Mary J. Small

Mary J. Small (1850–1945) was a reverend in the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church (A.M.E. Zion Church), and was the first woman to achieve the position of elder.

Early life Mary J. Small was born on October 20, 1850, in Murphy's Boro, Tennessee, to mother Agnes Blair. Little is known of her childhood years or her father. She resisted the call to preach until January 21, 1892, when she was licensed to preach by Dr. John E. Price. However, Small contributed much to her church community. Throughout her career, Small worked in the A.M.E. Zion church, serving on the Temperance and Women's Home and Foreign Missions committees. She was also president of the A.M.E. Zion church's Women's Society.

Small worked alongside her husband in the A.M.E. Zion Church, including as a missionary in Africa, until his death in 1905. In the United States, they conducted parish work together in Washington, D.C., North Carolina, Connecticut, and other states. She was nominated after passing an examination, and although a number of ministers protested and requested a hearing, she was elected to the position of elder by a vote of 24 to 13.

Death She died on September 11, 1945, at age 94, in McKeesport, Pennsylvania. Funeral services were held at the Small Memorial A.M.E. Zion Church, and she was buried in the Lebanon Cemetery at York.