Submit West, or Mitte as she was called, arrived at the Porter-Phelps home in December 1791 at just six weeks old. Her mother, unmarried seventeen-year-old Susanna Whipple, had sought refuge and employment at Forty Acres.
A few years later, on March 16, 1794, Susanna married Samuel Blodgett, a nineteen-year-old hired hand on the property. The young family moved to North Hadley, but after a few months, Susanna struggled to care for Mitte while also handling her pregnancy. She requested that the Phelps family take Mitte in.
On September 28, 1794, Elizabeth Phelps noted in her records that Mitte had been christened, indicating she had returned to Forty Acres around that time. While Susanna and Samuel raised their twins in Deerfield, Mitte (then about three and a half years old) stayed behind with the Phelps family. She was raised in a household where she was both loved and tasked with household chores. Elizabeth Porter Phelps recalled fondly in August 1794, “Mitte is a great deal of company for me,” and later, “I love dearly to hear her talk.” However, she and her daughter Betsy also noted Mitte’s mischievous nature, as she spent time in both their households, growing up in Hadley and Litchfield.
Though Mitte never returned to live with her mother, Susanna, she briefly moved in with her father’s family, the Wests, around 1800. By 1805, she was living as a domestic servant for several families, including William Dickinson, Jacob Smith, and Andrew Cook. In May 1808, Mitte moved in to assist Elizabeth Porter Phelps’ son, Charles Porter Phelps, and his wife, Sarah Parsons Phelps, with their home and children.
In June 1809, at the age of eighteen, Mitte moved once again, this time to join her mother and her large family, now including eight step-siblings. She was pregnant with her daughter Philina at the time, having had relations with Prince Cooley, a Black hired hand in North Hadley. Her move was likely motivated by her fear of how people would react to her mixed-race child.
Mitte’s relationship with her daughter seems to have been complex, with care and support documented by her stepfather, Samuel Blodgett, and various members of the community. In 1816, Mitte returned to work for Elizabeth Porter Phelps, this time with her now six-year-old daughter.
With Elizabeth’s passing in 1817, much of Mitte’s later life remains unknown. It is possible that she may have moved to New York with Susanna and Samuel for a period, though it is likely she spent the greater part of her later life in Hadley. Some evidence suggests that she remarried to Paul Wright Jr., son of Paul Wright and Eunince Alexander, and lived in North Hadley. Regardless of the details of her later years, Mitte was an integral part of the Porter-Phelps story, serving as a lifelong friend and companion to Elizabeth Porter Phelps.