Reporting from Gettysburg: Josiah R. Sypher

            Today marks the 150^th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg.  The battle was covered by about 45 newspaper reporters who competed to get stories to their papers as fast as possible.  The New York Tribune had nine reporters at Gettysburg and managed to secure a telegraph line to Baltimore which was a great advantage during the first days of fighting.

            One of the reporters covering Gettysburg for the Tribune was Josiah R. Sypher.  The 1899 edition of Who’s Who in America included the following entry:

            “Sypher, Josiah Rhinehart, lawyer; b. Liverpool, Perry Co., Pa., April 12, 1832; grad. Union Coll., 1858; read law with Thaddeus Stevens, Lancaster, Pa.; admitted to bar, 1862; was war correspondent New York Tribune in the war of the rebellion; since the war has practiced law in Philadelphia, his specialty being copyrights, trade marks and patents.  Author: Pennsylvania Reserve Corps [1865]; History of Pennsylvania [1868]; History of New Jersey; etc.”

            After the War, Josiah settled in Philadelphia with his wife, Alice (Maxwell) Sypher.  From about 1869 to 1875, they lived at 3620Baring St. with Alice’s sister, Mary G. W. Maxwell, who owned the house.

            One interesting piece of reporting by Sypher stemmed from interviews he did with members of the German-speaking members of the 11 Corps following the Battle of Gettysburg.  He reported in the Tribune that more than 300 of their members had fallen from attacks by sharpshooters and skirmishers on July 3^rd.  They believed there were about a dozen snipers hidden inside a brick building on Baltimore St.  Sharpshooters were a relatively new phenomenon resulting from the development of more accurate rifles and Syypher reported sharpshooting had become “a serious service in battle.”  He went on to describe a dilemma that has become a common feature in battles involving house-to-house combat.  He stated that “The house might have been destroyed, but in doing this many others in town would have been damaged. It is a question, however, whether the whole town is worth the lives it cost to save it.”  (see: Timothy J. Orr. “Sharpshooters Made a Grand Record This Day” Combat on the Skirmish Line at Gettysburg on July 3.  Gettysburg National Military Park.) 
       Sypher became the Tribune's correspondent with the Army of the Potomac.  Some of his reporting about the War around Lancaster is summarized in the blog Lancaster at War which includes the following picture of Sypher taken with the Lancaster - Company B, 1st Penna. Reserves in 1863.

The West Philadelphia Hospital for Women

            The founding of the West Philadelphia Hospital for Women was largely the work of Dr. Elizabeth Comly (1842-1912).  She was the daughter of Emmor Comly and Hannah Bowman of Byberry, Philadelphia Co.  He had a farm at what is now the intersection of Comly Rd. and Academy Rd.  In 1880, Elizabeth lived at 3720 Spring Garden St. with her sister and brother-in-law, Joshua R. and Deborah Howell.  She was 37 years old and on the medical staff of Woman's Medical College.  Her sister died at age 46 in 1882.  About 1886, Elizabeth and Joshua moved to 3404 Spring Garden St.  They married in 1888 and Elizabeth added his name to her’s.

            Dr. Comly Howell was very aware that women “had indeed awakened to the fact that she has more to do in this world than simply to see that her home is well ordered and attractive…”  In a lecture published in 1878 entitled “Women’s Work,” she outlined the professional advances made by women in many fields.  However, she noted that:   “In no field of labor have woman met with more opposition than in the practice of medicine. [Many] … feared the woman would be lost in the physician.   But… by indefatigable efforts, hospitals were founded, in a few years, in New York, Boston and Philadelphia, and scores of young women have had clinical practice in America and received diplomas. But the older and richly-endowed medical colleges have not generously opened their doors to women.” (Quarterly Report of the Pennsylvania Board of Agriculture, 1878: 92-7.)

            The origin of the West Philadelphia Hospital for Women was described in a report of its Board of Managers.  "In May, 1889, five women met in the parlor of Dr. Comly-Howell [3404 Spring Garden St.] to discuss the possibility of establishing in West Philadelphia a hospital and dispensary for women under the care of women….  Poor people in this locality were often unable to avail themselves of the much appreciated benefits of the Woman's Hospital… on account of the distance and limit of time they could afford from their homes. None of the various hospitals already established offered a place where women could be treated by women, and this desired end was freely discussed at the above meetings. All were in favor of this undertaking, but some were doubtful, afraid to take so great a responsibility without a penny for their treasury. Courage was soon gained, however, and this was largely due to the strong nature of Dr. Comly-Howell, who, in every objection urged or doubt expressed, maintained a serenity and confidence that was in itself an inspiration."

