Mary Rice Hayes Allen
Born: March 2, 1875 (Harrisonburg, VA)
Died: October 10, 1935
Biography
Mary Rice Hayes, born in Harrisonburg, Va., was the illegitimate daughter of a former Confederate general, John R. Jones, and his servant, Malinda Rice, who had been a slave, and was doing domestic work to get by. In an unusual move for a former slave owner, the General acknowledged Mary and supported her education (he did not, however, acknowledge her darker brother). Even though he had to move out of the house when his wife divorced him, Mary continued to visit her father and accompanied him as his “white” daughter.
Mary went to Hartshorn College where she was attracted to a guest lecturer, Gregory Hayes, the president of Virginia Seminary, and married him in 1895. Together, they had seven children, five surviving infancy. Mary was involved in setting up a chapter of the NAACP in Lynchburg, alongside Anne Spencer, while she taught at the seminary. When Gregory Hayes died in 1906, she was made the interim president of the seminary. In 1911, she married William Allen. They came North to Montclair, NJ in the early 20th century, during what came to be known as the “Great Migration.” Mary was involved with the “colored” YWCA and was president for nine years. She was secretary of the Montclair NAACP; then president; a position she held until her death in 1935.
Connection to the Spencers
NAACP chapter
