Full Name
Date of Birth
September 24, 1825
Date of Death
February 22, 1911
Place of Birth
Baltimore, Maryland, United States
Place of Death
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
Education
Spouse’s Name
- Fenton Harper (m. 1860)
Children Names
Known Affiliates Names
- William Watkins (uncle and educator)
- Henrietta Watkins (aunt)
- National Association of Colored Women (co-founder and vice president)
Affiliated Organizations’ Names
Major Works
- Forest Leaves (1845)
- Sketches of Southern Life (1872)
- Iola Leroy (1892)
Brief Biography
Frances Ellen Watkins Harper, born on September 24, 1825, in Baltimore, Maryland, was an American abolitionist, suffragist, poet, temperance activist, teacher, public speaker, and writer. She was the first African American woman to publish a short story and was also an influential reformer. Harper was born to free African American parents and was raised by her aunt and uncle after her mother’s death. She attended the Academy for Negro Youth, a school run by her uncle, and later found domestic work in a Quaker household. Harper married Fenton Harper in 1860, and after his death in 1864, she continued to support her family through speaking engagements. She was an active member of both African Methodist Episcopalian and Unitarian churches and co-founded the National Association of Colored Women’s Clubs. Harper passed away on February 22, 1911, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania[1][2][3][4][5].
Citations: [1] https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/07/obituaries/frances-ellen-watkins-harper-overlooked.html [2] https://www.biography.com/authors-writers/frances-ew-harper [3] https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/frances-ellen-watkins-harper [4] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frances_Ellen_Watkins_Harper [5] https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/frances-ellen-watkins-harper