The Two Women Who Mothered Jack London

 

WikiExplorers, culture crawl during the 2026 Bioneers Conference in Berkeley,  California.  They journey through Oakland in search of historical threads that ties a world-famous author Jack London to an African American community and an African American foster mother. 

​Below a "Culture Crawl" that explores this historic bond.

​The Two Women Who Mothered and Loved Jack London


​By Ms. Rivers, Lead WikiExplorer

​In the late 1800s, while the city of Oakland was a chaotic frontier of railroads and docks, two women from different worlds formed a pact that would change American literature. Flora Wellman, a white spiritualist, and Virginia "Jennie" Prentiss, a formerly enslaved Black woman, shared the mothering of a boy who would become the world's most famous writer: Jack London.

​The history books often frame London as a rugged "lone wolf." But the archives at the African American Museum and Library at Oakland (AAMLO) tell a deeper story. It was Jennie who nursed Jack when Flora could not, Jennie who taught him his first hymns at the First AME Church, and Jennie who handed him the $300 that bought his first boat. London didn't just survive his childhood; he was nurtured by the stability of the Prentiss family. This "culture crawl" retraces that childhood, moving from the rough docks of Jack London Square to the sacred halls where Jack felt at home.

​The WikiExplorers Culture Crawl: The Prentiss-London Trail

​Stop 1: Jack London Square (The Waterfront)

  • ​The Connection: Stand on the pier and look at the water. In 1891, Jennie Prentiss handed 15-year-old Jack $300—all of her life savings—to buy the Razzle Dazzle.

  • ​Wiki-Task: Find the portrait of Jack inside Heinold's. Notice how he looks like a boy of the docks. Imagine the trust Jennie had to have to invest her freedom-earned money in his wild dream.

​Stop 2: The First AME Church (The Spiritual Home)

  • ​Location: 3701 Telegraph Avenue (Modern Site) / Historic 15th St & Market St.

  • ​Does it still exist? Yes and No. The congregation—the oldest Black church in the East Bay—still exists and is incredibly active. However, the historic building London attended at 15th Street is gone, and their most recent home on Telegraph Ave suffered a devastating fire in 2023 and was demolished in 2025.

  • ​The Connection: This is where Jack attended Sunday School. He later donated $15,000 to the church (a massive sum at the time) as a thank-you for the community that raised him.

  • ​Wiki-Task: Visit the 15th Street area. Even without the building, the air of "Old Oakland" remains. Research the church’s rebuilding efforts to see how the community continues Jennie's legacy of resilience.

​Stop 3: AAMLO (The Evidence)

  • ​Location: 659 14th St, Oakland.

  • ​The Mission: Head to the second floor and ask about the Prentiss-London Collection.
  • ​The Connection: This is the heart of Ms. Rivers' research. You can find documents proving Jennie was a leader in the Federated Negro Woman's Club and a respected midwife.

  • ​Wiki-Task: Look for the 1910 Census record showing Flora (Jack's bio-mother) and Jennie living together at the house Jack bought for them. It is the ultimate proof of their "co-motherhood."

​Stop 4: The 27th Street House

  • ​Location: 490 27th Street, Oakland.

  • ​The Connection: In 1906, Jack achieved his dream of buying Jennie a home. This wasn't a "gift" for a servant; it was the act of a son caring for a mother.

  • ​Wiki-Task: Take a photo of the site. While the original structure has seen many changes, this was the "safe harbor" for the two women who loved Jack most.

​Explorer's Reflection Note

​"History is often written by those who held the pen, but it is fueled by those who held the heart. Virginia Prentiss didn't write The Call of the Wild, but she made sure the man who did had a place to call home." — Ms. Rivers


​

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