A Woman of the Century Women

ABBATT, Miss Agnes Dean

Agnes Dean Abbatt was born on June 23, 1847 in New York City. Educated at both the art school of theCooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Artand theNational Academy of Design, Agnes was successful as both an art teacher and an artist. She…

ABBOTT, Mrs. Elizabeth Robinson

Elizabeth Osborne Robinson Abbott was born in Lowell, Massachusetts on September 11, 1852, and grew up in Malden, Massachusetts. Her mother was Harriet Hanson Robinson, a well-known Lowell mill girl and author. Like her daughter, Harriet is included…

ABBOTT, Emma

Prima Donna Emma Abbott was born in Chicago, Illinois, on December 9, 1850. Sophia Curtiss Hoffman, Clara Louise Kellogg, andDr. Edwin Hubbell Chapinwere early supporters of Emma's career. She trained in Europe and later became wealthy by touring…

ACHESON, Mrs. Sarah C.

Temperance worker Sarah C. Acheson was born in Washington, Pennsylvania, on February 20, 1844.Sarah, sometimes known as Sadie, married Dr. Alexander Wilson Acheson and became the mother to several children. The family moved to Denison, Texas, in the…

AGASSIZ, Mrs. Elizabeth Cabot

Elizabeth Cabot Agassiz, one of the founders of Radcliffe College and its first president, was born in Boston, MA on December 5, 1822. The Atlantic Monthly,which putblished her"An Amazonian Picnic"in March 1866,is one periodical which included pieces…

AIKENS, Mrs. Amanda L.

Amanda L. Aikens was born in North Adams, Massachusetts on May 12, 1833, and later lived in Pittsfield. She met Andrew J. Aikens, editor of a weekly North Adams newspaper, and the couple moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin after their 1854 marriage. Amanda…

ALCOTT, Miss Louisa May

Louisa May Alcott, author of Little Women and several other books, was born in Germantown, PA on November 29, 1832, but she spent most of her life in Concord, MA. Alcott lived in Boston with her family during her youth and moved with them to Harvard…

ALDEN, Mrs. Isabella Macdonald

Isabella Macdonald Alden, born in Rochester, New York, on November 3, 1841, was involved in the fields of education, temperance, religion, missionary work, and authorship.After attending the Oneida Seminary, Isabella taught there. She married Rev. G.…

ALDRICH, Mrs. Flora L.

Dr. Flora L. Aldrich was born in Westford, New York, on October 6, 1859. She married Dr. Alanson G. Aldrich in 1883 and pursued a medical career. Flora graduated from Minnesota Medical College and studied in Vienna, Austria, and in Germany.…

ALDRICH, Miss Susanna Valentine

Author Susanna Valentine Aldrich was born in Hopkinton, MA on November 14, 1828. She later lived in Roxbury, MA. Having loved writing from an early age, Susanna became a contributor to periodicals and magazines. She also was a very talented hymn…

AMES, Miss Julia A.

Julia A. Ames, a gifted editor, orator, and temperance reformer, was born in Odell, Illinois, on October 14, 1860. She graduated from Streator High School, Illinois Wesleyan University in Bloomington, and the Chicago School of Oratory.Julia spent…

AMES, Miss Lucia True

Lucia True Ames, from Boscawen, New Hampshire, wasborn on May 5, 1856. She wasan author, teacher, suffragist, and pacifist who lived in Boston during her adult years.Lucia's"The Home in the Tenement-House,"published inThe New England Magazinein 1893,…

ARMSTRONG, Miss Sarah B.

Sarah B. Armstrong was born in Newton, OH, on July 31, 1857. She grew up in Lebanon, OH and attended Lebanon University.While she began teaching art at Lebanon University, Sarah eventually pursued a career in Medicine. She moved to Ann Arbor, MI for…

AUSTIN, Mrs. Helen Vickroy

Helen Vickroy Austin was born in Miamisburg, Ohio on July 19, 1829. She later lived in Ferndale, Pennsylvania, Richmond, Indiana, and Vineland, New Jersey. Helen married William W. Austin in 1850 and became the mother of three children.She was a…

