Rick Just
  • Home
  • Blog
  • Author
  • Speaker
  • Contact
  • Subscriptions
  • Heroes & Villains

Boise's First Resident African American Woman

7/11/2019

Comments

 
​Elvina Moulton crossed the plains on the Oregon Trail with the family of a judge headed to California in 1867. She walked most of the way—sometimes barefoot—so by the time she got to Boise she was tired. She decided to stay. She got a job working in a laundry and saved enough money to buy a house next door to Boise Mayor—and later Idaho governor—James H. Hawley. Moulton also worked as a housekeeper, a seamstress, and a nurse. She was a quiet community member known affectionately as “Aunt Viny.” She helped found the First Presbyterian Church in Boise.
 
All of that might have gone unnoticed, but Moulton was a former slave, born in Kentucky in September 1837. She was probably Boise’s first resident African American woman.
 
When asked on her 88th birthday what her rules for long life were, (Idaho Statesman, September 17, 1916) she replied, “Well I never married, so nothing to worry about. I rested when my work was done and I went to church regularly. I guess this was the reason.”
 
Moulton regularly attended church and always put a silver dollar in the collection plate. Even so, she specified in her will that she didn’t “want to be buried from the church when I go. You see, I am the only colored member, and while everyone in the church has been good to me, I think it would be better to be buried from the undertaker’s, for there might be some feeling, you know.”
 
Moulton died at the age of 89 in 1917. She is buried in Morris Hill Cemetery. Elvina Moulton was honored in 2019 by the Daughters of the American Revolution with a historical marker and plaque at the Idaho Black History Museum. 
Picture
Speaking of Idaho history posts are copyright © 2020 by Rick Just. Sharing is encouraged. If you don’t find a button that lets you do that, find the post on Speaking of Idaho. If you’re missing my daily posts, select the RSS button, or select See it First under the Facebook Following tab.
Comments
    Picture
    The first book in the Speaking of Idaho series is out. Ask for it at your local Idaho bookstore, find it on Amazon, or, if you want a signed copy, click the button.
    Picture
    The second book in the Speaking of Idaho series is out. Ask for it at your local Idaho bookstore, find it on Amazon, or, if you want a signed copy, click the button.
    Picture
    Rick's book about Fearless Farris is available on Amazon! Click the picture above to be taken to Amazon. If you'd like an autographed copy, click the button below.

    Author, Speaker

    Rick Just has been writing about Idaho history since 1989 when he wrote and recorded scripts for the Idaho Centennial Commission’s daily radio program, Idaho Snapshots. One of his Idaho books explores the history of Idaho's state parks: Images of America, Idaho State Parks. Rick also writes a regular column for Boise Weekly.

    Rick does public presentations on Idaho's state park history and the history of the Morrisite war for the Idaho Humanities Council's Speakers Bureau.idahohumanities.org/programs/inquiring-idaho/
    ​


    Check out Rick's history of Idaho State Parks.

    The audio link below is to Rick's Story Story Night set called "Someplace Not Firth"

    Archives

    July 2025
    June 2025
    May 2025
    April 2025
    March 2025
    February 2025
    January 2025
    December 2024
    November 2024
    October 2024
    September 2024
    August 2024
    July 2024
    June 2024
    May 2024
    April 2024
    March 2024
    February 2024
    January 2024
    December 2023
    November 2023
    October 2023
    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018

    RSS Feed

Speaking of Idaho history posts are copyright © 2025 by Rick Just. Sharing is encouraged. If you’re missing my daily posts, select the RSS button, or select See it First under the Facebook Following tab.

*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. That means if you follow a link (generally to a book) from my page to an Amazon page, I get a tiny percentage of any purchase you may make.