Losing a mother is always heartbreaking, just as much as losing your spouse, whom you've sworn to be with until death do them part. Naturally, Seacole was married to him in 1836, where they were happy until he grew ill. They initally had a store in Black River but they had to move to Mary's mother's house in Kingston, where Mary did the best she could to keep him alive but he died a month later, "This was my first great trouble, and I felt it bitterly" (Seacole. pg. 14). Naturally this was heartbreaking for her and some time after that she lost her mother, so she was left alone. She struggled at first but soon she learned to overcome her problems and move on with her life. It was from this sadness that Mary Seacole learned to work her way for her life, she became rich one day and then poor another day. Regardless, she would eventually gain the respect she deserved for her hard work, all because she had a tough beginning.

Seacole, Mary. “Chapter I.” Wonderful Adventures of Mrs Seacole in Many Lands, Penguin Books, 2005, pp. 14.