Tarry, Ellen, 1906-2008

Tarry was born in Birmingham, Ala., the grandaughter of a Confederate veteran and a former slave. In 1929 she moved to New York City and in 1955 published The Third Door: The Autobiography of an American Negro Woman.

From the description of Papers, 1996. (Auburn University). WorldCat record id: 42706710

African-American author and journalist, Ellen Tarry was primarily known for her writings and work pertaining to blacks and the Catholic Church. Tarry worked with Baroness Catharine de Hueck Doherty at Harlem's Friendship House, during the 1940s, and later assisted in setting up a Friendship House on the South Side of Chicago.

Tarry authored several books for children and teenagers and two autobiographies, only one of which was published. Among her published works is "The Other Toussaint" (1981), a biography of Pierre Toussaint, the Haitian slave credited with funding the construction of old St. Patrick's Cathedral in lower Manhattan. Tarry was also involved in efforts to have him canonized. She wrote a young adult book about Katharine Drexel and served as a member of the committee for Drexel's beatification. In 2008 Tarry died at the age 101, in New York City.

From the description of Ellen Tarry papers, 1937-1999 (bulk 1970-1980) (New York Public Library). WorldCat record id: 425957936