Almira Parker

Like many young women in nineteenth century Michigan, Almira
Parker became an educator. Unlike most of her counterparts, teaching
took her far beyond the familiar confines of Grand Blanc Township.
When the Civil War ended in 1865, Almira and husband George joined
the Freedmen’s Bureau and traveled south. Established to direct
humanitarian aid for recently-emancipated people, the bureau provided
resources like shelter, supplies, and education. Almira taught freedmen
to read and white, thereby helping them engage with
Reconstruction-era democracy.