Margaret Ramsey

Margaret Ramsey (June 15, 1777 – April 10, 1854) was a businesswoman and a civic leader in the Knoxville, Tennessee community.

Margaret balanced her personal life, which included marriage, motherhood, and widowhood, alongside her role as a local business and community leader. She was the proprietor and manager of a notable building that would become the Knoxville Hotel. She was also the only woman to become a charter member of Knoxville’s first subscription library. Her life exemplifies women’s roles in economic and institutional spaces in early American society.

Margaret's life highlights larger notions in early American history, including property ownership, civic engagement, institutional leadership, and business economics. She navigated this within the confines of early 19th-century gender constraints and social norms.

Personal life

She was born on June 15th, 1777 in what was North Carolina territory, the area is now Jefferson County, Tennessee. Her parents came from Virginia, and fought for independence from the British during the American Revolution. in Jefferson County, Tennessee. The couple had three children before relocating to Knoxville in 1801, where James joined his brothers in a merchant business. That same year, her husband died, leaving Margaret widowed and pregnant at age 24. Over time, the property became known as the Lamar House, and later, the site of the Bijou Theatre, one of Knoxville’s most historic landmarks. Yet, historians note that women in early nineteenth-century America actively participated in institutional and business spheres, not just domestic or small-scale trade roles.

Death and legacy

Margaret Cowan Humes Ramsey died on April 10, 1854, in Knoxville, Tennessee. She was among the last to be interred in the historic cemetery of the First Presbyterian Church. Her contributions to Knoxville’s commercial and civic development are recognized as an early example of women’s participation in business and institutional life in the southern United States.

Her son Thomas William Humes developed a passion for education, likely passed down from his mother's role within her community. In the late 1860's he was granted a Peabody fund, which he used towards the development of a public school system in the city. In 1865, he was hired as the president of the then East Tennessee University, now the University of Tennessee. He was also the first hired librarian for the Lawson McGhee Library in 1886. In 1888, he published a book, Loyal Mountaineers of Tennessee, which was an account of the Civil War in East Tennessee.