Sara Iredell Fleetwood
Sara Iredell Fleetwood (1849–1908) was an American clubwoman and teacher. She was involved in the movement of black women into professional nursing, graduating as one of the first nurses from Howard University's Freedman's Hospital School of Nursing. She became the nursing superintendent at Freedman's, organized the Freedmen's Nursing Association and served as the first African-American woman on the nurse's examining board of the District of Columbia. Early life Sara Louise Iredell was born in April 1849 in St. Louis, Missouri to Elizabeth Susan (née Webb) and Geoffrey George Iredell. Her father was originally from Edenton, North Carolina, and was the son of a slave who had been emancipated. At the time Sarah and her sister Laura (1850–1909) were born, he was operating a barber shop in St. Louis. Her mother, originally from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania was the sister of Frank J. Webb, and they were the children of abolitionists Louisa (née Burr), illegitimate daughter of Aaron Burr, and Francis Webb. During Iredell's childhood, the family moved to Philadelphia making their home with their Webb cousins. Between 1856 and 1858, she attended Oberlin College as a pupil-teacher. Career After her graduation from Oberlin, Iredell moved back to Philadelphia and began her career