Olivia Raney

Olivia Raney was a church organist and choral singer from Raleigh, North Carolina. The first public library in Wake County, North Carolina, Olivia Raney Memorial Library, is named after her.[1]

Olivia Raney
Portrait of Olivia Raney
Born
Olivia Cowper

May 1861
Near Washington, North Carolina
DiedMay 4, 1896
Raleigh, North Carolina
OccupationChurch organist
Known forOlivia Rainey Public Library is named after her
Spouse(s)Richard Beverly Raney
Parent(s)Pulaski Cowper and Mary Blount Grimes

Biography

Olivia Raney moved to Raleigh at age 10. She lived in the Five Points neighborhood, and on McDowell Street between Edenton and Hillsborough.[1]

She was known as an accomplished musician, and served as the organist for Christ Episcopal Church.

As a young woman, she maintained a friendship and correspondence with businessman Richard Beverly Raney, an insurance agent who became the president of the Raleigh Chamber of Commerce. Olivia was in her early thirties when she married Mr. Raney.[2]

The couple had been married for about a year and a half, and Olivia was expecting her first child when she died suddenly, on May 4, 1896.[2] A local headline read, "One of Raleigh’s Most Cultured and Beloved Women Passes Away."[3]

Her husband founded the Olivia Raney Memorial Library in her memory, which was chartered in 1899. Jennie Coffin, a close friend of Olivia Raney, became the first librarian.[2][4]

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References
  1. Pattison, Kate (2009-05-06). "The Olivia Raney library, Raleigh's first". Raleigh Public Record. Archived from the original on 2014-08-10. Retrieved 2014-08-08.
  2. Rawlins, Wade (1955-08-06). "Olivia's Legacy". The News and Observer. Raleigh, North Carolina. pp. 40–41.
  3. Sanders, Leigh (2014-03-30). "Olivia Raney". Women of Library History. Retrieved 2014-08-08.
  4. "The Olivia Raney Library". North Carolina State University. Retrieved 2014-08-08.
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