AUSTIN, Jane Goodwin

Jane Goodwin Austin was born in Worcester, MA on February 25, 1831. She married Loring H. Austin in 1850 and became the mother of three children. A prolific writer, Jane was a frequent contributor toAtlantic Monthly,Galaxy,Harper’s Monthly,Peterson’s…

AVERY, Mrs. Rosa Miller

Rosa Miller Avery was born in Madison, Ohio, on May 21, 1830. She married Cyrus Avery in 1853 and became the mother of Cyrus Miller Avery. Her family lived in Ashtabula, Ohio, Erie, Pennsylvania, and then Chicago, Illinois.A passionate reformer, Rosa…

BAILEY, Mrs. Lepha Eliza

Author, lecturer, and reformer Lepha Eliza Bailey was born in Battle Creek, Michigan on January 21, 1841. She began her writing career by contributing to newspapers. Lepha married Lewis Bailey in 1873 and started a family. They lived in Battle Creek…

BAKER, Mrs. Charlotte Johnson

Charlotte Johnson Baker, who was born on March 30, 1855, in Newburyport, MA, was educated in her town high school and Vassar College. Later, she earned her medical degree at the University of Michigan.She and her husband, also a doctor, moved to San…

BAKER, Mrs. Harriette Newell Woods

Harriette Newell Woods Baker, an Andover, Massachusetts native, was born on August 19, 1815.Better known by her pseudonyms "Madeline Leslie" and "Aunt Hattie," Harriette was an author, editor, playwright and publisher. As herA Woman of the…

BALLOU, Miss Ella Maria

Stenographer Ella Maria Ballou was born in Wallingford, VT on November 15, 1852. After attending Wallingford High School, Ella became a teacher.In 1885, she became the first female reporter for the Rutland County Court. Later, she added Addison…

BANTA, Mrs. Melissa Elizabeth Riddle

Melissa Elizabeth Riddle Banta, a native of Cheviot, Ohio, was born on March 27, 1834. She attended Wesleyan Female Institute in Cincinnati and Female Collegiate Institute in Covington, Kentucky. After teaching early in her career, Melissa focused on…

BARRY, Mrs. Susan E.

Susan E. Hall Barry was born in Minisink, New York, on March 19, 1826, and grew up near Ithaca, New York.She moved to New York City to receive her medical education and graduated in 1861. In June of that year, Susan heeded the Ladies' Central Relief…

BARTON, Miss Clara

Clara Barton, a native of North Oxford, MA, is best known as the founder of the American Red Cross. She was born on December 25, 1821, the youngest child of Stephen and Sara Stone Barton. Clara grew up in North Oxford and lived near her cousin,Martha…

BASCOM, Mrs. Emma Curtiss

Woman suffragist and reformer Emma Curtiss Bascom was born in Sheffield, Massachusetts, on April 20, 1828. Her older sisterSophia Curtiss Hoffmanis also inA Woman of the Century.After having attended Great Barrington Academy, Pittsfield Institute,…

BATEMAN, Kate

Actress Kate Bateman was born in Baltimore, MD onOctober 7, 1843. Her father, Hezekiah Linthicum Bateman, was in the theatre world and had his two daughters, Kate and Ellen, perform as young girls. They performed at the Barnum Museum in Bridgeport,…

BATES, Mrs. Clara Doty

Clara Doty Bates was born in Ann Arbor, Michigan on December 22, 1838. A writer from an early age, Clara attended private schools. She married Morgan Bates, a newspaperman, in 1876 and the couple moved to Chicago, Illinois.A well-known writer of…

BATTEY, Mrs. Emily Verdery

Emily Verdery Battey, anative of Belair GA, was bornon November 18, 1826. Awell known journalist, Emily reported for The Sun, a New York newspaper for many years, beginning in 1868. She also contributed to The Evening Telegram, Harper's Magazine,…

BAYLOR, Miss Frances Courtenay

Author, novelist, and playwright Frances Courtenay Baylor, who was born on January 20, 1848, hailed from Fayetteville, Arkansas. During her lifetime, she also called San Antonio, Texas, England, and Winchester, Virginia, home.She wrote pieces such as…

