EVANGELICAL WOMEN IN THE SECOND HALF OF 1800; HELEN BARRETT MONTGOMERY P/38

                                                           Read Part One HERE                                                                                                                

In this post I will continue to focus on a woman named Helen Bsrrett Montgomery. She lived from 1861 - 1934. The Women's Educational and Industrial Union, of wich Helen was president for many years, founded a legal aid office, set up public playgrounds, established a "Noon Rest" house where working girls could eat, and opened stations for mothers to obtain milk.

Helen also became known in the city for her advocacy of education. She was the first woman to be elected to the Rochester School Board, as well as to any public office in Rochester, 20 years before women had the right to vote. She served a total of ten years as a member of the Board.

Helen was the first woman to translate the New Testament into English from Greek and have it published by a professional publishing house. It was published in 1924 as The Centenary Translation, issued by the American Baptist Society. This version has been reprinted as The New Testament in Modern English and labeled Montgomery New Testament.

Helen died in 1934.                                                                                                                                                                               

EVANGELICAL WOMEN IN THE SECOND HALF OF 1800; HELEN BARRETT MONTGOMERY P/37

                                                            Read Part One HERE                                                                                                             

In this story I will continue to focus on a woman named Helen Barrett Montgomery. She lived from 1861 - 1934. Helen's involvement and leadership in church circles and the city's women movement led her to serve as a delegate to annual meetings of the Northern Baptist Convention, the association of Northern Baptist churches where she helped to decide policy.        

In 1921, Helen was the first woman to be elected president of the Northern Baptist Convention. She strongly believed that women had an active role to play in the church and society.

Helen worked as well on social reforms, especially those to benefit women. In 1893, she joined Susan B. Anthony in forming a new chapter of the Women's Educational and Industrial Union in Rochester, which served poor women and children in the city. She served as its president from 1893 - 1911. 

Read Part Thirty-Eight HERE                                                                                                                                                                                       

EVANGELICAL WOMEN IN THE SECOND HALF OF 1800; HELEN BARRETT MONTGOMERY P/36

                                                            Read Part One HERE                                                                                                              

In this post I will focus on a woman named Helen Barrett Montgomery. She lived from 1861 - 1934. Her parents  were Amos Judson Barrett and Emily Barrows Barrett. Helen was born in Kingsville, Ohio. USA. Her parents moved to Rochester, New York, when she was a child so that her father could attend the Rochester Theological Seminary. After his graduation he became pastor of Lake Avenue Baptist Church in the city.

Helen studied at Wellesly College, where she graduated with a teacher certification in 1884. She taught in Rochester and afterwards at the Wellesley Preparatory School in Philadelphia. In 1887, Helen married William A. Montgomery.

Helen stayed on at  Lake Avenue Baptist Church, the church her father was the pastor of until his death. In 1892 the congregation licensed her to preach. She organised and taught a women's Bible class at the church, which she led for 44 years in the midst of her other activities.

Read Part Thirty-Seven HERE

EVANGELICAL WOMEN IN THE SECOND HALF OF 1800; JANE ADDAMS /35

                                                                               Read Part One HERE

In this post I will continue to share my story of a woman named Jane Addams. She lived from 1860 - 1935. Under Jane's direction, the Hull House team provided an array of vital services to thousands of people each week: they established a kindergarten and day-care for working mothers; provided job training; English language, cooking and acculturation classed for immigrants; established a job-placement bureau, community centre, gymnasium and art gallery.

 Aside from writing articles and giving speeches nationally about Hull House, Jane expanded her efforts to improve society. Along with other women reformers, she was instrumental in successfully lobbying for the establishment of a juvenile court system, protective labour legislation for women, and more playgrounds and kindergartens throughout Chicago.

Jane also became active in the women's suffrage movement as an officer in the National American Women's Suffrage Association and prosuffrage columnist. She was also among the founders of the National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People.

Sadly, a heart attack in 1926 took a toll on her health and though she pushed on, she never fully recovered.

Jane died in 1935.

Read Part Thirty-Six HERE

EVANGELICAL WOMEN IN THE SECOND HALF OF 1800; JANE ADDAMS P/34

                                                                              

                                                                               Read Part One HERE

In this post I will focus on a woman named Jane Addams. She lived from 1869 - 1935. Jane's parents were John Huy Addams and Sarah Weber Addams. They lived in a small farming town of Cedarville, Illinois, USA. Her father owned a successful mill, fought in the Civil War, was a local politician and counted Abraham Lincoln among his friends.

