Erastus Milo Cravath
Encyclopedia
Erastus Milo Cravath was field secretary with the American Missionary Association
(AMA) after the American Civil War
, when he helped found Fisk University
in Nashville, Tennessee
, and numerous other historically black colleges in Georgia
and Tennessee
for the education of freedmen
. He helped launch more than a generation into literacy and education. In addition, he served as president of Fisk University for more than 20 years.
to Orin Cravath, of French Huguenot ancestry. The senior Cravath was one of three men to form an abolition
party in Homer, and he also used his home as a station on the Underground Railroad
. As a boy, Erastus grew up in a household devoted to the abolitionist cause and aiding escaping slaves. It was a time and place of progressive causes.
Cravath first studied at the local common school, then Homer Academy. He went on to study at Oberlin College
, graduating with a bachelor's degree in 1857, and earning a master's in divinity in 1860. After devoting much of his adult life to religion and education, in 1886 Cravath earned a Doctor in Divinity degree at Grinnell College
.
and England.
of Berlin, Ohio
, in what later became part of the United Church of Christ
. He was an abolitionist. He entered the Union Army
in December 1863, serving until the end of the war, including campaigns in Franklin and Nashville, Tennessee
.
By October 1865 Cravath returned to Nashville, where he was a Field Agent of the American Missionary Association
(AMA) and worked to establish schools for freedmen. He purchased land for the Fisk School, which he founded in 1866 together with John Ogden, superintendent of education for the Freedmen's Bureau in Tennessee; and the Reverend Edward P. Smith, also of the AMA. It accepted children and adults both for classes in reading, writing, math, etc. Within the first six months, the number of students climbed from 200 to 900. Using Fisk as his base, Cravath also started freedmen's schools at Macon
, Milledgeville
and Atlanta, Georgia
; and at various points in Tennessee.
In September 1866, Cravath became District Secretary of the AMA in Cincinnati, Ohio
. By 1870 he was promoted to Field Secretary at the AMA office in New York City
.
In 1875 Cravath returned to Fisk University as President. He spent the next three years abroad touring with the Fisk Jubilee Singers
. For more than 20 years, he led Fisk University, helping it through its growth and building campaign of the 1880s, and the steady expansion of education initiatives.
Cravath lived in St. Charles, Minnesota
in his last years, where he died in 1900.
American Missionary Association
The American Missionary Association was a Protestant-based abolitionist group founded on September 3, 1846 in Albany, New York. The main purpose of this organization was to abolish slavery, to educate African Americans, to promote racial equality, and to promote Christian values...
(AMA) after the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, when he helped found Fisk University
Fisk University
Fisk University is an historically black university founded in 1866 in Nashville, Tennessee, U.S. The world-famous Fisk Jubilee Singers started as a group of students who performed to earn enough money to save the school at a critical time of financial shortages. They toured to raise funds to...
in Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
, and numerous other historically black colleges in Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
and Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
for the education of freedmen
Freedman
A freedman is a former slave who has been released from slavery, usually by legal means. Historically, slaves became freedmen either by manumission or emancipation ....
. He helped launch more than a generation into literacy and education. In addition, he served as president of Fisk University for more than 20 years.
Early life and education
Erastus Milo Cravath was born July 1, 1833 in Homer, New YorkHomer (town), New York
Homer is a town in Cortland County, New York, United States. The population was 6,363 at the 2000 census. The name is from the Greek poet Homer.The Town of Homer contains a village called Homer...
to Orin Cravath, of French Huguenot ancestry. The senior Cravath was one of three men to form an abolition
Abolitionism
Abolitionism is a movement to end slavery.In western Europe and the Americas abolitionism was a movement to end the slave trade and set slaves free. At the behest of Dominican priest Bartolomé de las Casas who was shocked at the treatment of natives in the New World, Spain enacted the first...
party in Homer, and he also used his home as a station on the Underground Railroad
Underground Railroad
The Underground Railroad was an informal network of secret routes and safe houses used by 19th-century black slaves in the United States to escape to free states and Canada with the aid of abolitionists and allies who were sympathetic to their cause. The term is also applied to the abolitionists,...