BEECHER, Miss Catharine Esther

Catharine Esther Beecher, a member of the famous Beecher family, was an educator and author. She was born in East Hampton, NY on September 6, 1800, and spent much of her childhood in Litchfield, Connecticut.Beecher began the Hartford Female Seminary…

BENEDICT, Miss Emma Lee

Emma Lee Benedict, born on November 16, 1857, was a native of Clifton Park, New York. She was an editor, educator, author, public speaker, and temperance reformer. Passionate about education from a young age, Emma was a graduate of the State Normal…

BERRY, Mrs. Martia L. Davis

Political reformer Martia L. Davis Berry was born in Portland, Michigan on January 22, 1844. She became a teacher in the Portland Public Schools at age seventeen.Martia married John S. Berry, a Civil War veteran, in 1865. She and John had one child,…

BISHOP, Mrs. Mary Agnes Dalrymple

Mary Agnes Dalyrmple Bishop was born in Springfield, Massachusetts on August 12, 1857. Her family moved to Grafton, Massachusetts when she was less than two years old.Mary Agnes began writing for local papers at age eleven and was editor of The…

BLACKWELL, Miss Alice Stone

Alice Stone Blackwell was born in Orange, New Jersey on September 14, 1857. She was a graduate of Boston University.During her career, Alice was a journalist, editor, and suffragist. She editedWoman's Column and, like her mother, Lucy Stone, she…

BLACKWELL, Miss Elizabeth

Elizabeth Blackwell, who was born in Bristol, England, on February 3, 1821, became one of the first women physicians in the United States. She persisted in applying to various medical schools as her applications were rejected because she was a woman.…

BLANCHARD, Miss Helen Augusta

Inventor Helen Augusta Blanchard was born in Portland, Maine on October 25, 1840. She was the daughter of a wealthy shipowner and businessman. When her father's business failed and he eventually died in 1866, Helen took to patent development and…

BODLEY, Miss Rachel L.

Dr. Rachel L. Bodley was born in Cincinnati, OH on December 7, 1831. She later lived in Philadelphia, PA.A graduate of Wesleyan Female College and Woman's Medical College of Pennsylvania, Rachel became a scientist, doctor of medicine, and…

BOLTON, Mrs. Sarah Knowles

BOND, Mrs. Elizabeth Powell

Elizabeth Powell Bond was born to Catherine Macy Powell and Townsend Powell on January 25th, 1841, in Clinton, New York. She had an older brother named Aaron. When Elizabeth was four years old, the family moved to Ghent, New York where she grew…

BOOTH, Mrs. Agnes

Agnes Booth, then known as Marion Agnes Land Rookes, was born in Sydney, Australia, on October 4, 1843. She was a dancer as a young woman and came to the United States to dance in San Francisco. However, a heart condition required a change in Agnes's…

BRADWELL, Mrs. Myra

Myra Bradwell, a native of Manchester, Vermont, who was born on February 12, 1831, was one the most well-known female lawyers of the nineteenth century. As a pioneer in the field, she created and argued for important legal rights, including "the law…

BREWSTER, Miss Cora Belle

Dr. Cora Belle Brewster was born in Almond, New York on September 6, 1859. She attended Alfred University and became a teacher in Smethport, Pennsylvania. Next, Cora Belle attended Northwestern University, where she decided to change career paths and…

BRINTON, Mrs. Emma Southwick

Army nurse Emma Southwick Brinton was born in Peabody, Massachusetts on April 7, 1834. During the Civil War, she served as a nurse in Washington, D.C.; Petersburg, Virginia; the Sea Islands; and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.Later, Emma became a writer…

BROTHERTON, Mrs. Alice Williams

Alice Williams Brotherton was born in Cambridge, Indiana on April 4, 1848. HerA Woman of the Centuryprofile notes the important roles that being raised in a home with books and a mother who encouraged writing played in setting Alice on the road to a…

BROWN, Mrs. Charlotte Emerson

Charlotte Emerson Brown, born in Andover, Massachusetts, on April 21, 1838, was an author, a businesswoman, a philanthropist, a suffragist, and a teacher. As the leader of the General Federation of Women's Literary Clubs, Charlotte strove to expand…

