Jane Elkins

Jane Elkins (c. 1800 - May 27, 1853) was an enslaved African American woman from Dallas, Texas. She is known for being the first woman to be legally executed in Texas.

Early life Jane Elkins was born around the year 1800 in Dallas, Texas. Some accounts say she was born later, in the 1820s. In 1844, she was sold by Edward Welborn to John Young for $400. Jane was the first person to be legally sold in Dallas county.

Young then sold Jane to Smith E. Elkins, from whom she gets her surname. America Elkins, the wife of Mr. Elkins, hired Jane out to Andrew C. Wisdom. Wisdom, a widower, lived near Farmers Branch with his two children. Jane watched the Wisdom children and did most of the domestic tasks. or wanting to be a free woman. Other sources claim that Jane was innocent and did not commit the crime at all.

The Dallas County Grand Jury indicted Jane for the murder on May 10, 1853. Judge John H. Reagan oversaw the case with a jury composed of all white, Southern men. The case was named "State of Texas vs. Jane, a Slave." Jane pled not guilty, and did not speak for the entirety of the trial.

According to the historian George Keaton, it is unlikely that Jane received a fair trial. Jane is played by actress Sydney Hewitt. The project, consisting of multiple historical markers for victims of racially-motivated violence, was advocated for by George Keaton and his organization Remembering Black Dallas.