Sarah D. Allen Oren Haynes (March 2, 1836 – April 20, 1907) was an American librarian, mathematician, and botanist. She was the first woman to become state librarian of

Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...

, and the first woman on the faculty of

Purdue University Purdue University is a Public university#United States, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, United States, and the flagship campus of the Purdue University system. The university was founded ...

Early life, education, and first marriage

Sarah D. Allen was born on March 2, 1836, to a family of

Quaker Quakers are people who belong to the Religious Society of Friends, a historically Protestant Christian set of denominations. Members refer to each other as Friends after in the Bible, and originally, others referred to them as Quakers ...

s in

Clinton County, Ohio Clinton County is a county located in the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 42,018. Its county seat and largest city is Wilmington. The county is named for former U.S. Vice President George Clint ...

, near

Wilmington, Ohio Wilmington is a city in Clinton County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. The population was 12,664 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Micropolitan statistical area, Wilmington micropolitan area ...

. She became a schoolteacher at age 16, and a student at

Antioch College Antioch College is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Yellow Springs, Ohio, United States. It was founded in 1850 by the Christian Connection and began operating in 1852 as a non-secta ...

. On December 31, 1856, she married Charles Oren, a childhood friend who had also become a student at Antioch. They bought a farm near

Martinsville, Ohio Martinsville is a village in Clinton County, Ohio, United States. The population was 416 at the 2020 census. History Martinsville was platted in 1816. By 1833, Martinsville had 75 inhabitants. In 2013, prosecutors charged a former Martinsville ...

, and had three children. Her husband became an infantry captain in the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

in 1863, and was killed in July 1864 during the

Siege of Petersburg The Richmond–Petersburg campaign was a series of battles around Petersburg, Virginia, fought from June 9, 1864, to March 25, 1865, during the American Civil War. Although it is more popularly known as the siege of Petersburg, it was not a c ...

. She lived on the farm for two more years, one of her children dying in that time, and then returned to her parents' home, where both her parents died in 1867.

Academic career

At this time, she returned to teaching, at Antioch for a year, at an academy in

Indianapolis Indianapolis ( ), colloquially known as Indy, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Indiana, most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana, Marion ...

in 1868, and then at

Shortridge High School Shortridge High School is a public high school located in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. Shortridge is the home of the International Baccalaureate and arts and humanities programs of the Indianapolis Public Schools district (IPS). Origina ...

in Indianapolis until 1873, when the Indiana State legislature chose her as the Indiana State Librarian, the first woman to hold that position. By 1875, the political composition of the legislature had changed and her position as librarian was not renewed. She moved to

, initially as "female teacher of the university", then as an assistant professor of mathematics before being named professor of botany. This was also the first year in which Purdue admitted women. At Purdue, she lived on campus with her daughter Cata, planned a university orchard, set student behavioral standards, and headed a literary society.

Second marriage and later life

In 1879 she married Wesley Haynes, a farmer, civil war veteran, and widowed father of two young children, whom she had known as a child. In preparing to do so, she gave up her faculty position in 1878. He died in 1897, and she moved to

Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan Sault Ste. Marie ( ') is a city in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, Upper Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is the county seat of Chippewa County, Michigan, Chippewa County and is the only city within the county. With a population of ...

, with Cata, who had settled there after marrying. There she undertook volunteer work for a local Baptist church, including fundraising for an ambulance. She died on April 20, 1907.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Haynes, Sarah D. Allen Oren 1836 births 1907 deaths 19th-century American mathematicians 19th-century American women mathematicians 19th-century American botanists American women botanists Antioch College alumni Antioch College faculty Purdue University faculty 19th-century American women scientists