansett descent.

Daughters of the American Revolution Due to her father's Revolutionary War service, Eunice joined the Daughters of the American Revolution on December 3, 1896. She was given the national number 16263 and became a member of the Old South DAR Chapter in Boston. She was the president of the first independent Baptist Female Society and attended the Zion church in Boston, where she met other abolitionists. Davis worked with abolitionists Margarett Scarlett, Eliza Ann Logan Lawton, and Anna Logan to fight segregation in Boston's public schools.

In 1839, Davis and other members petitioned the Massachusetts legislature to denounce a law restricting interracial marriage. The law was ultimately repealed in 1843.

Death and legacy Davis died in Boston in 1901, outliving her husband and children. where she lived at the end of her life.

Davis is considered by the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) to be a Real Daughter, meaning that she is a daughter, and not just a distant descendant, of a Revolutionary soldier or Patriot. She was a member of DAR's Old South Chapter of the DAR. Her grave was marked with a historic plaque by the Daughters of the American Revolution's President General Denise Doring VanBuren in 2022.