Frances Berry Coston
Frances Berry Coston | |
|---|---|
 Frances Berry Coston, from a 1909 publication | |
| Born | Frances Berry March 1, 1876 Rockholds, Kentucky, U.S. |
| Died | July 19, 1960 (age 84) Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Journalist, publicist, suffragist, educator |
| Children | 3, including Jean Coston Maloney |
Frances M. Berry Coston (March 1, 1876 – July 19, 1960) was an American journalist, publicist, suffragist, and educator based in Indianapolis.
Early life and education
[edit]Berry was born in Rockholds, Kentucky, the daughter of James Berry and Mary Berry.[1] She graduated from Berea College and from the Pulitzer School of Journalism at Columbia University. She also studied at the University of Chicago, Butler University, Indiana University, and Harvard University.[2][3]
Career
[edit]Coston taught at Kentucky State College, and in the segregated elementary schools of Indianapolis. She was principal of the elementary school at the Indianapolis Asylum for Friendless Colored Children for five years.[4] In the 1920s she was founder and president of the Educational Aid Society, to "free children from opression, ignorance and vice,"[5] by raising funds for residents of the orphanage to attend high school and college.[6][7] She retired from schoolwork in 1951, in her seventies.[2]
Coston became a correspondent and book reviewer for the Indianapolis News in 1912, while still teaching school. "Because of her unusual efficiency and versatile abilities as a writer, she is permitted by the editorial staff to turn out articles on any subject or along any literary line she may desire," noted one profile in 1921.[8] She wrote about education[9] and Black women's activism,[10] including suffrage work.[11]
In 1912, Coston attended a women's suffrage meeting at the home of Madame C. J. Walker; she worked with fellow teacher Carrie Barnes Ross organizing suffrage events.[12] She was an active member of the Women's Improvement Club,[13] the YWCA, the Flanner Guild,[14] and her church. She volunteered as a probation officer in Marion County. During World War I, she was appointed by the War Department as publicity director for "colored women's war work" in Indiana, and hosted an Indianapolis appearance by national women's war work leader Alice Dunbar Nelson.[15][16] In the 1920s, she was publicity chair of the Negro Women’s National Republican League in Indiana, and served as publicity chair for the Indiana Federation of Colored Women’s Clubs for several decades.[2]
Personal life
[edit]Berry married George Ellsworth Coston in 1916. They had three children; their daughter Jean Coston Maloney (also known as Jean Lee) became a noted pianist and music educator.[17] Her husband died in 1949,[18] and she died in 1960, at the age of 84, at her daughter's home in Chicago.[19][20]
References
[edit]- ^ Dublin, Thomas. "Biographical Sketch of Frances Berry Coston, 1876-1960". Alexander Street Documents. Retrieved 2025-02-03.
- ^ a b c Verderame, Jyoti A. (2022-12-15). "Frances Berry Coston". Encyclopedia of Indianapolis. Retrieved 2025-02-03.
- ^ "Teacher Will Speak at Patriotic Meeting". The Indianapolis Star. 1909-02-21. p. 32. Retrieved 2025-02-03.
- ^ "3,000 Visit Colored Schools". The Indianapolis News. 1924-11-22. p. 35. Retrieved 2025-02-03 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Watson, Bess (1960-07-19). "Frances Coston Helped Orphans". The Indianapolis News. p. 7. Retrieved 2025-02-03 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Plans Annual Concert". The Indianapolis News. 1926-06-12. p. 39. Retrieved 2025-02-03 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Campaign in September; Educational Aid Society Sets Date for Subscription Drive". The Indianapolis News. 1926-07-24. p. 35. Retrieved 2025-02-03 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Harrison, William Henry (1921). Colored Girls and Boys' Inspiring United States History: And a Heart to Heart Talk about White Folks. Searle & Dressler Company, Incorporated. pp. 139–140.
- ^ Coston, Frances Berry (1919-06-23). "Greater Interest in Education is Shown". The Indianapolis News. p. 16. Retrieved 2025-02-03 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Zona Gale Sees Day of Race Brotherhood". The Indianapolis News. 1927-06-29. p. 19. Retrieved 2025-02-03 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Colored Women Study Problem of Suffrage; Unity of Purpose Urged by Frances Berry Coston". The Indianapolis News. 1917-06-06. p. 20. Retrieved 2025-02-03 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Fernando, Christine (2020-08-27). "'Black history is American history': How Black Hoosiers contributed to suffrage movement". The Indianapolis Star. Retrieved 2025-02-03.
- ^ "Improvement Club Elects". The Indianapolis News. 1914-06-20. p. 11. Retrieved 2025-02-03 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Flanner Guild Speaker". The Indianapolis News. 1909-02-20. p. 15. Retrieved 2025-02-03 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Women's Club Notes". The Half Century Magazine. 5 (4): 12. November 1918.
- ^ "Named Publicity Director". The Indianapolis News. 1918-09-28. p. 14. Retrieved 2025-02-03 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Segregation Bows to Pianist in New Orleans". The Afro-American. 1953-02-21. p. 7. Retrieved 2025-02-03 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Obituary for George Ellsworth Coston". The Indianapolis News. 1949-08-29. p. 7. Retrieved 2025-02-03 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Watson, Bess (1960-07-19). "Frances Coston Helped Orphans". The Indianapolis News. p. 7. Retrieved 2025-02-03 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Frances Berry Coston". The Indianapolis News. 1960-07-20. p. 22. Retrieved 2025-02-03 – via Newspapers.com.
External links
[edit]- Claire Farrington. "Frances Berry Coston" Women4Change Indiana (February 8, 2024).