Frances “Fannie” Barrier Williams was born in Brockport on February 12, 1855. Around 1888, she and her husband moved to Chicago where she became a nationally known speaker and worked tirelessly on behalf of African-American women. She was instrumental in developing an African-American nurses’ training program, establishing the Provident Hospital in Chicago, and was among the founders of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).
Upon retirement, Mrs. Barrier Williams returned to Brockport where she died on March 4, 1944. According to one eye-witness account, she filled her house with her paintings.
This year, the Emily L. Knapp Museum of Local History in Brockport is planning a special event honoring Mrs. Barrier Williams’ life and achievements. We are searching for some of her artifacts and artwork to use as part of our display.
Could you help us by searching your attics, basements, old trunks, and boxes in pursuit of anything that may have belonged to her? If you find something and would like to donate it or lend it for our display, please call Sue at 637-2317.
Sue Savard, Head of Volunteers
Emily L. Knapp Museum