BROWN, Miss Emma Elizabeth

Author Emma Elizabeth Brownwas born onOctober 18, 1847. Emma's literary career began in her native town, Concord, New Hampshire, when she submitted a poem to theConcord Monitor. Once she moved to Boston, Emma wrote a book of poems and contributed to…

BURLINGAME, Mrs. Emeline S

Emeline S. Burlingame, an editor and evangelist, was born in Smithfield, Rhode Island on September 22, 1836. She grew up in Rhode Island and attended Providence High School and Rhode Island Normal School. Emeline married Luther Rawson Burlingame on…

BURNHAM, Mrs. Clara Louise

Clara Louise Burnham, born in Newton, Massachusetts,on May 25,1854, spent her early years in New York City. However, her family moved to Chicago when Clara Louise was a young girl, and she lived most of her life there. She was the daughter of Mary…

BUTLER, Miss Clementina

Evangelist Clementina Butler was born in Bareilly, India on January 7, 1862. The daughter of Methodist Episcopal minister and evangelist Rev. William Butler and evangelist Clementina Rowe Butler, Clementina moved quite often during her childhood.…

CAMERON, Mrs. Elizabeth

Elizabeth Millar Cameron, an editor, a publisher, and a temperance and women's rights reformer, was born in Niagara, Ontario, Canada on March 8, 1851, to Scottish parents. She married John Cameron and became the mother of five children. The Camerons…

CARPENTER, Miss Ellen M.

Ellen M. Carpenter was born in Killingly, Connecticut, on November 28, 1836.During her career as an artist, she studied in Worcester, Massachusetts, Boston, Massachusetts, Paris, France, and Berlin, Germany. For her work, Ellen travelled throughout…

CARSE, Mrs. Matilda B.

Matilda B. Carse, a Belfast, Ireland native, was born on November 19, 1835. Shebecame involved with the temperance cause after the tragic death of her young son due to a drunken wagon driver. For the rest of her life, this philanthropist toiled for…

CARTWRIGHT, Mrs. Florence Byrne

Florence Byrne Cartwright was born in Galena, Illinois, on December 27, 1863. She resided in Grass Valley, California, where she became postmistress in December of 1887, following the death of postmaster father. After meeting her husband, Richard…

CASSEDAY, Miss Jennie

Jennie Casseday, who was born in Louisville, Kentucky on June 9, 1840, was injured as a young woman. As a result, she was bedridden for most of her life. Determined to brighten the lives of others in her situation, she created the Louisville Flower…

CHACE, Mrs. Elizabeth Buffum

Elizabeth Buffum Chace, who toiled for the Anti-slavery and women's suffrage causes, hailed from Providence Rhode Island. She was born in Providence, RI on December 9, 1806. Elizabeth married Samuel Buffington Chace in 1828 and the couple were…

CHARLES, Mrs. Emily Thornton

Mrs. Emily Thornton Charles was a prodigious author, poet, journalist and editor. Emily, born in Lafayette, Indiana on March 21st, 1845, liked to write in rhyme as a child and was recognized for her writing skills and her ease at expressing herself.…

CHENEY, Mrs. Ednah Dow

Ednah Dow Cheney, the daughter of Sargent Smith Littlehale and Edna Parker Littlehale, was born in Boston, MA on June 27, 1824. She attended Mount Vernon School in Boston, but much of her literary education came through her participation in Margaret…

CHILD, Mrs. Lydia Maria

Lydia Maria Childwas born on February 11, 1802, in Medford, Massachusetts. She gained early readers through her fiction, her biographies, and her periodical,Juvenile Miscellany.She bravely risked her established reputation in support of the…

COCHRANE, Miss Elizabeth

Author, journalist, and traveler Elizabeth Cochrane, better known as "Nellie Bly," was born in Cochrane Mills, PA on May 5, 1867. She later lived in Indiana, PA, Pittsburgh, PA, and New York, NYShe began her career as a writer forThe Pittsburgh…

COLMAN, Mrs. Lucy Newhall

Lucy Newhall Colman, an anti-slavery agitator and woman suffragist, was born in Sturbridge, Massachusetts on July 26, 1817. She married at eighteen and moved to Boston, but her husband died of consumption in 1841. She married again two years later…

