Holley, Sallie, 1818-1893

Caroline F. Putnam was born in Massachusetts on July 29, 1826, and entered Oberlin College in 1848. There, she became involved in the abolitionist movement and met Sallie Holley (1818-1893), a fellow abolitionist who became Putnam's lifelong friend. After their graduation, the two women traveled around the northern United States to raise support for abolitionism, and both grew interested in the welfare of freed slaves during the early years of the Civil War. In 1868, Putnam opened the Holley School in Lottsburg, Virginia, named in honor of Sallie Holley. The school held daytime classes for African American children and evening classes for freed slaves to learn reading, writing, and arithmetic. Putnam ran the school until her retirement in 1903. She died in Lottsburg on January 14, 1917.

From the guide to the Caroline F. Putnam papers, Putnam, Caroline F. papers, 1868-1895, 1868-1877, (William L. Clements Library, University of Michigan)

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