Sylvanie Francoz Williams (died August 12, 1921) was an American educator 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 par ...

based in

New Orleans, Louisiana New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

, USA.

Early life

Sylvanie Francoz was born in New Orleans, the daughter of François Francoz and Sarah Francoz. The date of her birth varies in sources, from 1847 to 1855; her obituary places her birthdate around 1849.V. P. Thomas
"Veteran Teacher Dies after 51 Years Service"
''New York Age'' (August 27, 1921): 7. via

Newspapers.com Ancestry.com LLC is an American genealogy company based in Lehi, Utah. The largest for-profit genealogy company in the world, it operates a network of genealogical, historical records, and related genetic genealogy websites. In November 2018, ...

She trained as a teacher at Peabody Normal School."Voices of Progress: Sylvanie Francoz Williams"
The Historic New Orleans Collection, Virtual Exhibits and Collections.

Career

Sylvanie F. Williams worked as a school administrator, principal of the Fisk School Girls' Department from 1883 to 1896, and of the Thomy Lafon School from 1896 to 1921. The latter school was burned down during rioting in 1900, but rebuilt under her leadership. Among the students under her care were A. P. Tureaud, who became a prominent civil rights lawyer. Williams prepared a report on the educational, economic, and cultural conditions of black residents of New Orleans, to be presented at the

World's Columbian Exposition The World's Columbian Exposition (also known as the Chicago World's Fair) was a world's fair held in Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordi ...

in Chicago in 1893. Williams was founder and president of the

Phillis Wheatley Club The Phillis Wheatley Clubs (also Phyllis Wheatley Club) are women's clubs created by African Americans starting in the late 1800s. The first club was founded in Nashville, Tennessee, in 1895. Some clubs are still active. The purpose of Phillis W ...

, a prominent organization for black women in New Orleans. The club sponsored a nursing school, a hospital, and a free clinic for African-Americans in New Orleans; they also conducted sewing bees to make clothing for orphans. She was also active in creating the first public playground for African-American children in New Orleans. A writer in her lifetime called Sylvanie Williams "a fine example of the resourcefulness and noble influence that a cultivated woman can and will give to the uplift of her race." She was a vice-president of the

National Association of Colored Women's Clubs The National Association of Colored Women's Clubs (NACWC) is an American organization that was formed in July 1896 at the First Annual Convention of the National Federation of Afro-American Women in Washington, D.C., United States, by a merger of t ...

(NACW) when it was founded in 1896. Williams supported women's suffrage, including black women's suffrage. In 1903 she attempted to attend the annual meeting of the National American Women's Suffrage Association (NAWSA), when it was held in New Orleans, but was barred because of her race. Instead, Williams welcomed a visit to the Phillis Wheatley Club from white suffrage leader

Susan B. Anthony Susan B. Anthony (born Susan Anthony; February 15, 1820 – March 13, 1906) was an American social reformer and women's rights activist who played a pivotal role in the women's suffrage movement. Born into a Quaker family committed to s ...

, and she spoke with Anthony about the place of black women in the suffrage movement.

Personal life and legacy

Sylvanie Francoz was married to Connecticut-born musician and educator Arthur P. Williams. She was widowed when he died in 1920. She died in 1921, aged about 72 years. A New Orleans elementary school is named for Sylvanie Williams.Kelsey Davis
"Sylvanie Williams College Prep Students Go On Civil Rights Trip to Alabama"
''WOSU News'' (January 23, 2015).

References

External links

* Nicolle Muller Dunnaway
''Flowers in Their Beauty: The Phyllis Wheatley Club of New Orleans''
(2011 doctoral dissertation, Southeastern Louisiana University, Department of History and Political Science). {{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Sylvanie Year of birth missing 1921 deaths American suffragists Educators from New Orleans American women educators Clubwomen