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Charlotte B. Ray (née Charlotte Augusta Burroughs; c. 1813 – 25 October 1891) was an American prominent pastor, suffragist, and abolitionist. Charlotte was the second wife Charles Bennett Ray a revered African-American journalist. They were an active part of the Underground Railroad in Manhattan.[1]

Biography

Charlotte Augusta Burroughs was born around 1813, in Chatham County, Georgia, to African American parents Augustus Burroughs and Pacella. Many details of Charlotte's childhood are unknown.[2][3]

Charlotte was a pastor for the New York's Bethesda Congregational Church.[4] Her Christian faith fueled her activism to legalize women's right to vote, and protect African-American women who were predisposed to illness and disabilities resulting from slavery. Charlotte was also an active member in the American Equal Rights Association (AERA) and the American Anti-Slavery Society.[2]

Ray died on October 25, 1891.

Marriage and children

Charlotte relocated to New York City, where in 1840 she married Charles Bennett Ray.[5][6][7] Together they had seven children.[2] Four survived to adulthood:

  • Clarence F. Ray (1848–?).
  • Florence Theresa Ray (February 6, 1847 – June 15, 1920); no issue.
  • Charlotte E. Ray (January 13, 1850 – January 4, 1911); no issue.[8][9]
  • Henrietta Cordelia Ray (August 30, 1852 – January 5, 1916); no issue.[10]

All four of her children received a college education. Her daughter Charlotte F. was the first African-American woman to receive a law degree. Her eldest daughter Florence also became an attorney. Her youngest child Henrietta Cordelia became a famous poet.[11]

See also

References

  1. ^ Snodgrass, Mary Ellen (2015-03-26). The Underground Railroad: An Encyclopedia of People, Places, and Operations. Routledge. p. 675. ISBN 978-1-317-45416-8.
  2. ^ a b c Williams-Jones, Daniel (2018). "Biographical Sketch of Charlotte B. Ray". Alexander Street. Archived from the original on 2020-11-01. Retrieved 9 March 2022.
  3. ^ "New York, New York City Municipal Deaths, 1795-1949," database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:2W69-VV6  : 2 June 2020), Charlotte A.b. Ray, 25 Oct 1891; citing Death, Manhattan, New York County, New York, United States, New York Municipal Archives, New York; FHL microfilm 1,322,828.
  4. ^ Aldermen, New York (N Y. ) Board of (1905). Ordinances Resolutions, Etc. Passed by the Board of Aldermen of the City of New York and Approved by the Mayor. The Board.
  5. ^ Penn, Irvine Garland (1891). The Afro-American Press and Its Editors. Willey & Company. ISBN 9780598582683.
  6. ^ "Charles B. Ray (1807-1886) •". 2008-06-30. Retrieved 2022-03-10.
  7. ^ Swift, David E. (1999-03-01). Black Prophets of Justice: Activist Clergy Before the Civil War. LSU Press. p. 281. ISBN 978-0-8071-2499-4.
  8. ^ Gates, Henry Louis (2011). Life Upon These Shores: Looking at African American History, 1513-2008. Alfred A. Knopf. p. 173. ISBN 978-0-307-59342-9.
  9. ^ Lamphier, Peg A.; Welch, Rosanne (2017-01-23). Women in American History: A Social, Political, and Cultural Encyclopedia and Document Collection [4 volumes]. ABC-CLIO. pp. 346–347. ISBN 978-1-61069-603-6.
  10. ^ Mance, Ajuan Maria (2016-03-15). Before Harlem: An Anthology of African American Literature from the Long Nineteenth Century. Univ. of Tennessee Press. p. 321. ISBN 978-1-62190-202-7.
  11. ^ "Charlotte Ray". History of American Women. 2013-02-06. Retrieved 2022-03-10.
source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlotte_B._Ray