One of the most remarkable women in Jamestown was Catherine Harris. This Black woman risked her life to help members of her race to freedom. She operated one of Jamestown's three underground railroads. It was also one of the few underground railroads in the United States operated by a Negro.
She was born Catherine Dikes on June 1, 1809 in Meadville, Pa. Her grandfather was a slave captured from Africa and brought on a slave vessel to England. His courtship and marriage to a Dutch white woman is remembered as being the most unusual romance in her family's history.
At age 19, she married John Harris of Erie, Pa., and the couple moved to Jamestown in 1831. Mrs. Harris became noted in Jamestown as a natural healer and midwife.
During the pre-civil War days, Mrs. Harris hid escaping slaves in the blind attic of her one-story home. The slaves were running from their Southern masters to freedom in Canada. Mrs. Harris provided food and medical care to her guests hiding in her attic. After the Black population in Jamestown began to flourish, Mrs. Harris held prayer meetings in her home. She contacted Rev. R. H. Jackson of Bradford, Pa. to come to her home and try to organize the African Methodist Episcopal Church.
Although the congregation was formed the group was without a church building. They continued to meet for religious services in Mrs. Harris's home for 14 years after their formation.
In 1902, the Blackwell Chapel, AME Zion Church was completed next to Mrs. Harris's home on Spring Street. Her home is now the church parsonage.
The fight for equal wages for women and men teachers was won by an 18-year-old girl, Calista Jones. She refused to work for less wages then the men teachers in the Jamestown School district.
Miss Jones was born May 25, 1823 in Ellicott, the daughter of Ellick and Louisa Walkup Jones. At age 18, Miss Jones became a teacher in Jamestown's private schools. She took her teaching career seriously and tried to keep up with the latest advancements in education.
One of the male teachers working in the school district was fired because he failed to manage the school properly. The school board asked Miss Jones to replace him. She said that she would, if she was paid his former salary. At first the board refused her. But Miss Jones's persistence won them over and she became the first woman in Jamestown's history to receive $1.00 a day for school work.
Miss Jones is also remembered as the first woman to vote in Jamestown. Through her teaching career, Miss Jones tried to improve the quality of education in Jamestown. By her innovation, she helped establish Jamestown Union School. She also convinced the town of Jamestown Board of Education to include manual training in the school's curriculum, such as sewing, homemaking, and industrial arts.
After teaching 50 years, Miss Jones was appointed Jamestown High School librarian in 1894. She served the school until her death in 1900.
Times were hard in the early 1900's and many young women were forced to leave their homes and seek employment. Mrs. Charles M. Dow was worried that many of these young girls would be living without the influence of a Christian home. She also felt that many girls were paying too much rent in various boarding houses.
Mrs. Dow thought about the possibility of opening a home for working girls under Christian supervision and at a reasonable rent. In 1905, Mrs. Agnes R. Whitney donated her home to Mrs. Dow to establish a girls' home.
Mrs. Dow then organized the Agnes Association and converted the old home into the Agnes Home. Working girls soon became tenants paying a reasonable rent to the Association. The home was also equipped with one room for girls temporarily out of employment.
Mrs. Lucius B. Warner liked the idea of a home providing services to the area needy. She decided that a home similar to the Agnes Home should be established for senior citizens.
As a memorial to her late husband, Lucius B. Warner, Mrs. Warner donated $1,000 and her home on Forest Avenue to the Agnes Association. She instructed the association to convert the "Warner Home" into a home for the aged.
The association made Mrs. Warner's dream a reality. Mrs. Dow became the president of the Warner Home for the aged on Oct. 31, 1911. The home was equipped with large rooms, verandas and spacious lawns. The Warner Home was destroyed when the Washington Street Bridge was built.
Elizabeth Warner Marvin, daughter of Mrs. Lucius Warner, was also instrumental in shaping Jamestown's history.
At age 24, the beautiful socialite married the most eligible bachelor in Jamestown, 45-year-old Robert R. Marvin. The wedding was held on Feb. 6, 1890 in the Presbyterian Church, now the site of the Hotel Jamestown. The affair was noted as being the social event of the
year.Mrs. Marvin was highly educated at Miss Brown's Finishing School in New York City. Her husband bought the extravagant Lewis home of 5th Street to please his young wife.
Immediately after they settled in their new home, Mrs. Marvin opened it up to many charity events. Her main interests were in civic matters. She was a member of Fortnightly, the Mozart Club, the Jamestown Daughter's of the American Revolution and the New Century Art Club.
Knowing that many of Jamestown's women's organizations needed a permanent meeting house, Mrs. Marvin left her home to the women of Jamestown along with a $20,000 trust fund. The Marvin House was granted to Jamestown's women's organizations upon Mrs. Marvin's death in Aug. 1950. Her will stated that the home was opened to women's groups who's purpose is the moral and mental improvement of women in literary, musical, educational, patriotic, scientific and historical fields. The court appointed a board of trustees to organize the Marvin House.