            The West Philadelphia Hospital for Women opened in 1889 at the northeast corner of N. 41^st and Ogden Streets in a private house converted for treating out-patients and with 10 beds for in-patients.  It later expanded through the block to Parrish St. and a training school for nursing began in 1890.  Dr. Comly Howell was responsible for deliveries east of 37^th St.  Dr. Elizabeth L. Peck, another doctor at the Hospital, also lived for a time at 3404 Spring Garden St.  Other Powelton residents who were founding members were Mary Sellers Bancroft (3417 Hamilton St.), her daughter, Elizabeth Parrish (3407 Spring Garden), Anna Williams Dreer (101 N. 33^rd St.), Emma B. Foulke (3403 Hamilton St.), Helen Marot (317 N. 33^rd St.), Sarah M. W. Sellers (3300 Arch St.) and Miss Mila F. Smith (218 N. 32^nd St.).

            Dr. Comly Howell continued serving women in the neighborhood until the late 1890s when she and her husband moved to Chester County where he was a farmer and she continued her work as a physician.

            The Hospital merged with the Women’s Hospital of Philadelphia in 1929.  It continued to handle maternity cases in the area.  In 1964, Women’s Hospital was absorbed by the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.  The records of the Hospital are now part of the Archives of Drexel University.

(A shorter version of this appeared in the Powelton Post, March, 2012.)

"I am in part the representative…of those whose rights are denied”

            When Anna Miller purchased 3405 Hamilton St. in 1921, she became one of Powelton’s first homeowners of color.  Anna and Thomas E. Miller moved here from South Carolina in 1921 when she was about 66 years old and he was about 71.  Their lives had been centered on their choice to live in the South as blacks after the Civil War.

Thomas E. Miller (1849-1938)

            Thomas Ezekiel Miller was born in South Carolina in 1849.  It is likely that three of his grandparents were white.  He was adopted at birth by Richard Miller, a freed slave.  He was light enough to have “passed as white” in the North, but he chose to live as a man of color in his native state.  When he died in 1938, his obituary in the Journal of Negro History described him as “one of the most useful men of his time.”

            When he was a child, the Millers moved to Sumter, S.C. and sent him to a school for free blacks.  His mother died when he was 9 years old and he had to go to work as a newspaper boy to support himself.  At the end of the Civil War he ended up in New York State.  The story about how that came about has been summarized in many confusing ways.  The clearest version appears in an interview with him during the 1930s.  He explained that

“[he] was placed in charge of delivering the paper to all stations between Charleston and Savannah, Ga. on the Savannah Railroad, and remained in service until 1864, when he was made Assistant Conductor of the railroad. He wore the Confederate uniform, for all public works were owned and operated by the federal [i.e., Confederate] government. In the early part of 1865, the train was captured by the Yankees to the South of Harleyville, and he was placed into prison in the stockade river swamp, at Savannah Georgia, and remained there for two weeks. The few persons [who] survived were moved to the Savannah Hospital, where he also went. When he was released from the hospital, he went to Hilton Head en route to Harts Island, N.Y. with the N. Y. 24^th Negro Regiment, and from there to Hudson, N. Y. and returned to Charleston in 1866.”

Before returning to Charleston, Miller studied for nine months at a school in Hudson.  He soon returned north to study at Lincoln University where he graduated in 1872.  After returning again to South Carolina, he was appointed School Commissioner in Beaufort County.  His first important political battle was to get black teachers into the city schools.  He was elected the state House of Representative in 1874, 1876, and 1878 and to the state Senate in 1880.  While in the legislature, he studied at the Law School of the State University.  He graduated with the last class graduated before blacks were barred from attending.  He also received law training under P. L. Wiggins, the state solicitor, and Franklin J. Moses, Sr., Chief Justice of the South Carolina Supreme Court.  He was admitted to the bar in 1879.

            In 1888, Miller ran for the U.S. House.  The election was disputed but he was finally seated by the Republican Congress in September, 1890.  He only served for a few weeks before he had to return home to campaign for re-election.  Another contested election followed, but this time a Democratic Congress refused to hear his case.  In 1895, he was elected to the South Carolina Constitutional Convention along with five other blacks.  It was at this convention that the poll tax and literacy tests were introduced which effectively barred blacks from voting.

            During the years following the end of Reconstruction, the black population of South Carolina needed leaders with Miller’s legal training and rhetorical skills who would fight for their rights.  Miller was constantly reminded of his light complexion.  The white press referred to him derisively as “Canary Bird” Miller and some black opponents accused him of merely taking advantage of the opportunities for blacks during Reconstruction.  Despite this, he chose to become a champion of the rights of blacks and an outspoken critic of those who used fear to secure white domination of South Carolina.  His education and speaking ability made him an especially important asset for the black community.  For example, he was the best educated of the black delegates at the Constitutional Convention of 1895.  However, the valiant defense of black rights made by Miller and others failed to stop the disenfranchisement of blacks.

            At the 1895 Constitutional Convention, Miller’s role was to eloquently challenge the notion that blacks were an alien group intent on dominating the state.  He reviewed the common history shared by blacks and whites, defended actions of black legislators during Reconstruction, and pointed out that many white legislators relied on black votes for their election. He did not, however, hesitate to speak harsh truths.  At one point he challenged the “Lost Cause” view of the Civil War stating:

 “The majority of you blame the poor Negro for the humility inflicted upon you during that conflict, but he had nothing to do with it. It was your love of power and your supreme arrogance that brought it upon yourselves. You are too feeble to settle up with the government for that grudge. This hatred has been centered on the Negro and he is the innocent sufferer of your spleen.”