Jane graduated at the top of her class from Rockford Female Seminary in 1881. For the next six years she attempted to study medicine, but her own poor health derailed her. While on a visit to London with her friend Gates Starr, she visited Toynbee Hall, a settlement house on the city's East End that provided much-needed services to poor industrial workers. Jane vowed to bring that model to the United States.

In 1889, Jane and her friend Gates founded Hull House in Chicago's poor industrial west side, the first settlement house in the US. The goal was for educated women to share all kinds of knowledge, from basic skills to arts and literature with poorer people in the neighbourhood. They also envisioned women living in the community centre among the people they served. 

Read Part Thirty-Five HERE

 

EVANGELICAL WOMEN IN THE SECOND HALF OF 1800; CARRIE CHAPMAN CATT P/33

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            Read Part One HERE

In this story I will continue to focus on a woman named Carrie Chapman Catt. She lived from 1859 - 1947. Carrie also became active in the newly formed National American Woman Suffrage Association. She was a delegate to its national convention in 1890, became head of field organising in 1895 and was elected to succeed Susan B. Anthony as president in 1900. 

She continued to give speeches, plan campaigns, organise women, and gain political expertise. Carrie's organisational, speaking and writing skills establised her reputation as a leading suffragist.  

From 1902 -1904, Carrie was a leader in the formation of the International Woman Suffrage Alliance, serving as its president from 1904 - 1923 and thereafter as honorary chair until her death. She resigned as president of the National American Woman Suffrage Association in 1904 to care for her ailing husband,

In 1915, Carrie resumed leadership of the National American Woman Suffrage Association, which had become badly divided over suffrage strategies. Under Carrie's leadership, several key states - including New York in 1917 - approved women's suffrage. In addition, to her suffrage work, Carry was active in several other causes, including international peace. She, furthermore, worked for child labour protection laws.

Carried died in 1947.

Read Part Thirty-Four HERE

                                                                                                                                                                    

EVANGELICAL WOMEN IN THE SECOND HALF OF 1800; CARRIE CHAPMAN CATT P/32

                                                                Read Part One HERE                                                                                                                                                       

In this story I will continue to focus on a woman named Carrie Chapman Catt. She lived from 1859 - 1947. After graduation, Carrie returned to Charles City to work as a law clerk and, in nearby Mason City, as a school teacher and principal. In 1883, at the age of 24, she was appointed Mason City school superintendent, one of the first women to hold such a position. In February 1885, she married Leo Chapman, publisher and editor of the Mason City Republican newspaper, at her parents' Charles City farm. Sadly he died the following year in San Francisco, California, where he had gone to find new employment. Arriving just a few days after her husband's death, Carrie remained in San Francisco.      

In 1887, Carrie returned to Iowa to begin her crusade for women's suffrage. She joined the Iowa Woman Suffrage Association, organised suffrage events throughout the state, and worked as a professional lecturer and writer. In 1890, she married engineer George W. Catt. He supported his wife's suffrage work both financially and personally, believing that his role in the marriage was to earn their living and hers was to reform society. 

Read Part Thirty-Three HERE                                                                                                                                                                         

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

EVANGELICAL WOMEN IN THE SECOND HALF OF 1800; CARRIE CHAPMAN CATT P/31

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            Read Part One HERE

In this story I will focus on a woman named Carrie Chapman Catt. She lived from 1859 - 1947. Her parents were Lucius and Maria. In 1866, at the close of the Civil War, the family moved to a farm near Charles City, Iowa.

Carrie entered Iowa Agricultural College (now Iowa State University) in Ames, Iowa, in 1877, and completed a bachelor's degree in general science in 1880, the only woman in her graduating class.

While at College, Carrie established military drills for women and became the first female student to give an oration before a debating society. She worked her way through school by washing dishes, teaching and serving as a librarian's assistant. She was also a member of Pi Beta Phi fraternity. 