COOLBRITH, Mrs. Ina Donna

Ina Donna Coolbrith, who was born in Nauvoo, Illinois, on March 10, 1841, grew up in California and became its Poet Laureate.During her prolific writing career, Ina contributed toOverland Monthlyand later ran it with Bret Harte and Charles Warren…

COUES, Mrs. Mary Emily Bennett

Mary Emily Bennett Coues was born in New York, New York on August 26, 1835.After traveling to and living abroad, Mary Emily married Philadelphia merchant Joseph W. Bates. In addition to their Philadelphia mansion at 1814 Chestnut Street, the couple…

CRABTREE, Miss Lotta

Born in New York Cityon November 7, 1847, Charlotte Crabtree, known as Lotta, spent her childhood in California. She began singing, dancing, and acting at a young age, going on tour in California while she was a teenager. Lotta's debut in the city of…

CRAIG, Mrs. Charity Rusk

Charity Rusk Craig was born in Portersville, OH, on December 20, 1849, the eldest of three children of Jeremiah M. Rusk and Mary Elizabeth Martin. Her parents moved to Wisconsin with their family when Charity was three years old, and she lost her…

CRANE, Mrs. Mary Helen Peck

Mary Helen Peck Crane, the daughter of Methodist Episcopal minister George Peck and Mary Myers Peck, was born in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, on April 10, 1827. Her husband, Reverend Jonathan Towley Crane, was a Methodist Episcopal pastor and the…

CUMMINGS, Mrs. Alma Carrie

Alma Carrie Cummings was born in Columbia, New Hampshire on March 21, 1857. She married Edwin S. Cummings when she was seventeen. They started a family, and he worked as a newspaper owner. As herA Woman of the Centuryprofileexplains, once Edwin was…

DABBS, Mrs. Ellen Lawson

Ellen Lawson Dabbs, M.D. knew frompersonal experiencehow important it was for women to get an education and have a profession, so she accepted leadership positions in various organizations, knowing that her voice would be heard on women's rights and…

DAUVRAY, Helen

Actress Helen Dauvray was born in San Francisco, California, on Valentine's Day in 1859. She made her acting debut in the same city, just five years later."Little Nell, the California Diamond," as she was known, had a very successful career in New…

DALL, Mrs. Caroline Wells

Caroline Wells Dall was born in Boston, Massachusetts on June 22, 1822. Her parents, Mark Healey and Caroline Foster, provided her with an exclusive education, consisting of private tutoring and private schooling, until she was 15 years old. From…

DAVENPORT, Fanny Lily Gipsy

Fanny Lily Gipsy Davenport,born on April 10, 1850,hailed from London, England. She was a popular actress who had her own theatre company. LikeLotta Crabtreeand many other actors and actresses, Fanny thrilled audiences throughout the country during…

DELETOMBE, Miss Alice S.

Alice S. Deletombe, born in Gallipolis, OH on April 2, 1854, was a poet. Humble by nature, young Alice did not publicize her work and often wrote under a pseudonym.In 1891, The Magazine of Poetry published her image, some of her poems, and a…

DIAZ, Mrs. Abby Morton

Abby Morton Diaz was born in Plymouth, Massachusetts, on November 22, 1821. During the 1840s, Abby and some of her family members spent time at Brook Farm, the Uptopian community in West Roxbury, Massachusetts. Recalling her friends hip with Abby…

DICKINSON, Mrs. Anna Elizabeth

Anna Elizabeth Dickinson was born on October 28, 1842 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Her father passed away in 1844, when Anna was two years old. She went to the Friends' Free School, studied hard, and read constantly.By the age of fifteen, Anna had…

DIGGS, Mrs. Annie Le Porte

Politician and journalist Annie Le Porte Diggs was born in London, Ontario, Canada on February 22, 1853.She moved to Lawrence, KS and was very involved wiith the People's Party, the Kansas Equal Suffrage Association, and the Woman's Christian…

DIGHT, Mrs. Mary A. G.

