Emma B. Alrich (, Eldridge; April 4, 1845 – December 15, 1925) was an American journalist, author, and educator. Though she hailed from
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...
, she removed to
Kansas
Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the ...
after marriage. Alrich served as Filing Clerk of the
Kansas Legislature
The Kansas Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Kansas. It is a bicameral assembly, composed of the lower Kansas House of Representatives, with 125 state representatives, and the upper Kansas Senate, with 40 state senators. ...
, and was the only woman in her day who served as
superintendent
Superintendent may refer to:
*Superintendent (police), Superintendent of Police (SP), or Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), a police rank
*Prison warden or Superintendent, a prison administrator
*Superintendent (ecclesiastical), a church exec ...
of the city schools of
Mitchell County, Kansas
Mitchell County (standard abbreviation: MC) is a county located in the U.S. state of Kansas. As of the 2020 census, the county population was 5,796. The largest city and county seat is Beloit.
History
Early history
For many millennia, the G ...
. She was a charter member of the National Woman's Relief Corps, as well as its national senior vice-president. She was the department president of
Kansas
Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the ...
, and charter member of the organization in 1883 at
Denver
Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...
,
Colorado
Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of t ...
. Eldridge died in 1925.
Early years and education
Emma B. Eldridge was born in
Cape May County, New Jersey
Cape May County is the southernmost county in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Much of the county is located on Cape May bound by Delaware Bay to its west and the Atlantic Ocean to its south and east. Adjacent to the Atlantic coastline are fiv ...
, April 4, 1845. She was a first child. At the age of three, a
New Testament
The New Testament grc, Ἡ Καινὴ Διαθήκη, transl. ; la, Novum Testamentum. (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus, as well as events in first-century Christ ...
was given to her as a prize because she could read it. Two years later, she was selling blackberries to buy an arithmetic book. At age twelve, she joined the Baptist Church and she began to write for the county paper.
When she was sixteen, Alrich taught the summer school at her home. In 1862, she entered the State Normal School (now
The College of New Jersey
The College of New Jersey (TCNJ) is a public university in Ewing Township, New Jersey. It is part of New Jersey's public system of higher education. Established in 1855 as the New Jersey State Normal School, TCNJ was the first normal school, or ...
71st Pennsylvania Infantry
The 71st Regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry (originally raised as the 1st California) was an infantry regiment of the Union Army that participated in the American Civil War.
History
The 71st Pennsylvania was organized in August 1861 by ...
. Her first two years of married life were spent in
Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...
,
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...
. In 1876, the Centennial opened up new possibilities and the couple settled in
Cawker City, Kansas
Cawker City is a city in Mitchell County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 457. The city is located along the north shore of Waconda Lake and Glen Elder State Park. It is one of several places cla ...
. There, she again taught school, was the first woman in Mitchell County to take the highest grade certificate, and the only woman at the time who served as superintendent of the city schools. She was a supporter of teachers' meetings, church social gatherings, a public library and a woman's club.
In 1883, her husband's failing health compelled a change in business. He bought the ''Free Press'', and changed its name to the ''Public Record''. All the work of the office was done by their family. Besides her journalistic work, she served two years on the board of teachers' examiners. She was one of the forty who organized the National Woman's Relief Corps, one of the three who founded the Woman's Hesperian Library Club, and was the founder of the Kansas Woman's Press Association. Alrich had little time for purely literary work.
Death
She died December 15, 1925, in Cawker City, and was buried in the Prairie Grove Cemetery.