William Day
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William Howard Day (1825 - 1900)

William Howard Day
Born in New York, United Statesmap
[sibling(s) unknown]
Husband of — married 25 Nov 1852 (to 1872) in Cuyahoga, Ohio, United Statesmap
Husband of — married 4 Jun 1873 in Delaware, United Statesmap
Died at age 75 in Harrisburg, Dauphin, Pennsylvania, United Statesmap
Profile last modified | Created 19 Feb 2017
This page has been accessed 935 times.
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Biography

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William Day is Notable.

William Howard Day was an abolitionist, editor, publisher, printer, teacher, lecturer, civic leader and clergyman who devoted his life to improving the conditions of his fellow African-Americans.[1]

William Howard Day was born free in New York to John Day, a sail maker, and his wife Eliza Ann Dixon, an abolitionist and founding member of A.M.E. Zion Church. His father died when he was around four years old.

After excelling in a private school, J.P. Williston, an ink manufacturer, offered to take over his guardianship to provide him with a liberal education his mother could not offer, to which his mother reluctantly agreed.[2] [3] He was also taught printing skills, which led to his first job, working as a printer to pay his way through college. This soon led to a career, as he became the shop foreman after his graduation from Oberlin College in 1847.

Day became an editor of the Cleveland True Democrat newspaper in 1851 In 1852, he established the Aliened American,[4] one of the first weekly African-American newspapers.

Day married fellow abolitionist, and Oberlin College graduate Lucy Stanton on 25 Nov 1852 in Cuyahoga County, Ohio.[5] They had one daughter:

Shortly after the birth of his daughter, Day abandoned his wife and child and moved to England, where he remained for the duration of the American Civil War.

The 1870 Census[6] shows him at age 41 with his future wife Georgie Bell in Wilmington, New Castle County, Delaware. His occupation is "Prof of Languages".

His marriage to Lucy Stanton was legally dissolved in 1872, after which he married Georgia F Bell in 1873 in Delaware.[7]

Day spent his later years in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania; where he became the first African-American to serve on the Harrisburg City School Board.

The 1880 Census[8] shows him at age 54 with his wife in the 8th Ward of Harrisburg, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania. His occupation is "Professor of Classics."

The 1900 Census[9] shows him at age 71 with his wife in the 8th Ward of Harrisburg, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania. His occupation is "Secy (Methodist church)". This census states that his wife is the mother of no children.

Day died in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania on 3 Dec 1900,[10][11] at the age of 75, and is buried at the Lincoln Cemetery in Penbrook, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania.[12] His occupation listed on his death record is orator.

Statue of William Howard Day

Legacy

There is a memorial on the grounds of the Capitol building in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania that consists of a pedestal inscribed with "one hundred names of change agents who pursued the power of suffrage and citizenship between 1870 and 1920." [13] Around the pedestal, there are statues of four great abolitionist orators. William Howard Day is one of these four.[14] See the 100 Voices Project.

Sources

  1. https://case.edu/ech/articles/d/day-william-howard
  2. R. J. M. Blackett, Beating Against the Barriers: Biographical Essays in Nineteenth-Century Afro-American History (Baton Rouge: Louisiana State Univ. Press, 1986). pages 286-386, found on Archive.org (Specifically pages 287-290.)
  3. Eliza Ann Dixon Day (?-1800’s), Contributed by Shirley Yee, 15 Feb 2007, found on BlackPast.org/African-American-History
  4. The Aliened American, vol 1., no. 1
  5. "Ohio, County Marriages, 1789-2013," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XDL1-R8Z : 8 December 2014), William H. Day and Lucy H. Stanton, 25 Nov 1852; citing Cuyahoga, Ohio, United States, reference p294; county courthouses, Ohio; FHL microfilm 877,913.
  6. "United States Census, 1870", database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M4BR-GVW : 28 May 2021), William Howard Day in entry for William B Simpson, 1870.
  7. "Delaware Vital Records, 1650-1974," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q284-VP4R : 22 July 2021), William Howard Day, 1873; citing Marriage, Delaware, United States, Delaware Public Archives, Dover; FHL microfilm 5,099,532.
  8. "United States Census, 1880," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MWFS-81V : 10 August 2016), W Howard Day, Harrisburg, Dauphin, Pennsylvania, United States; citing enumeration district ED 94, sheet 342D, NARA microfilm publication T9 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), roll 1123; FHL microfilm 1,255,123.
  9. "United States Census, 1900," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M3S7-PYB : accessed 13 April 2022), William H Day, Precinct 4 Harrisburg city Ward 8, Dauphin, Pennsylvania, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 73, sheet 7A, family 134, NARA microfilm publication T623 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1972.); FHL microfilm 1,241,402.
  10. "Pennsylvania Deaths and Burials, 1720-1999", database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:H5WR-PCZM : 9 July 2020), Wm. Howard Day, 1900.
  11. "W.H. Day Died This Morning," Harrisburg [Pennsylvania] Independent, 3 Dec 1900, page 1, column 4; image copy, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com/clip/104557195/ : accessed 27 Jun 2022).
  12. Find A Grave: Memorial #57203230 page for Rev William Howard Day (16 Oct 1825–3 Dec 1900), citing Lincoln Cemetery, Penbrook, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, USA; accessed 12 April 2022; Maintained by sid (contributor 47040529).
  13. https://digitalharrisburg.com/commonwealth/100names/
  14. https://digitalharrisburg.com/commonwealth/

See also:

Photo of statue, courtesy of the Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission.





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Rejected matches › William Day (1822-1882)