Board History

A Record of Service

Grimes King Foundation

1860 – 2012

Founded in 1860 by a multiracial group of Boston abolitionists, the institution that became the Grimes King Foundation began as the Home for Aged Colored Women, formally incorporated in 1864. The Reverend Leonard Grimes, pastor of the Twelfth Baptist Church and a former conductor on the Underground Railroad, was among its founding managers. Gathered here, from the Foundation’s own minute books, is everyone who has served on its governing board since.

  • Many women of the 19th and early 20th centuries appear here only as “Mrs. [Husband’s Name]”, preserved as recorded, per the convention of their time, rather than corrected.

? : marks a detail the original research could not fully confirm.

★ : marks someone with their own Wikipedia page.

☆ : marks someone connected to another notable figure (a relative, spouse, or similar).

234 people, drawn from the Foundation’s Board Members and Officers records, 1860–2012.
Years shown reflect when each term began and ended as recorded; some terms continued past 2012.

This Board History was researched by a board member, Alfred DeMaria, M.D., and designed by Gagan Bhaskar Naik in 2026.