. As a boy, Erastus grew up in a household devoted to the abolitionist cause and aiding escaping slaves. It was a time and place of progressive causes.
Cravath first studied at the local common school, then Homer Academy. He went on to study at Oberlin College
Oberlin College
Oberlin College is a private liberal arts college in Oberlin, Ohio, noteworthy for having been the first American institution of higher learning to regularly admit female and black students. Connected to the college is the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, the oldest continuously operating...
, graduating with a bachelor's degree in 1857, and earning a master's in divinity in 1860. After devoting much of his adult life to religion and education, in 1886 Cravath earned a Doctor in Divinity degree at Grinnell College
Grinnell College
Grinnell College is a private liberal arts college in Grinnell, Iowa, U.S. known for its strong tradition of social activism. It was founded in 1846, when a group of pioneer New England Congregationalists established the Trustees of Iowa College....
.
Marriage and family
In September 1860 Cravath married Ruth Anna Jackson, who was from a long family of Quakers in PennsylvaniaPennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
and England.
Career
Cravath became a pastor in the Congregational ChurchCongregational church
Congregational churches are Protestant Christian churches practicing Congregationalist church governance, in which each congregation independently and autonomously runs its own affairs....
of Berlin, Ohio
Berlin, Ohio
Berlin, Ohio may refer to:* Berlin, Holmes County, Ohio* Berlin, Williams County, Ohio* Berlin Heights, Ohio...
, in what later became part of the United Church of Christ
United Church of Christ
The United Church of Christ is a mainline Protestant Christian denomination primarily in the Reformed tradition but also historically influenced by Lutheranism. The Evangelical and Reformed Church and the Congregational Christian Churches united in 1957 to form the UCC...
. He was an abolitionist. He entered the Union Army
Union Army
The Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...
in December 1863, serving until the end of the war, including campaigns in Franklin and Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
.
By October 1865 Cravath returned to Nashville, where he was a Field Agent of the American Missionary Association
American Missionary Association
The American Missionary Association was a Protestant-based abolitionist group founded on September 3, 1846 in Albany, New York. The main purpose of this organization was to abolish slavery, to educate African Americans, to promote racial equality, and to promote Christian values...
(AMA) and worked to establish schools for freedmen. He purchased land for the Fisk School, which he founded in 1866 together with John Ogden, superintendent of education for the Freedmen's Bureau in Tennessee; and the Reverend Edward P. Smith, also of the AMA. It accepted children and adults both for classes in reading, writing, math, etc. Within the first six months, the number of students climbed from 200 to 900. Using Fisk as his base, Cravath also started freedmen's schools at Macon
Macon, Georgia
Macon is a city located in central Georgia, US. Founded at the fall line of the Ocmulgee River, it is part of the Macon metropolitan area, and the county seat of Bibb County. A small portion of the city extends into Jones County. Macon is the biggest city in central Georgia...
, Milledgeville
Milledgeville, Georgia
Milledgeville is a city in and the county seat of Baldwin County in the U.S. state of Georgia. It is northeast of Macon, located just before Eatonton on the way to Athens along U.S. Highway 441, and it is located on the Oconee River. The relatively rapid current of the Oconee here made this an...
and Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
; and at various points in Tennessee.
In September 1866, Cravath became District Secretary of the AMA in Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located to north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's...
. By 1870 he was promoted to Field Secretary at the AMA office in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
.
In 1875 Cravath returned to Fisk University as President. He spent the next three years abroad touring with the Fisk Jubilee Singers
Fisk Jubilee Singers
The Fisk Jubilee Singers are an African-American a cappella ensemble, consisting of students at Fisk University. The first group was organized in 1871 to tour and raise funds for their college. Their early repertoire consisted mostly of traditional spirituals, but included some Stephen Foster songs...
. For more than 20 years, he led Fisk University, helping it through its growth and building campaign of the 1880s, and the steady expansion of education initiatives.
Cravath lived in St. Charles, Minnesota
St. Charles, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 3,295 people, 1,238 households, and 870 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,005.3 people per square mile . There were 1,276 housing units at an average density of 389.3 per square mile...
in his last years, where he died in 1900.