Biographical Database of Black Woman Suffragists
Biography of Mary Ardley Smith, 1875-?
By Ye Ji Choi, undergraduate student, Johns Hopkins University
Mary Ardley Smith (also spelled Ardly and Ardrey) was born in Pennsylvania in September of 1875 to her mother, a widowed janitress, named Mary S. Smith. Miss Ardley Smith was not an only child; Helen was 4 years younger and Ethel was 12 years younger. What initially brought Miss Ardley Smith into the public sphere was her occupation as a teacher, which perpetuated her to hold public lectures and become a cherished member of Philadelphia society.
Miss Ardley Smith is credited as "one of Philadelphia's prominent school teachers" and "one of Philadelphia's efficient school teachers" in the Philadelphia Tribune. These praises were not wrongly assumed, as Miss Ardley Smith was honored upon her retirement for her 42 years of teaching by the YWCA in 1946. The photograph depicts, from left to right, Miss Ethel Smith, Miss Olivia Y, Taylor, Miss M. Ardley Smith, and Mrs. Verona E. Beckett. Following her retirement, Miss Ardley Smith remained actively involved in the education of African American children in Philadelphia as a member of The Service Committee of Philadelphia Retired Teachers' Organization.
Miss Ardley Smith was not just a teacher, but also an active member of Cherry Memorial Baptist Church, now known as the First African Baptist Church, as a member of the church's Advisory Committee. Thus, it is no surprise that the first publicized talk by Miss Ardley Smith was held at Cherry Memorial Baptist Church on February 25th, 1912. As the opening speaker, Miss Ardley Smith "spoke in an interesting and instructive manner on the progress the colored women have made and how the desire for suffrage had interested all educated colored women."
In addition to her public lectures, Miss Ardley Smith served as the chairman of the 4th Liberty Loan Publicity Committee of South Philadelphia, raising a total of $51,800 during the campaign by selling war bonds. Miss Ardley Smith was also a member of the Lyceum in Philadelphia. Furthermore, Miss Ardley Smith purchased a summer home in Mount Holly, New Jersey, where she frequently hosted her family and friends during and after the peak of her activism. The high volume of visitors at her summer cottage suggests that Miss Ardley Smith was a well-known public figure of Philadelphia.
No further evidence of her suffrage activity is known after the initial suffrage meeting at Cherry Memorial Baptist Church. Miss Ardley Smith devoted her life to the education of African Americans and it is assumed that she focused on education to advance her race and community as a whole, rather than focusing on the narrow aspect of suffrage.
Bibliography
Ancestry.com. 1900 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc., 2004.
Note: Year: 1900; Census Place: Philadelphia Ward, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Page: 3; Enumeration District: 0095; FHL microfilm: 1241454.
Brooks, Charles H., Official history of the First African Baptist Church: Philadelphia, Pa.. Philadelphia, PA: CH Brooks. 1922.
"Flashes and Sparks: Social and otherwise during the week." The Philadelphia Tribune, October 5, 1933. Accessed April 13, 2019. ProQuest. Keyword: Ardley Smith.
"Lyceum 1934-35 Membership List." The Philadelphia Tribune, October 11, 1934. Accessed April 13, 2019. ProQuest. Keyword: Ardley Smith.
"Miss Mary McGowan Feted For Humanitarian Work." The Philadelphia Tribune, January 17, 1950. Accessed April 13, 2019. ProQuest. Keyword: Ardley Smith.
"Other 4 – No Title." The Philadelphia Tribune, June 18, 1921. Accessed April 13, 2019. ProQuest. Keyword: Ardley Smith.
"Photo Standalone 8 – No Title." The Philadelphia Tribune, June 15, 1946. Accessed April 13, 2019. ProQuest. (Photo on p. 1).
"Pleasantville, N. J." The Philadelphia Tribune, August 6, 1931. Accessed April 13, 2019. ProQuest. Keyword: Ardley Smith.
Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division, The New York Public Library. "The First African Baptist Church (Cherry Memorial); The oldest Baptist Church in the State." New York Public Library Digital Collections. Accessed March 29, 2019. http://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47df-9da0-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99.
"Society... at a Glance." The Philadelphia Tribune, August 27, 1936. Accessed April 13, 2019. ProQuest. Keyword: Ardley Smith.
"Suffrage Meeting in Baptist Church." The Philadelphia Tribune, March 2, 1912. Accessed March 29, 2019. ProQuest. Keyword: Ardley Smith.
"The Week in Clubdom." The Philadelphia Tribune, October 5, 1933. Accessed April 13, 2019. ProQuest. Keyword: Ardley Smith.
"Women Raise in 4th Liberty Loan Campaign." The Philadelphia Tribune, November 16, 1918. Accessed April 13, 2019. ProQuest. Keyword: Ardley Smith.
Wright, R. R. (Richard Robert). (19081907). The Philadelphia colored directory: a handbook of the religious, social, political, professional, business and other activities of the Negroes of Philadelphia. [Philadelphia]: Philadelphia Colored Directory Co.
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