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Dear Trinity Church and friends,
As quoted in The Afro American, “So far only one colored woman has applied and obtained a patent, Miss Miriam Benjamin, a teacher in the public schools of Washington. It is a gong and signal chair for hotels but she hopes to get it adopted in the U.S. House of Representatives. The member pushes an electric button on his chair and calls the page to him by means of an index which attracts his attention. …” In fact, Miriam Eliza Benjamin was not the first woman of color to obtain a patent, but she was certainly a pioneer in patent law and several other fields.
In her many endeavors, Miriam drew strength and inspiration from the family matriarch Eliza Hopkins Benjamin. Eliza, a free woman of color, lived in Charleston, SC, when she gave birth to Miriam in 1861. Charlotte, affectionately referred to as Lottie, followed soon after, then siblings Eva, Lyde, and Edgar. By 1870 Eliza’s husband Francis, of Jewish descent, was gone. The 1870 census lists Eliza as head of household. In 1872, she moved the family to Boston, then referred to as “the Mecca of the Negro Race.” One year later the family dealt with the tragic death of six-year-old Eva. She succumbed to scarlet fever.
Eliza worked hard to provide for her family. She ensured that her children attended good schools. Miriam was a standout student. As one Black newspaper, the New York Globe, noted, “One of the most striking benefits of our Northern schools is that of Miss Miriam E. Benjamin, who graduated from Bowdoin Grammar School, Class of ‘78, and from the Girls’ High School, class of ‘81. This young woman was called to the Stanton Institute, Jacksonville, Florida, in November last to fill the position of Second Assistant and being urged by the pupils has accepted the appointment ...” Miriam eventually made her way to Washington, DC. In 1884 she passed the civil service exam enabling her to work as a federal government clerk. While working as a clerk and teacher, she continued to study, attending Howard University’s medical school for a year, as well as studying law.
Beautiful and intelligent, Miriam shone among the Black socialites in Washington. In 1888, as reported in the New York Age, she “invited a number of friends to meet her sister, Miss Lottie V. Benjamin of Boston ... Again the trippers of the light fantastic were afforded an opportunity to indulge the muse of dance to their hearts’ content, and they never failed to improve it till they were called away to the rich and bountiful repast. It was also an enjoyable affair in every way.”
In 1889, Miriam returned to Boston to attend her sister Lottie’s wedding. Newspapers described mother Eliza as regally attired in a gown of black lace and wearing her best diamond. Miriam wore a lemon-colored surah with cream lace sleeves and a sash of cream satin with pearl ornaments. The bride herself “was a picture of loveliness in cream silk faille … the front of which was draped with silk lace caught up with orange blossoms. She wore a long veil, orange blossoms and diamonds, and carried white rosebuds.”
Both Lottie and her husband-to-be, W. Walter Sampson, were “well known and much admired by their many friends, which fact was demonstrated by the many costly and beautiful gifts received by them on this occasion. The wedding took place … at the residence of the bride’s mother … Promptly at 7:30 pm the bridal party entered the parlor where their friends were assembled … The beautiful Episcopal service was conducted by Rev. Frederick B. Allen, assistant minister of Trinity Church, of which the bride is a member.”
In attendance was brother Lyde. Lyde not only attended Trinity Church, but he also served as the Men’s Sunday School librarian for nine years. He was invited to serve by Rev. Phillips Brooks and continued through the rectorship of E. Winchester Donald. Lyde was an influential figure in Boston’s Black community and indeed across the nation. A lawyer and real estate broker, he was also an inventor. On May 16, 1893, he received U.S. patent no. 497,747 for an improvement on "Broom Moisteners and Bridles." Sister Miriam is listed as the attorney on his patent application. She was also the attorney for brother Edgar. He received U.S. patent no. 475,749 for a "Trousers-Shield," or, a bicycle clip. Miriam may not have been the first Black woman to receive a patent, but she may be the first Black woman to serve as patent attorney.
Versatile in every way, Miriam also composed music, including songs and marches for piano and band. In 1895, Josephine St. Pierre Ruffin’s newspaper Women's Era reported "Miss Miriam Benjamin has composed a march which is now upon the market, the 'Boston Elite Quickstep.' It has been played by Sousa's band, and is published by Ross of West Street, this city. The publisher is so well pleased with it that he offers to take any future work of Miss Benjamin. By the way, the author is published as E. B. Miriam."
In 1906, the Boston Daily Globe reported that “Through the untiring efforts of Miss Miriam E. Benjamin of Boston, a clerk in one of the Departments at Washington, $10,482 has been awarded Samuel Lee, a negro, who was elected to congress 25 years ago, but never sworn in.” Before tackling the case, Miriam consulted with her brother Edgar. Edgar had graduated from Boston University's law school and established a successful private practice. Miriam lobbied Congress nine times before winning compensation for Samuel Lee.
In 1920, Miriam returned to Boston full-time, moving in with brother Edgar. She helped take care of their mother and supported her brother in his legal and entrepreneurial endeavors. In 1922, Edgar founded the South End Co-operative Bank. In 1927 he established the Resthaven Home. He later recounted, “I never lost sight of the need for a home or shelter for the aged—only a dream to many like me. Yet in October, 1927, I saw the realization of that dream. A corporation was formed, and I deeded a charming old farmhouse and a large tract of land located near the top of Parker Hill for the purpose of providing a home or shelter for aged and other indigent people without regard to race or creed, or color as a ‘‘'Haven of Rest.'” It was renamed the Edgar P. Benjamin Healthcare Center in 1995.
In 1934 Eliza passed away. Miriam continued to keep house for her brother and be a source of support. On January 2, 1947, Miriam died. Her service was held two days later at Trinity Church. And today her legacy as a pioneering inventor and lawyer continues to inspire new generations.
Until next month,
Cynthia
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