top of page

Mary Elizabeth Bibb

Significance: 

Mary Elizabeth Miles Bibb Cary was the first African-American

woman to graduate from the Normal School. She was a leader

in education, journalism, and the abolitionist movement. Mary

published “The Voice of the Fugitive” with her husband after

they moved to Canada following passage of the Fugitive Slave

Act of 1850. Mary championed the value of education and

represents the spirit of lifelong learning and activism.

Birth: 

Death:

born in Rhode Island in 1820.

died in 1877

Obituary:

Marriage:

Henry Bibb, an escaped slave, They married in June 1848. When Henry died, Mary later married Isaac N. Cary.

Children:

Places Lived:

Lexington, Massachusetts; Rhode Island; New York

Connection to Lexington:

Education, Attended Normal School.

Wikipedia: 

Book Titles:

Education:

Employment:

Educator

Quotation:

Link to page in Notable American Women:  

Inclusion in the Lexington
Historical Society Exhibit?  

Additional Info:

In 2005, Mary and Henry Bibb were declared Persons of National Historic Significance by the Government of Canada.  She is considered by some to be the first female black journalist in Canada.

Preliminary Sketch
- Meredith Bergmann
Mary Elizabeth Bibb
bottom of page