Mossell, Gertrude Bustill, 1855-1948

Gertrude Emily Hicks Bustill Mossell (July 3, 1855 – January 21, 1948) was an African-American journalist, author, teacher, and activist. She served as the women's editor of the New York Age from 1885 to 1889, and of the Indianapolis World from 1891 to 1892. She strongly supported the development of black newspapers and advocated for more women to enter journalism.

Gertrude Bustill was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on July 3, 1855, to Emily Robinson and Charles Hicks Bustill. Born into a prominent African-American family, her great-grandfather, Cyrus Bustill, served in George Washington's troops as a baker.

After graduating from Robert Vaux Grammar School, she taught school for several years in Philadelphia and Camden, New Jersey. Simultaneously, Mossell began to develop her voice as a journalist. She served as a writer and editor for several newspapers and magazines, including the A.M.E. Church Review, the Philadelphia Times, the Philadelphia Echo, the Independent, Woman's Era, and Colored American Magazine. She was editor of the woman's department of the New York Age from 1885 to 1889 and of the Indianapolis World from 1891 to 1892.

In 1894, she published The Work of the Afro-American Woman, a collection of eight essays and seventeen poems that recognized the achievements of black women in a range of fields. Her other civic activities included organizing the Philadelphia branch of the National Afro-American Council.

In 1880, Mossell married leading Philadelphia physician, Nathan Francis Mossell. They had two daughters, Florence and Mary. Mossell died on January 21, 1948 at the age of 92 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.