October 1920: The Women Who Led the Way: From Virginia

Mary A. Johnson was born in Virginia about 1880 to Sarah and Samuel Hill.  She and her husband, Sidney M. Johnson, moved to Hartford is 1916 and opened the first Black funeral home in Connecticut.  Mary was the embalmer.  In addition to running a business, Mary was very civic minded, founding and serving as the first president of the Women’s League of Hartford, serving on the city’s Inter-Racial Commission, and the Juvenile Commission.  She was a member of Faith Congregational Church and a life-long member of the NAACP. 

Martha Basey was born in Virginia about 1851.  The 1870 Census has Martha, her husband Sidney and baby Louisa living in Hartford.  Martha was 70 years old when she registered to vote in 1920.  She died in 1924 and is buried in Old North Cemetery.

Mary S. Buckner was born in Virginia about 1894 to Sippie and Louise Willis.  Mary is listed in the Hartford City Directory as early as 1916.  According to the 1920 Census and her voter registration card, Mary is running a boarding house at 65 Fairmont Street.  Including Mary, there are 14 Mulatto and Black people living in her boarding house. 

Ida Holmes Braxton was 52 in 1920.  She was a laundress for a family and her husband Moses was a janitor.

Winnie Braxton had been living in Hartford since at least 1900.  She was born in Virginia in 1872.  In 1920, she was working as a domestic in a private home and she was living in her brother’s boarding house.

Matilda A. Braxton was 48 years old when she registered to vote.  She was a live in domestic worker for James and Margaret Ahearn.

Ella Brown was born in Virginia about 1885.  She is listed as a servant living with George Hale (85) and his daughter, Ethel Hale (32) at 56 Niles Street.  Ethel Hale is running a boarding house.   The Hales also employed Lucy Battle Hill (see Women from Georgia page) as a chambermaid and Julia James (see below) to do housework although these women did not live with the Hales.

Julia James was born in Virginia.  We do not know much about Julia except that she was doing housework along with Ella Brown and Lucy Battle for Miss Hale at 56 Nile Street.