Maritcha biography

| From the Dust Jacket |

“To do the best for myself with the view of making the best of myself.” wrote Maritcha Remond Lyons about her childhood.

Maritcha was born in New York City in 1848.

Maritcha biography

For most of her youth, she and her family lived in lower Manhattan. Much of Maritcha’s life there mirrored that of many children of the time: helping with the housework, attending school, and practicing the piano. Yet there were thrilling occasions as well, such as visiting the Crystal Palace, site of America’s first world’s fair.

However, Maritcha’s life took a dramatic turn in 1863, when, at the age of fifteen, she and her family had to flee from their home in the midst of the violent Draft Riots. They eventually resettled in Providence, Rhode Island, where Maritcha triumphantly overcame prejudice to become the first black person to graduate from Providence High School.

Based on an unpublished memoir by