Charlotte B. Ray (née Charlotte Augusta Burroughs; 25 October 1891) was an American prominent pastor, suffragist, and abolitionist. Charlotte was the second wife of Charles Bennett Ray a revered African-American journalist. They were an active part of the Underground Railroad in Manhattan.
Biography Charlotte Augusta Burroughs was born around 1813, in Chatham County, Georgia, to African American parents Augustus Burroughs and Pacella. Many details of Charlotte's childhood are unknown."New York, New York City Municipal Deaths, 1795-1949," database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:2W69-VV6 : 2 June 2020), Charlotte A.b. Ray, 25 Oct 1891; citing Death, Manhattan, New York County, New York, United States, New York Municipal Archives, New York; FHL microfilm 1,322,828.
Charlotte was a pastor for the New York's Bethesda Congregational Church. Her Christian faith fueled her activism to legalize women's right to vote, and protect African-American women who were predisposed to illness and disabilities resulting from slavery. Charlotte was also an active member in the American Equal Rights Association (AERA) and the American Anti-Slavery Society.
Ray died on October 25, 1891.
Marriage and children Charlotte relocated to New York City, where in 1840 she married Charles Bennett Ray. Together they had seven children. Four survived to adulthood:
Clarence F. Ray (1848–?). Florence Theresa Ray (February 6, 1847 – June 15, 1920); no issue. Charlotte E. Ray (January 13, 1850 – January 4, 1911); no issue. Henrietta Cordelia Ray (August 30, 1852 – January 5, 1916); no issue.
All four of her children received a college education. Her daughter Charlotte F. was the first African-American woman to receive a law degree. Her eldest daughter Florence also became an attorney. Her youngest child Henrietta Cordelia became a famous poet.
See also List of African-American abolitionists
References