Caroline Remond Putnam facts for kids

Caroline Remond Putnam (born 1826, died 1908) was an important African-American businesswoman and activist. She lived in Salem, Massachusetts. With her sisters, she ran the biggest wig factory in their state. She helped create new hair-care products for African-American women.

Early Life and Family

Caroline was the youngest of seven children. Her parents, Nancy (Lenox) Remond and John Remond, were free Black people. Nancy was a baker, and John was a merchant. The Remonds were a very successful family in Salem. They often spent time with famous anti-slavery leaders like Frederick Douglass.

Caroline had four sisters and two brothers. Her siblings included well-known speakers against slavery, Sarah Parker Remond and Charles Lenox Remond. The Remond family believed that both boys and girls should get an education.

School Challenges

Even with this belief, the children faced unfair treatment at school. When Caroline was nine, she and her siblings had to leave their school in Salem. This happened because white parents protested. The family then moved to Newport, Rhode Island. This allowed the children to finish their schooling. They came back to Massachusetts around 1841. After their return, John Remond worked hard to end segregation in Salem's schools. He succeeded, making the schools open to all students.

Caroline married Joseph Hall Putnam. He was a schoolteacher and hairdresser from Boston. Joseph also believed strongly in ending slavery. They had two children, Edmund Quincy Putnam and Louisa Victoria Putnam.

Business and Fighting for Rights

Caroline, her husband, and her older sisters, Cecilia Remond Babcock and Maritcha Juan Remond, owned many Black hairdressing businesses in Salem. This included the Ladies Hair Work Salon. All the sisters were trained in making wigs. They also owned and ran the largest wig factory in the state.

Hair Care Innovator

In the late 1840s, Caroline started making "Mrs. Putnam's Medicated Hair Tonic." This product was sold widely. It was advertised as a medicine to help stop hair loss. She became known as an expert in Black hair care. Other business owners often asked her to support their hair products.

Supporting the Anti-Slavery Movement

The success of their salon and wig factory helped Caroline support her siblings. Sarah Parker Remond and Charles Lenox Remond often traveled to give speeches against slavery. Caroline sometimes joined Sarah in speaking out against racism.

In 1853, the sisters bought tickets to an opera in Boston. But they were told they could only sit in a special section for Black people. Sarah took this case to court. She won money for both sisters because of the unfair treatment.

Caroline was also an active member of the Salem Female Anti-Slavery Society. She was chosen as vice president in 1865. Like her sisters, she supported many other anti-slavery groups. These included the Essex County Anti-Slavery Society. She also supported the American Anti-Slavery Society. Caroline welcomed other Black activists into her home in Salem. Charlotte Forten Grimké lived with Putnam when she first came to Salem in 1854.

Later Life and Continued Activism

After her husband and daughter passed away, Caroline left her businesses in Salem. Her sisters Cecelia and Maritcha took over. Caroline then traveled across Europe with Sarah Parker Remond. By 1865, she had settled in Vienna. Her son, Edmund, studied medicine there.

In 1885, Caroline, Edmund, and Maritcha moved to Rome. They lived permanently with Sarah there. Sarah had become a doctor and started her own medical practice. The sisters kept working against slavery in Italy. They stayed in touch with anti-slavery activists from America and Europe. They even hosted Frederick Douglass at their home in 1886. Caroline also taught her son about fighting for rights. He worked as a writer for an anti-slavery newspaper while studying in Europe.

Facing Discrimination Abroad

Even with her wealth and social status, Caroline faced racism wherever she went. In 1859, she sailed to England for the first time. The ship's captain would not let her travel as a first-class passenger. Caroline wrote a letter to the ship company owner, Samuel Cunard. She also sent her letter to newspapers. When she returned to the United States, she was able to travel first-class.

In 1870, Caroline was turned away from the Metropolitan Hotel in New York. This hotel did not change its unfair rules until 1879.

Caroline, Sarah, and Maritcha later moved to London. They lived together until Sarah died in 1894. Caroline Remond Putnam passed away in 1908.