Read Part Thirty-Two HERE

EVANGELICAL WOMEN IN THE SECOND HALF OF 1800; ALICE BELLE GARRIGUS P/30

                                                                                   Read Part One HERE

In this post I will continue to share the story of a woman named Alice Bell Garrigus. She lived from 1858 - 1949. Together with a missionary couple Alice travelled to Newfoundland, arriving in St.John's in December 1910. The three establised "the Bethesda Mission" and began their work in 1911. In 1912, her co-preachers left Newfoundland for health reasons, leaving Alice in charge.

The Pentecostal movement grew quite slowly during its first decade. However, after a cruade in 1919 by the evangelist Victoria Booh-Clibborn Demarest, interest in Pentecostalism increased. New converts started their own personal missions, and one of these, Robert C. English, eventually became co-pastor with Alice of the Bethesda Mission. Their work with the Bethesda Mission eventually led to the founding of a Pentecostal organisation in Newfoundland.

Alice's nearly 40 years in Newfoundland were very busy. She remained there for the rest of her life and continued to be a principal figure in the Pentecostal organisation, serving as an evangelist in charge of the Bethesda Mission.

Alice died at the age of 91.

Read Part Thirty-One HERE

EVANGELICAL WOMEN IN THE SECOND HALF OF 1800; ALICE BELL GARRIGUS P/29

                                                                                    Read Part One HERE

In this post I will continue my story on a woman named Alice Bell Garrigus. She lived from 1858 - 1949. Alice and her friend Gertrude joined the Congregational Church. Gertrude later went to Africa as a missionary and died there. About 1891, Alice gave up her teaching profession to work in a home for destitute children and women.

She next moved to Rumney, New Hampshire, where she came into contact with the First Fruit Harvesters Association, a small evangelical denomination focused on the evangelisation of New England. Alice served as an itinerant preacher with the First Fruit Harvesters between 1897 and 1903.

In 1907, at a Christian and Missionary Alliance camp meeting, she met Frank Bartleman, a veteran of the Azusa Street revival and an unofficial chronicler of the Pentecostal movement. Bartleman "stood for hours," wrote Alice, "telling us of the deeper things of God." After he left the camp meeting, Alice, Minnie Draper and others met in an old barn to pray, and there Alice received the baptism in the Holy Spirit. She continued preaching at Rumney and Grafton, Massachusetts, and other places, but began feeling impressed to found a mission in St. John's, Newfoundland,

Read Part Thirty HERE

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

EVANGELICAL WOMEN IN THE SECOND HALF OF 1800; ALICE BELLE GARRIGUS P/28

                                                                                    Read Part One HERE

In this story I will focus on a woman named Alice Belle Garrigus. She lived from 1858 - 1949. Born into an Episcopalian family in Rockville, Connecticut, Alice spent the first half of her life in various locations in New England.

At 15 she began teaching in rural schools. Desiring further schooling, she returned to Normal School and then spent the years 1878 - 1881 at Mount Holyoke Female Seminary (now Mount Holyoke College). Leaving the seminary a year before graduation, she resumed teaching. Through the influence of a colleague, Getrude Wheeler, Alice accepted Christ as her Saviour in 1888. Both women left on a 10-months excursion to Europe.

Returning to the US, Alice again taught school, but she was spiritually restless. She wanted a deeper walk with God and began reading Hannah Whitall Smith's "The Christian 's Secret of a Happy Life." "This I read," Alice wrote, "often on my knees - praying fervently: "Oh God, if there be such an experience, won't You bring me into it?"

Read Part Twenty-Nine HERE

EVANGELICAL WOMEN IN THE SECOND HALF OF 1800; ANNA JULIA HAYWOOD P/27

                                         Read Part One Here

In this post I will continue to share the story of a woman named Anna Julia Haywood. She lived from 1858 - 1963. After St Augustine's, Anna's desire for knowledge led her to Oberlin College in Ohio. Oberlin was known for its progressive stances, being one of the first higher education institutions in the US to admit Black students and women. Anna completed her Bachelor's Degree in Mathematics in 1884. She then continued at Oberlin for a Master's Degree in Mathematics, graduating in 1888.

Upon completing her education in Oberlin, Anna moved to Washington, D.C., where she began a long and distinguished career in education. She accepted a teaching position at the M. Street High School, later renamed Dunbar High School. And over the years she rose through the ranks, becoming the school's principal in 1901. Under her leadership, the school gained a reputation for its high academic standards.

