Abby Davis Munro (1837-1913) was a

South Carolina )''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...

teacher and

abolitionist Abolitionism, or the abolitionist movement, is the movement to end slavery. In Western Europe and the Americas, abolitionism was a historic movement that sought to end the Atlantic slave trade and liberate the enslaved people. The British ...

who operated both the Laing School in Mount Pleasant, and the Mount Pleasant Home for Destitute Children.

Personal life and views

Munro was born in 1837, and never married.Fordham, D. L. (2009). Voices of Black South Carolina: Legends and Legacy. United States: Arcadia Publishing Incorporated. She was brought up in

Bristol, Rhode Island Bristol is a town in Bristol County, Rhode Island, US as well as the historic county seat. The town is built on the traditional territories of the Pokanoket Wampanoag. It is a deep water seaport named after Bristol, England. The population of B ...

before relocating to

during the

Reconstruction era The Reconstruction era was a period in American history following the American Civil War (1861–1865) and lasting until approximately the Compromise of 1877. During Reconstruction, attempts were made to rebuild the country after the bloo ...

. Despite widespread racism at the time, she was noted for her kindness to Black Americans, notably uncommon from white Americans. Her diary entry of January 16, 1869 reads:

"Oh what a long and dreary ride through miles of forest and swamps over muddy waters or past miserable-looking villages of Negro huts. No sign of life or thought. Everything all through the South has such a forsaken, desolate look and the people seem but half alive, as they shuffle rather than walk along. And what has but slavery done this?"

Career

Home for Destitute Children--Mount Pleasant

She worked for the

Pennsylvania Abolition Society The Society for the Relief of Free Negroes Unlawfully Held in Bondage was the first American abolition society. It was founded April 14, 1775, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and held four meetings. Seventeen of the 24 men who attended initia ...

and also as a teacher, teaching recently emancipated African Americans, initially at the

Avery Institute The Avery Research Center for African American History and Culture is a division of the College of Charleston library system. The center is located on the site of the former Avery Normal Institute in the Harleston village district at 125 Bull Stre ...

in Charleston before relocating to the Laing School in Mount Pleasant in 1869, where she worked as a teacher and later as the principal for 40 years. She was known to be both strict, requiring students to memorise and recite a bible verse weekly, and also kind. Munro ran a boarding house for Black teachers and in July 1883 opened an orphanage known informally as the ''Munro's school'' and officially the ''Mount Pleasant Home for Destitute Children.'' She sought funding from Americans in the

Northeastern United States The Northeastern United States, also referred to as the Northeast, the East Coast, or the American Northeast, is a geographic region of the United States. It is located on the Atlantic coast of North America, with Canada to its north, the Southe ...

, which she used to purchase a house, which she converted into the school. Impoverished parents relinquished guardianship of their children to the school.

Death

At the age of 76, Munro died at home of a heart attack, survived by her three sisters.

Legacy

Munro's journals and papers are an exhibit in the University of South Carolina Libraries and also part of the collection of the

National Museum of African American History and Culture The National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) is a Smithsonian Institution museum located on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., in the United States. It was established in December 2003 and opened its permanent home in ...

shared with the

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The library is ...

References

External links

University of South Carolina Libraries digital collection of Munro's papers
{{DEFAULTSORT:Munro, Abby Davis 1837 births 1913 deaths American abolitionists 19th-century American women educators 19th-century American educators People from Bristol, Rhode Island African-American history of Rhode Island Women founders Founders of charities