Caroline G. Boughton

Caroline Greenbank Boughton
Born	(1854-08-09)August 9, 1854 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Died	June 1, 1905(1905-06-01) (aged 50)
Resting place	West Laurel Hill Cemetery, Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Alma mater	Philadelphia Normal School
Occupation(s)	Educator, social activist

Caroline Greenbank Boughton (August 9, 1854 - June 5, 1905) was an American educator and social activist. She was an advocate for Native American civil rights, temperance, and women's rights. She was active in the American Home Missionary Society, the National Woman Suffrage Association, the New Century Club, the Woman's Christian Temperance Union, and the Women's National Indian Association.

Early life

She was born Caroline Greenbank in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on August 9, 1854. She was the second daughter of Judge Thomas Greenbank, whose family was from England. Through her mother, she was related to a branch of the Huestons of Belfast, Northern Ireland.

She graduated from the Philadelphia Normal School in 1874, fifth in a class of eighty. ^[1]

Career

In the autumn of 1874, Boughton began her career as a teacher in Miss Steven's Seminary in Germantown, Philadelphia. In 1878 she took charge of the department of history in the Philadelphia Normal School, and held that position for four years.

She was active with the Woman's Hospital of Philadelphia ^[2] and through her connection with the American Home Missionary Society of the Methodist Episcopal Church, became interested in missionary work with Native Americans. She served as a manager of the Women's National Indian Association for five years, ^[1] and as auditor for eighteen years. ^[3]

She was an active member of the Woman's Christian Temperance Union until her failing health forced her to curb her activities. Boughton was interested in the advancement of women. She was a member of the New Century Club in Philadelphia, and a member of the National Woman Suffrage Association. ^[1]

Personal life

On July 25, 1882, she married John W. Boughton, a prominent manufacturer and inventor of Philadelphia. ^[1]

She died on June 5, 1905, and was interred at West Laurel Hill Cemetery in Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania. ^[4]

References

1. Willard, Frances Elizabeth, 1839-1898; Livermore, Mary Ashton Rice, 1820-1905 (1893). A woman of the century; fourteen hundred-seventy biographical sketches accompanied by portraits of leading American women in all walks of life. Buffalo, N.Y., Moulton. p.  108 . Retrieved 8 August 2017. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain .
2. Thomas, S.W. (10 July 1905). Philadelphia Methodist. Philadelphia. p. 14. Retrieved 21 July 2025.
3. Annual Report of Women's. Philadelphia: Women's National Indian Association. 1896. p. 30. Retrieved 21 July 2025.
4. "Caroline Greenbank Boughton". remembermyjourney.com. webCemeteries. Retrieved 21 July 2025.