Miller was a strong advocate of universal suffrage.  He noted the effects a poll tax would have on poor whites and he was one of a small minority at the convention to vote for woman’s suffrage.

            After the end of the Constitutional Convention, Miller turned his sights once again on education.  In exchange for promising to leave politics, Miller secured the separation of the Colored Normal, Industrial, Agricultural and Mechanical College of South Carolina (now the State College of South Carolina) from Methodist-owned Claflin College.  He demanded that “only Southern men or women of the Negro race be on the faculty.”  He was appointed the school’s president by the all-white Board of Trustees.  The college was poorly funded and for a decade lacked running water, sewers, electricity and central heat.  During its early decades, State College was not really a college; most of its students were in primary and second grades.  It provided teaching licenses and basic training in agriculture including how to care for cows and make a compost heap.  Many black leaders of the time, including Booker T. Washington, believed this kind of education was what was most needed for blacks.  However, the Board of Trustees maintained tight control over all aspects of the school including decisions about the curriculum.  The College did not grant a real bachelor’s degree until 1925.  Miller served as president until 1911 when he was forced to resign following his outspoken opposition to the election of Governor Coleman Blease.  Miller’s opposition to Blaise was not surprising given Blaise’s position on the education of blacks.  For example, Blaise once stated that the efforts to educate blacks were actually detrimental because “you are ruining a good plow hand and making a half-trained fool.”  After resigning, Miller resumed his law practice and looked after other business interests.

Dr. Charles W. Maxwell

             Thomas Miller and Anna Hume were married in Charleston, S.C. in 1874. They had nine children, two of whom died young.  They moved to Powelton about 1921 (a) with their daughter, Pansy, and her husband, Dr. Charles W. Maxwell.  Maxwell was a 1904 graduate of the Medical School at Howard University.  He ran his medical practice at 616 S.15th St. and out of his home.  At the time, there were few blacks living in Powelton. The first black homeowner in Powelton may have been Bessie G. Johnson, wife of Fields Johnson, who bought 320 N. 31^st St. in 1919.  In 1920, the numerous other black residents on 31^st and 32^nd streets were all renters.  By 1930, most residents east of 33^rd St. were black renters.  West of 33^rd St. virtually all Powelton residents were white with the exception of a few servants and this remained true throughout the 1930s.  (The exceptions were Summer and Winter streets where all of the residents were black in 1940.)

            Why did Anna and Thomas Miller choose to leave South Carolina for Philadelphia?  Why did they choose Powelton rather than an established black neighborhood as the Maxwells later did?  We may never know.  The move to Philadelphia may have been precipitated by Pansy and Charles Maxwell.  Also, Philadelphia – and particularly Powelton - may have offered a quiet retirement away from the harshness of life in South Carolina after WWI.  Thomas Miller wrote several manuscripts based on his experiences in South Carolina politics which he may have written during his years here.  (It appears these were never published.)

            In the early 1930s, the Millers returned to Charleston where Ann died in 1936.  The house in Powelton was inherited jointly by Pansy Maxwell (who had no children) and the five children of Pansy’s sister, Marguerite E. Edwards of Atlantic City, N.J.  Pansy and Charles Maxwell moved to S. 15^th St. in the late 1930s.  He remained a prominent physician in the black community until his death in 1959.

Thomas Miller died in Charleston in 1938.   The inscription on his tombstone reads “I served God and all the people, loving the white man not less, but the Negro needed me most.”  (Some sources differ on the exact quote.)

Notes:

(a)   Most sources state 1923.  However, they purchased the house in 1921.  An article in the Philadelphia Tribune on March 1, 1924 stated that: “Ex-Congressman Miller is a celebrated character in Philadelphia, where he has lived for a number of years….”

I generally do not devote so much space in this blog to the lives of individual before they lived in Powelton.  The case of Thomas E. Miller is unusual.  I have not found a real biography of him nor a full appreciation of his role in South Carolina’s history.  The numerous short biographical sketches include many inconsistencies and inaccuracies that are now easily corrected with readily available sources.  I hope this brief blog will serve to correct some of these inaccuracies and stimulate more interest in his life.  Here are a few of the resources I used for this piece:

 Anonymous (1938). "Thomas E. Miller." Journal of Negro History 23(3): 400-402.

Anonymous (1935). Recalls Stirring Incidents in Life of Thomas E. Miller, Veteran of Reconstruction Days. Philadelphia Tribune. Philadelphia Pennsylvania: 5.

Ladson, Augustus (1936-1937).Ex-Congressman Thomas Ezekiel Miller. WPA Federal Writers' Project on African American Life in South Carolina. WPA_K_1_1_065070. Charleston County, University of South Carolina.

Tindall, G. B. (1952). "The Question of Race in the South Carolina Constitutional Convention of 1895." Journal of Negro History 37(3): 277-303.