Mrs. Mary A. G.. Dight, also known as "Minnie," was born in Portsmouth, Ohio, on November 7, 1860. A talented musician, she attended the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, Massachusetts. When she decided to change career paths to become a…

DIXON, Mrs. Mary J. Scarlett

Mary J. Scarlett Dixon was born in Robeson, Berks County, Pennsylvania, on October 23, 1822. She grew up in a Quaker family that became very involved in the Anti-Slavery cause. Having lost both parents by the age of sixteen, Mary was very interested…

DODGE, Miss Hannah Perkins

Hannah Perkins Dodge was born in North Littleton, Massachusetts, on February 16, 1821. She dedicated her life to the education of young people, especially young women, and to philanthropic causes. Hannah taught as a young woman and attended Lawrence…

DORR, Mrs. Julia C. R.

Julia Caroline Ripley Dorr was born on February 13, 1825, in Charleston, South Carolina. She was the daughter of William Young Ripley and Zulma DeLacy Thomas. When Julia was a young girl, her father moved the family to his native Vermont, where he…

DWYER, Miss Bessie Agnes

Bessie Agnes Dwyer, the youngest daughter of Judge Thomas A. Dwyer, was born on September 29, 1866, in Nueces County, Texas. The multi-talented Bessie became the first woman of Texas to earn a legal degree, the first woman to enter the library…

DYER, Mrs. Clara L. Brown

Clara L. Brown Dyer, who was born in Cape Elizabeth, Maine, on March 13, 1849, came from a family with a long history in New England. Her relatives served in the Revolutionary War, the War of 1812, and the Civil War. One ancestor (Job Tyler) was…

FEARING, Miss Lillian Blanche

Author and lawyer Lillian Blanche Fearing was born in Davenport, Iowa, on November 27, 1863. Despite being blind from birth, Lillian achieved much during her lifetime. Lillian's obituary in the Rock Island Argus notes, in part:"At the age of 8 she…

FERREE, Mrs. Susan Frances Nelson

Susan Frances Nelson Ferree is our Woman of the Week. Please view the link in our profile to see links related to Susan. Susan Frances Nelson Ferree was born in Mount Pleasant, Iowa, on January 14, 1844, and grew up in Keokuk, Iowa. She married…

FIELD, Mrs. Martha R.

Martha Reinhard Smallwood Field, known as "Mattie," was born in Lexington, MO, but she spent most of her life in New Orleans, LA. "She was the first woman journalist to draw a salary in that city," according to her profile in A Woman of the Century…

FIFIELD, Mrs. Stella A. Gaines

Stella A. Gaines Fifield was born in Paw Paw, Michigan on June 1, 1845. She later lived in Taylor Falls, Minnesota and graduated from Chicago Seminary, Minnesota. Early in her career, Stella was a teacher in Osceola WI, but she made her major mark in…

FOXWORTHY, Miss Alice S.

Educator and missionary Alice S. Foxworthy was born in Mount Carmel, KY onDecember 22, 1852.Alice attended Stanford Academy in Stanford, KY and later taught there. She also taught at Catlettsburg High School (KY), East Kentucky Normal School, and…

FRISSELL, Miss Seraph

Physician Seraph Frissell was born in Peru, Massachusetts on August 20, 1840. She attendedMount Holyoke Seminary,while also teaching, and graduated in 1869. Seraph continued teaching until 1872, when she began her medical training at the University…

GILES, Miss Ella A.

Ella A. Giles was born near Madison, Wisconsin, on February 2, 1851. Growing up in the home of a father who was a philanthropist and a mother who fostered Ella’s love of art and literature, she pursued interests in those areas throughout her life. As…

GORTON, Mrs. Cynthia M. R.

Cynthia M. Roberts Gorton was born in Great Barrington, Massachusetts, on February 27, 1826. While attending Troy Female Seminary, she began to lose her sight. After Cynthia married Frederick Gorton, she became totally blind. However, this determined…

GREENE, Mrs. Louisa Morton

Louisa Morton Willard Greene was born in Ashburnham, Massachusetts, on May 23, 1819. She worked in a woolen mill in Dedham, Massachusetts, where she began writing, and later taught in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.After marrying businessman and…

GREW, Miss Mary

Anti-slavery agitator and preacher Mary Grew was born in Hartford, Connecticut on September 1, 1813. She later lived in Boston, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania.Mary was devoted to abolition, speaking on the topic and collaborating with…

