In 1811, when she turned 18, Kingsley granted Anna legal manumission, which confirmed her high status at the plantation. Most visitors had assumed she was already a free woman. Emancipation was critical to her future. Three children had been born to the Kingsleys by this time: George, born June 1807; Martha, born July 1809; and Mary, born February 1811. Kingsley assured their emancipation as well. Had he died before they were freed, Anna and the children would have been sold as slaves.Schafer 2003, pp. 32–33.
