Mary louvestre biography

Federal spy during the American Civil War

Mary Louveste was an African-American Union spy in Norfolk, Virginia, during the United States Civil War.

She delivered details of plans for the conversion of the wrecked USS Merrimack to an ironclad that would be named the CSS Virginia and which represented a great advance in Confederate naval capabilities.^[1]

Personal life

Mary Louveste (nee Ogilvie) was born about 1812 in Norfolk City (nee Norfolk Borough) to Lewis and Sukey Ogilvie.  Lewis was a free mulatto from French San Domingo and Sukey was a free African American woman from York County, Virginia.  It is unknown if Sukey was black or biracial.^[2]

Mary grew up in Norfolk Borough and was most likely raised in the Catholic faith.  On 24 September 1834, Mary went before Norfolk City’s Hustings and Corporation Court to register as a free mulatto adult for the first time.  Her mother, Sukey, first registered Mary w