WOMEN IN HISTORY - ELIZA BRYANT

African-American founder of the The Cleveland Home for Aged Colored People

DATE OF BIRTH

1827

PLACE OF BIRTH

North Carolina

DATE OF DEATH

May 13, 1907

PLACE OF DEATH

Cleveland, Ohio. She is buried in Woodland Cemetery

FAMILY BACKGROUND

Parents, Polly Simmons, a slave, and her master. In 1848 Polly Simmons was freed and moved north with her family, purchasing a home in Cleveland, Ohio with funds from her master.

EDUCATION

Unknown

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

liza Bryant was active in the movement to welcome and assist African Americans to the Cleveland area, particularly those moving from the southern states. Through this work she learned of the special needs of elderly blacks left alone due to slavery. Existing facilities denied access to African Americans and so, Bryant, with the aid of Sarah Green and Lethia Flemming, began the work of establishing a home for aged blacks around 1893. In January, 1895 a board of trustees was named and the Cleveland Home for Aged Colored People opened on August 11, 1897. Bryant married and had several children.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

  • The Dictionary of Cleveland Biography. David V. Van Tassel, ed., Indiana University Press, Bloomington and Indianapolis, 1996. p.70-71.
  • Eliza Bryant entry in The Encyclopedia of Cleveland History. David V. Van Tassel, ed., Indiana University Press, Bloomington and Indianapolis, 1996. pp. 384-385.
  • The Eliza Bryant Home Records, held at the Western Reserve Historical Society, Cleveland, Ohio.
Held in Cleveland Public Library:
  • Cleveland Home for Aged Colored People. 1985 Commemorative Program: To Commemorate 89 Years of Commitment and Service to the Elderly. Cleveland, Ohio; [1985].
  • Annual report of the Cleveland Home for Aged Colored People. Author: Cleveland Home for Aged Colored People. Published: Cleveland, Ohio: The Home, 1896?-
  • Historical Sketch and Financial Report of the Cleveland Association of the Home for Aged Colored People and the Men's Auxiliary to the Home, from July 1893 to July 1908. Author: Cleveland Home for Aged Colored People. Published: Cleveland, 1908? 12p.