Laura Celestia "Cettie" Spelman Rockefeller (September 9, 1839 – March 12, 1915) was an American

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 ...

, philanthropist, school teacher, and prominent member of the

Rockefeller family The Rockefeller family () is an American industrial, political, and banking family that owns one of the world's largest fortunes. The fortune was made in the American petroleum industry during the late 19th and early 20th centuries by brot ...

. Her husband was Standard Oil co-founder

John D. Rockefeller John Davison Rockefeller Sr. (July 8, 1839 – May 23, 1937) was an American business magnate and philanthropist. He has been widely considered the wealthiest American of all time and the richest person in modern history. Rockefeller was ...

Spelman College Spelman College is a private, historically black, women's liberal arts college in Atlanta, Georgia. It is part of the Atlanta University Center academic consortium in Atlanta. Founded in 1881 as the Atlanta Baptist Female Seminary, Spelman rece ...

in Atlanta, Georgia, and the

Laura Spelman Rockefeller Memorial The Rockefeller Foundation is an American private foundation and philanthropic medical research and arts funding organization based at 420 Fifth Avenue, New York City. The second-oldest major philanthropic institution in America, after the Carneg ...

were named for her.

Early life

Laura Celestia Spelman was born in

Wadsworth, Ohio Wadsworth is a city in Medina County, Ohio, United States. It is counted as part of the Cleveland metropolitan area, although it functions mainly as a suburb of Akron. Founded on March 1, 1814, the city was named after General Elijah Wadsworth, a ...

, to Puritan descendant Harvey Buell Spelman (1811–1881) and Lucy Henry (1818–1897),

Yankee The term ''Yankee'' and its contracted form ''Yank'' have several interrelated meanings, all referring to people from the United States. Its various senses depend on the context, and may refer to New Englanders, residents of the Northern United S ...

s who had moved to Ohio from

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut Massachusett_writing_systems.html" ;"title="nowiki/> məhswatʃəwiːsət.html" ;"title="Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət">Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət'' En ...

. Harvey was an abolitionist who was active in the Congregationalist Church, 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. ...

, and in politics. The Spelmans eventually moved to Cleveland, Ohio. Spelman had an elder adopted sister, Lucy Maria "Lute" Spelman (c. 1837–1920).

Personal life and career

In Cleveland, Lute and Spelman met

John Davison Rockefeller John Davison Rockefeller Sr. (July 8, 1839 – May 23, 1937) was an American business magnate and philanthropist. He has been widely considered the wealthiest American of all time and the richest person in modern history. Rockefeller was ...

while attending accounting classes together. He was the eldest son of William Avery "Bill" Rockefeller (1810–1906) and Eliza Davison (1813–1889). She later returned to New England to attend Oread Institute, with plans to become a schoolteacher. After returning to Ohio to teach, she married John in 1864. Following her wedding, Spelman remained active in the church (she joined Rockefeller's congregation, the

Northern Baptist The American Baptist Churches USA (ABCUSA) is a mainline/evangelical Baptist Christian denomination within the United States. The denomination maintains headquarters in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania. The organization is usually considered mainli ...

s) and with her family. Once the family business, Standard Oil, began to take off, she further devoted her time to philanthropy and her children. Together, they were the parents of five children; * Elizabeth ("Bessie") (August 23, 1866 – November 14, 1906), * Alice (July 14, 1869 – August 20, 1870), * Alta (April 12, 1871 – June 21, 1962), *

Edith Edith is a feminine given name derived from the Old English words ēad, meaning 'riches or blessed', and is in common usage in this form in English, German, many Scandinavian languages and Dutch. Its French form is Édith. Contractions and var ...

(August 31, 1872 – August 25, 1932), and * John Jr. (January 29, 1874 – May 11, 1960). Throughout their lives, the Rockefeller family continued to donate ten percent of their income to charity, including substantial donations to

, founded to educate Black women. Laura Spelman Rockefeller died on March 12, 1915, at age 75 of a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which ma ...

, at the family estate

Kykuit Kykuit ( ), known also as the John D. Rockefeller Estate, is a 40-room historic house museum in Pocantico Hills, a hamlet in the town of Mount Pleasant, New York 25 miles north of New York City. The house was built for oil tycoon and Rockefelle ...

Pocantico Hills, New York Pocantico Hills is a hamlet in the Westchester County town of Mount Pleasant, New York, United States. The Rockefeller family estate, anchored by Kykuit, the family seat built by John D. Rockefeller Sr., is located in Pocantico Hills, as is the ...

Legacy

John D. Rockefeller established the Laura Spelman Rockefeller Memorial Fund. He donated large amounts to it and it funded charitable organizations and then shifted focus to social sciences funding. Laura Spelman founded Spelman College.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Rockefeller, Laura Spelman 1839 births 1915 deaths Rockefeller family American abolitionists American philanthropists People from Cleveland History of Cleveland People from Wadsworth, Ohio 19th-century American educators Schoolteachers from Ohio Baptists from New York (state) 19th-century American women educators

Early life

Personal life and career

Legacy

See also

References

Further reading

External links