Susan Paul Smith Vashon (September 19, 1838 - November 27, 1912) was an American educator, abolitionist and

clubwoman The woman's club movement was a social movement that took place throughout the United States that established the idea that women had a moral duty and responsibility to transform public policy. While women's organizations had always been a part ...

. Vashon was active in helping soldier and refugees during the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

. She was part of the

Underground Railroad The Underground Railroad was a network of clandestine routes and safe houses established in the United States during the early- to mid-19th century. It was used by enslaved African Americans primarily to escape into free states and Canada. T ...

. She was also a teacher and a principal. Vashon helped promote and establish several women's clubs in

Missouri Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...

Biography

Vashon was born in

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

on September 19, 1838. Vashon's father, Elijah W. Smith, was a well-known

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and Defi ...

and

cornet The cornet (, ) is a brass instrument similar to the trumpet but distinguished from it by its conical bore, more compact shape, and mellower tone quality. The most common cornet is a transposing instrument in B, though there is also a sopr ...

player. She was raised by her maternal grandmother after her mother died early in her life. Her grandfather was Thomas Paul, and other members of her family were active as

abolitionists 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 Britis ...

. Vashon was educated at Miss O'Mears Seminary in

Somerville, Massachusetts Somerville ( ) is a city located directly to the northwest of Boston, and north of Cambridge, Massachusetts, Cambridge, in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, the city had a total population of 81, ...

, where she was the only black student. After graduating as

valedictorian Valedictorian is an academic title for the highest-performing student of a graduating class of an academic institution. The valedictorian is commonly determined by a numerical formula, generally an academic institution's grade point average (GPA ...

, she taught school for a short time in

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

, where she lived with her father. The principal of the school where she taught was

George Boyer Vashon George Boyer Vashon (July 25, 1824 – October 5, 1878) was an African American scholar, poet, lawyer, and abolitionist. Biography George Boyer Vashon was born in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, the third child and only son of an abolitionist, John Be ...

, whom she later married on February 17, 1857. They had their first child by September 1859, after which she stopped teaching. The couple had 7 children together. George Vashon, his father, and Susan Vashon were all involved in aiding the

. Susan Vashon aided wounded soldiers during the

. In 1864 and 1865, she created several fund-raising

bazaar A bazaar () or souk (; also transliterated as souq) is a marketplace consisting of multiple small Market stall, stalls or shops, especially in the Middle East, the Balkans, North Africa and India. However, temporary open markets elsewhere, suc ...

s to fund medical care and housing for soldiers and

refugee A refugee, conventionally speaking, is a displaced person who has crossed national borders and who cannot or is unwilling to return home due to well-founded fear of persecution.

s in Pittsburgh. The Vashon family moved to

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

in 1872. Vashon started teaching again and eventually was promoted to principal at Thaddeus Stevens School, where she worked until 1880. Vashon and her family moved to St. Louis in 1882. In St. Louis, she became involved with Missouri State Federation of Colored Women's Clubs and served as its president in 1902. Vashon helped create the St. Louis Association of Colored Women's Clubs and served as its president in 1903. Vashon was instrumental in having the National Association of Colored Women (NACW) holding their national convention in St. Louis in 1904. Vashon died in her home on November 27, 1912. She was buried in Bellefontaine Cemetery.

Vashon High School Vashon High School is a high school of the St. Louis Public Schools in St. Louis, Missouri. When it opened in 1927, it was the second high school for black students in St. Louis. History Designed by Rockwell M. Milligan, the school opened on Sep ...

in St. Louis is named after the Vashon family.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vashon, Susan Paul 1838 births 1912 deaths People from Boston 19th-century African-American educators 19th-century American educators Underground Railroad people Clubwomen People from Washington, D.C. People from St. Louis Women civil rights activists 20th-century African-American people