Anna's academic journey was not restricted to her professional career in teaching In her 60s, displaying an admirable spirit of lifelong learning, she travelled to France to attend the University of Paris- Sorbonne. She overcame prejudices and earned her PHD in History in 1924.

Along with teaching and learning, Anna was also a staunch advocate for civil and women's rights, writing and giving speeches throughout her life.

Anna lived to be 105, witnessing significant social changes over the course of her life, from the Civil War to the Civil Rights Movement. Today her legacy is celebrated in various ways, including a postamp in her honour in 2009.

Read Part Twenty-Eight HERE

EVANGELICAL WOMEN IN THE SECOND HALF OF 1800; ANNA JULIA HAYWOOD P/26

    

 

Read Part One HERE                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    In this story I will focus on a woman named Anna Julia Haywood.She lived from 1858 - 1963. She was born into enslavement in North Carolina. Her mother was enslaved and her father was the man Anna's mother was enslaved by, or his brother. While Anna loved her mother dearly, the same could not be said of her father.                            

In her early years, Anna showed exceptional intelligence and a deep passion for education.In 1868, post-emancipation, she got an opportunity to begin her education formally. She enrolled at the newly established St. Augustine's Normal School and Collegiate Institute in Raleigh. Originally intended to train teachers to educate the freed Black population, St. Augustine's expanded its offering to include college preparatory courses.

Anna's pursuit of knowledge was challenging. Societal norms of the time prioritized classical education for men, with women often relegated to domestic roles. However, she defied these conventions. Not only did she enroll in courses typically reserved for male students, but she also consistently outperformed her peers.

Anna blossomed academically and socially during her time at St. Augustine's. And it was here that she met her future husband, George A.C. Cooper. They would marry in 1877, but he would pass away just two years later.

The St. Augustine's years laid the foundation for Anna's favourite endeavours. The institution's blend of classical education and commitment to serving the Black community profoundly influenced her. Anna graduated in 1881, her mind set on furthering her education and advancing the cause of Black women and their place in the larger narrative of American history. 

Read Part Twenty-Seven Here

EVANGELICAL WOMEN IN THE SECOND HALF OF 1800; MARIA BALDWIN P/25

                                                                                   Read Part One HERE

In this post I continue to focus on a woman named Maria Baldwin. She lived from 1856 - 1922. At the end of the 1800s, Maria became more involved in primarily Black and interracial organisations. In 1896, the Woman's Era Club of Boston stepped under the umbrella of the National Association of Coloured Women's Clubs (NACWC). The Club continued to use its national reach among Black clubwomen over the next few years.

Maria later became a member of the National Negro Committee (the precursor to the National Association to the Advancement of Coloured People) in 1909.

In 1918, Maria retired from her Agassiz position.  The US had been involved in the Great War for over a year. Her retirement gave her more time for the pressing projects the war brought to her community. She served as the first president of the League of Women for Community Service (LWCS) established in 1918, as the Soldiers' Comfort Unit. The Comfort Unit assisted returning soldiers and bereaved wives durning the First World War before shifting to providing general educational and social services to the community.

Although Maria remained active in her final years, her health eventually failed her. She died in 1922 from a heart attack.

Read Part Twenty-Six HERE

EVANGELICAL WOMEN IN THE SECOND HALF OF 1800; MARIA BALDWIN P/24

                                                                                    Please read Part One HERE

In this post I will continue to focus on a woman named Maria Baldwin. She lived from 1856 - 1922. Maria also became a member and later secretary of the Banneker Society, a local African American debate club. In meetings, Maria read many of her literature and history papers. 

In 1880, she opened her home to Boston's Black intellectuals and social activists. Maria offered weekly readings and discussions to Black students studying nearby Harvard University. Not welcome in Harvard's study spaces, these Black students found a safe intellectual haven in Maria's home.

In the 1890s, Maria co-founded the nationally influential and innovative Woman' Era Club. She worked alongside the club's other founding mothers: Josephine St. Pierre Ruffin, Eliza Gardner, Arianna Sparrow. She and the other women focused on what they considered their generation's obligation to work for all African American causes: the anti-lynching movement, voting rights for women, and education and employment opportunities. Maria supported the club's purpose, using her great skill in public speaking and writing to deliver presentations and publish articles. 

Read Part Twenty-Five HERE