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Francis M. Kneeland (born 1873) was an American physician. She was one of the first African American women doctors working in Memphis, where she had a practice located on Beale Street.

Biography

Kneeland was born in 1873 in Memphis, Tennessee. [1] When she was young, she was orphaned, though she continued to live with her family and even helped raise her younger siblings. [2] [3] In 1898, she was an honors graduate of Meharry, a medical school for African Americans. [2] Kneeland established her practice in Memphis on Beale Street by 1907. [2] She was one of the only black women doctors practicing in the city at the time. [2] [3] [4] Kneeland also worked with the University of West Tennessee, where she was the head instructor in the nursing program in 1923. [2] [5] [1] Kneeland also help rehabilitate juvenile delinquents and girls living in poverty who were sent to her by the Juvenile Court Judge, Camille Kelley. [1]

Kneeland was involved in the Baptist church in various leadership roles. [6] [7] Later in life, she moved to Chicago to live with relatives. [2]

References

  1. ^ a b c Lowry, Joe (2018-09-26). "Dr. Francis Kneeland – Forgotten Hero". Our Memphis History. Archived from the original on 23 February 2020. Retrieved 2020-02-23.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Jenkins, Earnestine (1997). "Kneeland, Francis M.". In Hine, Darlene Clark; Thompson, Kathleen (eds.). Black Women in America: Science, Health, and Medicine. Vol. 11. New York: Facts on File, Inc. pp. 94–95. ISBN  0-8160-3425-7. OCLC  35209436.
  3. ^ a b Hamilton, Green Polonius (1908). The Bright Side of Memphis: A Compendium of Information Concerning the Colored People of Memphis, Tennessee, Showing Their Achievements in Business, Industrial and Professional Life and Including Articles of General Interest on the Race. Memphis, Tennessee. p. 40. OCLC  17372229.{{ cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher ( link)
  4. ^ "Early Twentieth Century Memphis". The University of Memphis. Retrieved 2020-02-28.
  5. ^ Jenkins, Earnestine Lovelle (2009). African Americans in Memphis. Charleston, South Carolina: Arcadia Publishing. ISBN  978-1-4396-2271-1.
  6. ^ "Baptist Women Meet". The Tennessean. 1902-07-18. p. 2. Retrieved 2020-02-26 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "Mayor Bass Welcomes Negro Baptists to City". Chattanooga Daily Times. 24 October 1929. Retrieved 25 February 2020 – via Newspapers.com.