Today, over 100 women's groups meet in the Marvin House with over 1,000 people using it's facilities each year. The house is currently celeb
rating the 25th anniversary of its founding.Another outstanding woman in Jamestown was Josephine Fenton Gifford. Her interest in humanitarian work spurred the organization of the Creche at WCA Hospital.
Mrs. Gifford was raised as one of Jamestown's elite young ladies. She was born April 15, 1845, the daughter of Gov. Reuben and Elizabeth Scudder Fenton.
Since her father was governor, Mrs. Gifford was acquainted with the leading politicians of her day. She also acted as official hostess for her father while he was serving as congressman and senator in Washington D. C. When Gov. Fenton was the Civil War governor in Albany, Mrs. Gifford was the official hostess there.
She accompanied her father to the International Monetary Conference in Europe. Gov. Fenton was a representative from the U. S. at the conference. In Europe, Mrs. Gifford was presented to Queen Victoria and the King of Italy. Mrs. Gifford also attended the inaugural ball for President Ulysses S. Grant.
After her marriage to Frank Edward Gifford, she began to entertain J
amestown's aristocrats in her home. She grew interested in humanitarian affairs and devoted her time to WCA Hospital. She served on the hospital board for 20 years.
It was Mrs. Gifford who worked diligently to raise $440,000 in 1927 to build a new pavilion, nurses cottage, and enlarge the maternity pavilion at WCA Hospital.
Mrs. Gifford founded the Creche at the hospital. She developed the idea of helping needy children at WCA Hospital through sewing circles that were held in her home. Mrs. Gifford urged the women of the sewing circle to make baby clothes for the children at the hospital. Thus, Creche was born.
Her home was also the meeting place for the first chapter of the Red Cross in Chautauqua County.
Mrs. Gifford was interested in music. To promote local women musicians and to provide the opportunity for them to perform, Mrs. Gifford formed the Mozart Club in 1879. She served as its president for 40 years. The club is the second oldest music club in New York State.
She was also a charter member of Fortnightly. Mrs. Gifford died on Nov. 5, 1928.
Mrs. Josephus H. Clark can be accredited with the formation of WCA Hospital. She was the first president of the Women's Christian Association formed in 1884. It was the association that founded WCA Hospital. Mrs. Clark is called the mother of WCA Hospital and was the first president of the board of directors in 1887.
Mrs. Clark was also an active member of the Fanny O. Bailey Women's Christian Temperance Union. She served as the union's third president.
Out of the Women's Christian Association, grew the Jamestown Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA). The YWCA was primarily organized to aid young working women by providing them with friendship and education.
The first president of the YWCA was Lydia Kay who served from 1880 to 1890. She was one of the principle founders of the YWCA movement. The YWCA first met at the WCA chapel on Allen Street.
Miss Kay was deeply religious. She resigned her post on the YWCA board to travel to China to be a missionary. China was a dangerous country for a white woman to live at that time. Miss Kay paid for the trip herself and rem
ained in China for five years.Mrs. William H. Proudfit was the second president of the YWCA. She served from 1890 to 1891, 1894 to 1907 and 1912 to 1914. During her presidency, the group met in the WCA Chapel, the Fenton Building, Prendergast Building and in the present YWCA building.
Mrs. Proudfit was mainly concerned with the living conditions of young women in Jamestown working at the mills. The girls worked in overcrowded conditions and were underpaid. In 1901, Mrs. Proudfit established a branch of the YWCA on Harrison and Center Streets to help the working girls.
She encouraged the working girls to attend YWCA meetings. The meeting placed a great emphasis on gospel and vesper services.
It was Mrs. Proudfit who formed education classes in the early YWCA. She conducted shirtwaist making, penmanship, embroidery, Swedish-American language and physical education classes. Hot lunches were served. The YWCA members would also take short day trips and boat rides.
In 1906, Mrs. Maria M. Hall donated $10,000 to the YWCA to establish a permanent meeting place. The present YWCA building was constructed with the help of these funds.
Mrs. Proudfit died in 1925. She was serving as honorary
YWCA president at the time of her death.
Although Lydia Hunter never actually contributed anything to Jamestown's history, this Jamestown woman was responsible for helping spread the Mormon faith.
She was born in Hanover on Jun. 1824 as Lydia A. Edmunds.
In Nauvoo, Illinois, on February 2, 1846, she became the second wife of Capt. Jesses D. Hunter, a Mormon.
The Mormon Battalion of the Latter-Day saints were recruited to fight the Mexican War in California. The only way to reach California was on foot, a 2,000 trek through mountains and deserts.
The wives and children of the Mormon soldiers intended to make the journey also. But en route, many women and children lost their lives.
When the group finally reached San Diego, Calif., only four wives completed the journey, one being Lydia Hunter.
Her name is inscribed on a monument at Fort Stockton in Presido Park, San Diego.
Shortly after the pregnant Lydia arrived in California, she died on April 27, 1847 of typhoid fever. Before her death. she gave birth to a son, Diego. He was the first white child born in San Diego.
Diego became a cowboy and died in Los Angeles, Calif. in 1910.