Sydna E. R. Francis

Sydna Edmonia Robella Francis, child of John and Charlotte Dandridge, moved with her family from Virginia to New York where John was employed as a waiter.¹ Sydna married Abner H. Francis in New York where both are described as being of mulatto descent in the 1850 US Census.² In 1843, their daughter Theodosia Gertrude was born.³ While in Buffalo, Sydna was secretary of the Female Dorcas Society as well as President of the Ladies’ Literary and Progressive Improvement Society of Buffalo.⁴ According to Sydna in a letter addressed to Frederick Douglass, the Ladies’ Literary and Progressive Improvement Society of Buffalo was the only female group formed to improve “the moral intellectual, political, and social advancement” of its members (African American women in Buffalo) by promoting literature, art, and sciences that encourage “political reform.”⁵⁶ Sydna’s strategy is akin to her husband’s as she attempted to publicize and spread awareness about social reform whenever she could. For instance, after the Ladies’ Literary and Progressive Improvement Society of Buffalo received a donation from the Independent Order of Daughter of Temperance, Sydna wrote to North Star seeking to publicize the news.⁷

It is also possible that Sydna utilized her husband’s social influence to advance the agenda of the organizations she led. On February 7, 1849, Abner Francis wrote a letter to Gerrit Smith because he was requested “…by an association of ladies to address a line to you on a subject of considerable importance to them…”⁸ The white political abolitionist Gerrit Smith fought for African Americans rights and to extinguish slavery throughout his lifetime.⁹ The letter does not detail what topic the “Ladies of Buffalo” wished to discuss with Mr. Smith, but urged Mr. Smith to visit Buffalo.¹⁰ On November 12th of that same year, Mr. Smith was awarded the “Silver Pitcher” at a private ceremony.¹¹ The Silver Pitcher was presented to Mr. Smith on behalf of Francis, Henry Highland Garnet and “the Colored ladies of Buffalo.”¹² He was awarded the Silver Pitcher because of his activism according to a speech made by Garnet.¹³ The proceedings of the ceremony were recorded and published in the Impartial Citizen newspaper. Both the letter and the article imply that honoring Gerrit Smith was a project the ladies of Buffalo designed and organized, but they also required the aid of their male associates, Francis and Garnet.