Sarah Hearst Black (May 4, 1846 – ?) was an American

social reformer A reform movement or reformism is a type of social movement that aims to bring a social or also a political system closer to the community's ideal. A reform movement is distinguished from more radical social movements such as revolutionary move ...

in the

temperance movement The temperance movement is a social movement promoting temperance or complete abstinence from consumption of alcoholic beverages. Participants in the movement typically criticize alcohol intoxication or promote teetotalism, and its leaders emph ...

. She lived a life of self-denial as a home missionary's wife in

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 ...

Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the southwe ...

, and

Idaho Idaho ( ) is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. To the north, it shares a small portion of the Canada–United States border with the province of British Columbia. It borders the states of Montana and Wyom ...

, and served as president of the

Woman's Christian Temperance Union The Woman's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) is an international temperance organization, originating among women in the United States Prohibition movement. It was among the first organizations of women devoted to social reform with a program th ...

(WCTU) in Nebraska.

Early years

Sarah Hearst was born on a farm near

Savannah, Ohio Savannah is a village in Ashland County, Ohio, United States. The population was 413 at the 2010 census. History Savannah was laid out in 1818. A post office called Savannah has been in operation since 1839. Geography Savannah is located at ...

, May 4, 1846. Her father's family removed from

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, ...

to that farm when he was 14 years of age, and Black grew up there. Her ancestors were Scotch-Irish people, all of them members of the

Presbyterian Church Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...

. Her mother's maiden name was Townsley. Black first attended school in a typical red school-house situated on a corner of her father's farm. At 13 years of age, she began to attend school in Savannah Academy, where she completed a regular course of study. She made a public profession of religion in her 15 year and soon after became a teacher in the

Sunday school A Sunday school is an educational institution, usually (but not always) Christian in character. Other religions including Buddhism, Islam, and Judaism have also organised Sunday schools in their temples and mosques, particularly in the West. Su ...

Career

After completing her course of study, she became a teacher, and that was her employment for more than 10 years. In 1878, she married Rev. J. P. Black, a minister of the Presbyterian Church, and went with him to his field of labor in Pennsylvania. They removed to Kansas in 1880, and since thereafter, she worked as a home missionary's wife in Kansas, Nebraska, and Idaho. She became actively engaged in WCTU work in 1885, in Nebraska, and was elected president of the fifth district of that State for two years in succession. After her removal to Idaho, she was chosen president of the WCTU in that State. She made her home in

Nampa, Idaho Nampa () is the largest city in Canyon County, Idaho. Its population was 100,200 at the time of the 2020 Census. It is Idaho's third-most populous city. Nampa is about west of Boise along Interstate 84, and six miles (10 km) west of Meridian. ...

References

Attribution

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External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Black, Sarah Hearst 1846 births American social reformers Woman's Christian Temperance Union people People from Ashland County, Ohio Year of death missing Wikipedia articles incorporating text from A Woman of the Century