Alys Pearsall Smith

Alyssa Whitall "Alys" Pearsall Smith (21 July 1867 – 22 January 1951) was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She was the daughter of Robert Pearsall Smith and Hannah Whitall Smith, both notable figures in the American Holiness movement and the British Higher Life movement. Her family relocated to England first from 1873 to 1875 and then again from 1888 onward. During her time in England, her family interacted with prominent individuals such as George Bernard Shaw, Henry James, and Bernard Berenson, who married her sister, Mary Pearsall Smith.

Pearsall Smith graduated from Bryn Mawr College, an institution located near Philadelphia. She was the sister of Logan Pearsall Smith, an essayist and critic, and the cousin of Martha Carey Thomas.

On 13 December 1894, Pearsall Smith married Bertrand Russell at the Quaker Meeting House in St. Martin's Lane, London, England. Bertrand Russell was the son of the Viscount and Viscountess Amberley. The marriage ended with their separation in 1911 and subsequent divorce in 1921. Russell's autobiography notes that Pearsall Smith was an intimate friend of Walt Whitman. She did not remarry after her divorce.

Throughout her life, Pearsall Smith was involved in various volunteer activities. She served as chair of the Italian Refugees' Relief Committee, which was established to aid individuals fleeing Benito Mussolini's Italy. Additionally, she chaired the general committee of the St Pancras Mothers' and Infants' Society. In 1907, the society established a School for Mothers, also known as Mothers' & Babies' Welcome, located in Charlton Street, London, N.W. The facility aimed to reduce infant mortality by providing services such as weighing babies, offering meals to expectant and nursing mothers, and supplying medical and mothering advice. Adele Meyer was the vice-chair of this initiative and provided significant financial support.

Pearsall Smith was also believed to have been involved in women's suffrage activism around 1908. She passed away in London on 22 January 1951.