Hortense Parker
Encyclopedia
Hortense Parker Gilliam, born Hortense Parker (1859–1938), was the first known African-American graduate of Mount Holyoke Female Seminary
, in 1883. She taught music and piano at elementary school in Kansas City, Missouri
from 1906-1913. That year she married James Marcus Gilliam, and moved with him to St. Louis, where she taught music and lived the rest of her life.
John Parker
and Miranda {Boulden} Parker in Ripley, Ohio
. She had three older brothers and two sisters. Her mother was freeborn in Cincinnati
. Born into slavery, her father had bought his freedom and became a noted abolitionist, inventor, and industrialist. Before the American Civil War
, he aided hundreds of slaves to escape by the Underground Railroad
. Her parents' house has been designated a National Historic Landmark
and restored, now called the John P. Parker House
after her father.
The Parkers ensured that all their children became well educated. Hortense Parker and her two younger sisters studied music as children, in addition to traditional subjects. Hortense went to Mount Holyoke Female Seminary
(now Mount Holyoke College), where she graduated in 1883, the first known African-American graduate.
, where Parker taught from 1906-1913 at Lincoln School (later W.W. Yates).
. They moved to St. Louis, where her brother Horatio Parker was living. There Gilliam served as a principal for most of his career. Parker Gilliam taught music for many years. She died on December 9, 1938.
Mount Holyoke College
Mount Holyoke College is a liberal arts college for women in South Hadley, Massachusetts. It was the first member of the Seven Sisters colleges, and served as a model for some of the others...
, in 1883. She taught music and piano at elementary school in Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
from 1906-1913. That year she married James Marcus Gilliam, and moved with him to St. Louis, where she taught music and lived the rest of her life.
Early life and education
Hortense Parker was the fourth of six children born to the free people of colorFree people of color
A free person of color in the context of the history of slavery in the Americas, is a person of full or partial African descent who was not enslaved...
John Parker
John Parker (abolitionist)
John P. Parker was an African-American abolitionist, inventor, iron moulder and industrialist who helped hundreds of slaves to freedom in the Underground Railroad resistance movement based in Ripley, Ohio. He was one of the few blacks to patent his inventions before 1900...
and Miranda {Boulden} Parker in Ripley, Ohio
Ripley, Ohio
Ripley is a village in Brown County, Ohio, United States, along the Ohio River 50 miles southeast of Cincinnati. The population was 1,745 at the 2000 census.-History:...
. She had three older brothers and two sisters. Her mother was freeborn in Cincinnati
Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located to north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's...
. Born into slavery, her father had bought his freedom and became a noted abolitionist, inventor, and industrialist. Before the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, he aided hundreds of slaves to escape by the Underground Railroad
Underground Railroad
The Underground Railroad was an informal network of secret routes and safe houses used by 19th-century black slaves in the United States to escape to free states and Canada with the aid of abolitionists and allies who were sympathetic to their cause. The term is also applied to the abolitionists,...
. Her parents' house has been designated a National Historic Landmark
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...
and restored, now called the John P. Parker House
John P. Parker House
The John P. Parker House is a National Historic Landmark in Ripley, Ohio. It was home to former slave and inventor John P. Parker from 1853 to his death in 1900, and was a stop on the Underground Railroad....
after her father.
The Parkers ensured that all their children became well educated. Hortense Parker and her two younger sisters studied music as children, in addition to traditional subjects. Hortense went to Mount Holyoke Female Seminary
Mount Holyoke College
Mount Holyoke College is a liberal arts college for women in South Hadley, Massachusetts. It was the first member of the Seven Sisters colleges, and served as a model for some of the others...
(now Mount Holyoke College), where she graduated in 1883, the first known African-American graduate.
Career
She worked in several cities teaching music, among them Kansas CityKansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
, where Parker taught from 1906-1913 at Lincoln School (later W.W. Yates).
Marriage and family
In 1913 Parker married James Marcus Gilliam, a graduate of Cornell UniversityCornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
. They moved to St. Louis, where her brother Horatio Parker was living. There Gilliam served as a principal for most of his career. Parker Gilliam taught music for many years. She died on December 9, 1938.
Legacy and honors
- As the first African-American graduate of Mt. Holyoke, Parker Gilliam was featured in Our Path: Students of Color at Mt. Holyoke at the 2007 Alumnae Student Conference there.
Further reading
- http://books.google.com/books?id=BLFi-YT2VewC&printsec=frontcover&dq=HIS+PROMISED+LAND:+THE+AUTOBIOGRAPHY+OF+JOHN+P.+PARKER,+FORMER+SLAVE+AND+CONDUCTOR+ON+THE+UNDERGROUND+RAILROAD&source=bl&ots=Jy1duILNyZ&sig=90_0FAR09wPZt3Dk83WSHQlT4og&hl=en&ei=2X5NTf_IGMP_lgfn6pXoDw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=7&ved=0CFEQ6AEwBg#v=onepage&q&f=falseJohn P. Parker, HIS PROMISED LAND: THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF JOHN P. PARKER, FORMER SLAVE AND CONDUCTOR ON THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD], Edited by Stuart Seely Sprague, New York: Norton, 1996
External links
- Photograph of Mount Holyoke students c. 1883, including Hortense Parker, Mt. Holyoke College
- Photograph of Hortense Parker Gilliam and her husband James Marcus Gilliam, 1932, Archival Digital Image Database, Mt. Holyoke College