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Mary Dennis Poland
c. 1873-1947* Born in Ohio, Mrs. Poland was the wife of state superintendent Addison Poland. However, she was accomplished in her own right. She was the first woman to be award a doctorate in philosophy, which came from NYU. In Newark she was dean of girls in Newark High School (Barringer) for 26 years until…
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Sarah Schloss
1838-1924 Sarah Schloss was president of the Frauen Verein Naechstenliebe or Friendly Sisters which was a leading Hebrew charitable organization in Newark for 38 years. She was named an honorary life member and honorary president of the organization and the oldest member as of 1910, having been a member for 48 years. Sarah lived in…
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Irene E Morris
1900-1953 Irene Morris worked as a registered nurse for the Board of Health for over 25 years. She graduated from Mercy Hospital in Philadelphia with the class of 1922. Irene is listed as a nurse in city directories from 1923 and appointed as a visiting nurse for the Board of Health March 1926, and a…
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Mildred Miller Free
1893-1939 Mildred Free was prominent in church and women’s circles. She was active in St. Philips Church and the NJ State Federation of Colored Women’s Clubs of which she was Recording Secretary and Financial Secretary. She was active in the Phyllis Wheatly Society, where she was secretary, and the Lit-Muse Club. Mildred was also secretary,…
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Hamilton Family
Laura Bland Hamilton 1853-1952 Laura Hamilton was born into slavery in VA. She came to Newark after the Civil War with her sister and married Frederick Hamilton. Founder of Bethany Baptist Church. She organized a factory making baby clothes in her home which she ran for 18 years. Her husband also had an automobile exchange…
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Mildred Morris Williams
1905-1958 Mildred Morris was one of the early Black teachers in Newark. In 1938 the Herald News called her “one of Newark’s popular school teachers”, “charming” and a “member of one of New Jersey’s outstanding families”. She taught at Abington Ave School, in 1st grade, for most of her career, teaching briefly at Belmont Ave,…
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Linda H. Morley and Adelaide C. Kight
1885-1972, 1889-1972 Linda Morley was head of the business branch of Newark Public Library after Sarah Ball and before Marian Manley from 1917(1919?)-1926. With Adelaide Kight she wrote “2400 business books and guide to business literature” (1920) and “Business books 1920-1926” (1927). The Wilson Bulletin called Kight and Morley the “moving spirits of Newark’s Business…
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Sarah Bedell Ball
1879-1962 Sarah Ball was head of Newark’s business library from 1907 to about 1919. She was inducted into Special Library hall of fame in 1959 with Alma Mitchell. She helped found the Special Libraries Association. Later Sarah became a bookseller in New York (Ball & Wilde) and died in Hartford, CT. Sarah was born in…
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Sara Jane Ash
1886-1973 Sarah Jane Ash was one of only two woman engineers at NJ Bell Telephone Company as of 1937. She started in 1902, as a phone operator. She said, “I like my work. Every phase of it is very engrossing.” Born in Paterson, Sarah Jane worked at Bell in Paterson and other places until 1929…
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Dr. Gertrude Ash Golat
c. 1909-1980 Dr. Gertrude Golat was a graduate of University of Vienna Medical School, who came to Newark in 1939. For 25 years worked as a part time physician for the Newark Board of Education and in the 1960s led the drive for better sex education in Newark schools, creating a training program for teachers.…