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Forbes, Elizabeth H. (Mary Elizabeth Harley), 1865-1942

 Person

Biography

Elizabeth H. Forbes was born in 1865 in Kingston, New York, to William Hanson G. Harley and Cordelia “Delia” Harley. Her grandfather, Thomas Harley, had been active in the Underground Railroad and her father, William H.G. Harley, a barber, was a veteran of the Union Navy and a prominent resident of Kingston. Forbes was a trained musician and a graduate of Kingston Academy. In 1907, she helped to organize the third annual meeting of the Niagara Movement, which took place in Boston. In 1909, Elizabeth Forbes was elected President of the Mrs. John A. Andrew Tent 1, Dorchester, of the Daughters of Union Veterans of the Civil War, and she was an early member of and served as secretary for the League of Women for Community Service (LWCS) in Boston. After the death of her husband, George W. Forbes, she worked at the Boston Public Library.

Found in 1 Collection or Record:

George W. Forbes Papers

 Collection
Call Number: MS Am.282
Scope and Contents This collection consists of correspondence sent to George W. Forbes, as well as typescript drafts of 18 biographies of eminent Black historical figures that Forbes wrote. Also inlcuded are several letters addressed to Elizabeth H. Forbes in the years following her husband's death, and several issues of The Voice and The Crisis. The correspondence in the collection reflects Forbes’ work as a writer and scholar, particularly with...
Dates: Majority of material found within 1900-1936; 1900 - 1989
Found in: Boston Public Library Archives & Special Collections / George W. Forbes Papers