HANAFORD, Rev. Phebe Anne

Phebe Anne Hanaford, a Nantucket, MA native who was bornon May 6, 1829, wrote her own collective biography of women, Women of the Century. In addition to writing this book and many others, and editing two periodicals, Phebe was a well known…

HENRY, Mrs. Josephine Kirby Williamson

In the 1800s, Josephine Kirby Henry went outside the boundaries of a typical woman during that time by being a women’s rights leader, writer, and political activist. Josephine was born on February 22, 1843, into the wealthy Williamson family in…

HIGGINSON, Mrs. Ella Rhoads

Poet and author Ella Rhoads Higginson was born in Council Grove, Kansas, on January 28, 1862. Her family moved to Portland, Oregon, when she was a child, and they later lived in Oregon City, Oregon.Ella married Russell C. Higginson in 1886, and the…

HILL, Mrs. Eliza Trask

ElizaTraskHill, a native of Warren, Massachusetts, was born on May 10, 1840. Her profile lists her as a woman suffragist and journalist, but she alsowas a wife, a mother, a teacher, and a supporter of several different causes.With a father and…

HOFFMAN, Mrs. Sophia Curtiss

Philanthropist and women's rights advocate Sophia Curtiss Hoffman was born in Sheffield, Massachusetts, on November 24, 1825. Emma Curtiss Bascom, her younger sister, is also inA Woman of the Century.Sophia married George Hoffman and moved to New…

HOLMES, Mrs. Mary Emma

Mary Emma Smith Holmes was born on a farm near Peoria, Illinois on August 3, 1839.A dedicated reformer, she was a member of the Equal Suffrage Association, and the National American Woman Suffrage Association. In addition, Mary Emma was a leader of…

HOOKER, Mrs. Isabella Beecher

Isabella Beecher Hooker, a member of the famous Beecher family, was born in Litchfield, CT on February 22, 1822. She was the youngest daughter of Lyman Beecher. Her family moved to Boston, MA and later to Cincinnati, OH.Isabella married John Hooker…

JACKSON, Mrs. Helen Maria Fiske

Helen Maria Fiske Jackson, better known as Helen Hunt Jackson, or "H. H.", was an extremely popular writer. She was born in Amherst, Massachusetts, on October 18, 1831.Jackson was a contributor toThe Atlantic Monthly,Galaxy,Hearth and Home,The…

JACKSON, Mrs. Katharine Johnson

Katharine Johnson Jackson, daughter of former Massachusetts senator and representative Hon. Emerson Johnson, was born in Sturbridge, Massachusetts, on April 7, 1841. Following periods of public school and home school instruction, she entered a…

KENDRICK, Mrs. Ella Bagnell

Ella Bagnell Kendrick, a native of Plymouth, Massachusetts, graduated from Plymouth High School when she was just sixteen. After she married, she moved to Meriden, Connecticut and lived in that state for the rest of her life. Having a keen interest…

LA FETRA, Mrs. Sarah Doan

Sarah Doan La Fetra was born in Sabina, Ohio on June 11, 1843. After attending Alfred Holbrook's National Normal School in Ledyard, Ohio. Sarah was a teacher until her marriage to George H. La Fetra on October 6, 1867. The La Fetra family moved to…

LAZARUS, Miss Emma

Emma Lazarus was born in New York, New York on July 22, 1849 and died there on November 19, 1887.Emma was inspired and mentored by Ralph Waldo Emerson. In 1868, she mailed her book to Ralph Waldo Emerson which resulted in a mentor-mentee…

LEONARD, Mrs. Anna Byford

Anna Byford Leonard, a sanitary reformer, ceramic artist, art teacher, author, and missionary leader was born in Mount Vernon, Indiana on July 31, 1843. The daughter of William Heath Byford, a physician and surgeon who was the founder of Woman's…

LIPPINCOTT, Mrs. Sara Jane

Sara Jane Lippincott, an author and journalist, was born in Pompey, New York on September 23, 1823. She grew up in Rochester, New York and lived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania after her 1853 marriage to Leander K. Lippincott. Later, she lived in…

LOUGHEAD, Mrs. Flora Haines

Author Flora Haines Loughead was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on July 12, 1855. By 1870, her family had moved to West Lincoln, Ilinois. Flora graduated from Lincoln University in 1872. She married Charles E. Apponyi in Sacramento in August of 1875.…

LOWMAN, Mrs. Mary D.

