Sarah Jane (Woodson) Early (1825 - 1907)

Born 15 Nov 1825 in Chillicothe, Ross, Ohio, United States

Ancestors

Died 15 Aug 1907 at age 81 in Nashville, Davidson, Tennessee, United States

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Biography

Sarah (Woodson) Early is Notable.

Sarah Jane Woodson Early was an American educator, black nationalist, temperance activist and author.^[1]

Sarah Jane Woodson was the daughter of Thomas Woodson and Jemima Price. "Thomas and Jemima were among a group of People of Color that left the white Methodist Church and formed a new African American Congregation, that eventually became known as the Quinn Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Chillicothe. While in Chillicothe, the Woodson family actively engaged in the work of the Underground Railroad (UGRR)."^[2]

Sarah Jane became an American educator, Black nationalist, temperance activist and author. A graduate of Oberlin College, where she majored in classics, she was hired at Wilberforce University in 1858 as the first Black woman college instructor and she was the first black American to teach at a historically Black college or university (HBCU).

She also taught for many years in community schools. After marrying in 1868 and moving to Tennessee with her minister husband Jordan Winston Early, she was principal of schools in four cities. Early served as national superintendent (1888–1892) of the black division of the Women's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) and gave more than 100 lectures across five states. She wrote a biography of her husband and his rise from slavery that is included among postwar slave narratives.

Sarah Jane died in 1907 and is buried in Greenwood Cemetery in Nashville, Tennessee.^[3]

Sources

1. ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarah_Jane_Woodson_Early
2. ↑ "Reverend Thomas Woodson, Jr. and Reverend John P. Woodson Courage and Convictions" by Beverly Gray, Southeastern Ohio Historian, on Find A Grave: Memorial #93109938
3. ↑ Find a Grave, database and images (accessed 17 March 2021), memorial page for Sarah Jane Woodson Early (25 Nov 1825–15 Aug 1907), Find A Grave: Memorial #93180039, citing Greenwood Cemetery, Nashville, Davidson County, Tennessee, USA ; Maintained by Jackson Cty,OH & Kinfolk (contributor 47496003) .

• "United States Census, 1850," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MXQX-PF5 : 21 December 2020), Sarah J Woodson in household of Thomas Woodson, Milton Township, Jackson, Ohio, United States; citing family , NARA microfilm publication (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).
• "United States Census, 1870", database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MD8Q-6ZK : 29 May 2021), Sarah Early in entry for Jordan Early, 1870.

See also:

• Wikidata: Item Q7422452, en:Wikipedia
• "Family Tree," database, FamilySearch (http://familysearch.org : modified 23 December 2021, 22:46), entry for Sarah Jane Woodson (PID https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/4:1:LRYY-XH1 ); contributed by various users.