Marion Louisa Sloan

Miss Sloan was born in 1846 in Massachusetts, with ancestors dating to the Mayflower voyage. When she came to Rochester at age 10, she had already been attending school since age 4 thanks to an indulgent mother. Her family lived in a log cabin on the current site of Saint Marys Hospital (33 years prior to it being erected), and had 9 siblings.

Upon arrival in our pioneer city it soon became apparent that she was far more advanced academically than her age peers. By age 15 she was asked to teach students in Cascade Township, while continuing her own education. She was granted a first grade certificate from Pike's Normal School, one of only six in the country at the time. She was a link with the early Rochester of log cabins, whose residents pushed back the wilderness.

She continued her teaching career in the St Paul area before returning to Rochester in 1892. Her time then was often consumed caring for her elderly siblings. She remained a member of our congregation until her death in 1942. During her life she was a leader in the women's suffrage movement.

Miss Sloan had a epic encounter with Clara Barton, founder of the American Red Cross, in