Notable people · Abolitionist · Educator · Suffrage
Betsey Mix Cowles
Born in Bristol, Connecticut; her family settled in Austinburg, Ashtabula County, in 1811. She taught, studied at Oberlin (1838-40), served as secretary of the Ashtabula County Female Anti-Slavery Society from 1835, and presided over Ohio's first women's rights convention at Salem in 1850. Her Austinburg home was dedicated as an Underground Railroad station in 2003.
At a glance
- Born
- 1810-02-09
- Died
- 1876-07-25
- Education
- Oberlin College (ladies' course), Oberlin, OH, 1838-1840, graduate
- Known as
- Abolitionist, Educator, Suffrage
- Organizations
- Ashtabula County Female Anti-Slavery Society, Oberlin College
Life story
Betsey Mix Cowles was born in Bristol, Connecticut, in 1810, the eighth child in her family, and grew up in Austinburg, Ohio, where the family settled around 1811.
She supported herself as a teacher and school administrator in Ashtabula County and was later superintendent of schools in Painesville. In 1832 she studied infant-school methods in New York.
After her father's death in 1835 she led the Ashtabula Female Anti-Slavery Society, which counted over four hundred members. She spoke in public, which was unusual for women then, and came to follow William Lloyd Garrison.
She attended Oberlin College in the 1840s in the women's course. In 1850 she presided at Ohio's first women's rights convention in Salem. She taught in Illinois in 1858, retired in 1862 with failing sight, and died in 1876. Her Austinburg home was recognized as an Underground Railroad station.
Timeline
- 1832: Studies infant-school methods (New York, NY) source
- 1835: Father dies; leads Ashtabula Female Anti-Slavery Society (Austinburg, OH) source
- 1838: Attends Oberlin College (1838-40) (Oberlin, OH) source
- 1845: Becomes a Garrisonian abolitionist (Ohio) source
- 1850: Presides over Ohio Women's Convention (Salem, OH) source
- 1858: Teaches at Illinois State Normal University (Normal, IL) source
- 1862: Retires due to eye trouble (Ohio) source
- 1876-07-25: Dies (Ohio) source
What Betsey is known for
- Secretary, Ashtabula County Female Anti-Slavery Society from 1835
- President of the 1850 Salem women's rights convention
- School superintendent in Canton and Painesville
Honors and things named for them
- Ohio Women's Hall of Fame (1989)
- Austinburg home dedicated as Underground Railroad station (2003)
Family
- father: Giles Hooker Cowles
- mother: Sally White Cowles
- cousin (nephews of brother Edwin): Edwin Cowles; Alfred Cowles Sr.
Places in Ohio to see
- Betsey Mix Cowles home (Underground Railroad station) (home)
Austinburg, Ashtabula County ZIP 44010 (approximate) · Ashtabula County · official page
Ohio places
Where Betsey Mix Cowles was born, lived, worked and is remembered, with the ZIP code, town and county pages for each.
- Lived: Austinburg, Ashtabula County ZIP 44010 · Ashtabula County
- School: Oberlin, Lorain County ZIP 44074 · Oberlin · Lorain County
- Worked: Canton, Stark County ZIP 44702 · Canton · Stark County
- Worked: Painesville, Lake County ZIP 44077 · Painesville · Lake County
Further reading
Sources
Confidence. High: the main facts were confirmed in sources we opened.
- Wikipedia: Betsy Mix Cowles dates, Bristol CT birth, Austinburg, careers, 1850 Salem convention
- Remarkable Ohio marker 6-4 Ohio historical marker at Austinburg, Ashtabula County, 1810-1876