Mary D. Lowman, who served as mayor of Oskaloosa, Kansas, was born in Shelocta, Indiana County, Pennsylvania, on January 27, 1842. She married George W. Lowman in 1866 and moved to Kansas. Mary became the mother of two children.She taught for many…

LUMMIS, Mrs. Dorothea

Dorothea, whose birth name was Mary Dorothea Rhodes, was born on November 9, 1857, in Chillicothe, Ohio. After moving to Portsmouth, Ohio, and attending Portsmouth Female College at the age of sixteen, Dorothea, sometimes called Dolly, pursued her…

MATHER, Mrs. Sarah Ann

Sarah Ann Mather was born in Chester, MA on March 20, 1820. She attended Wesleyan Academy in Wilbraham, MA and became involved in the field of education. Sarah taught art at New England Conference Seminary in East Greenwich, RI and was both an…

MCAVOY, Miss Emma

Emma McAvoy was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, on October 23, 1841. Author and lecturer are the occupations listed at the beginning of herA Woman of the Centuryprofile, but Miss McAvoy's career included other professions.Like many women of her time, this…

McCULLOCH, Mrs. Catharine Waugh

Catharine Waugh McCulloch was born in Ransomville, New York, on June 4, 1862. She graduated from Rockford Female Seminary, earning both a bachelor's degree and master's degree, and attended Union College of Law.A temperance advocate from an early…

MCKINNEY, Mrs. Kate Slaughter

Author and poet Kate Slaughter McKinney was born in London, Kentucky, on February 6, 1857. By 1870, her family lived in Kirksville, Kentucky. Interested in writing from an early age, she published her first work at fifteen in theLouisville…

MILLER, Mrs. Emily Huntington

Emily Huntington Miller was born in Brooklyn, Connecticut, on October 22, 1833. She was a writer from a young age, and she graduated from Oberlin College.In 1860, Emily married John E. Miller, whose career achievements included being a principal, a…

MOTT, Mrs. Lucretia

Reformer Lucretia Coffin Mott was born in Nantucket, Massachusetts, on January 3, 1793. She was related to Nantucket natives Anna Gardnerm Rev. Phebe Anne Hanaford, and Juliet H. Severance, as well as to Benjamin Franklin.Lucretia's Quaker family…

MOULTON, Mrs. Louise Chandler

Author Louise Chandler Moulton was born on April 5, 1835. A native of Pomfret, Connecticut, she left her hometown to attend Emma Willard'sTroy Female Seminary. Louise published her first works with Phillips, Sampson and Company and, as her…

MOWRY, Miss Martha H.

Physician, professor, and lecturer Martha H. Mowry hailed from Providence, Rhode Island. Martha lost her mother when she was an infant, and she was devoted to her father throughout her life. She attended a variety of schools, including the Green…

NICHOLLS, Mrs. Rhoda Holmes

Rhoda Holmes Nicholls was born in Coventry, Warwickshire, England. on March 28, 1854. She was educated in the Bloomsbury School of Art and became an artist, an art teacher, and an author.Contemporaries thought highly of Rhoda. William Dean Howells…

OLMSTED, Mrs. Elizabeth Martha

Poet and lyricist Elizabeth Martha Allen Olmsted was born in Caledonia, New York, on December 31, 1825. She graduated from Ingham University in Le Roy, New York in 1847. Soon after graduation, her graduation poem was published inTheUnited States…

PARKHURST, Mrs. Emelie Tracy Y. Swett

Emelie Tracy Y. Swett Parkhurst was born in San Francisco, California, on March 9, 1863.During her career, Emelie was an author, a biographer, a poet, a music teacher, and a playwright. She created the Pacific Coast Literary Bureau and was a founder…

PEEKE, Mrs. Margaret Bloodgood

Author Margaret Bloodgood Peeke was born near Saratoga Springs, New York, on April 8, 1838. She married Rev. George H. Peeke and became the mother of six children.Margaret wrote for several periodicals, includingArena,Chicago Alliance,Detroit Free…

PERRY, Miss Nora

Nora Perry was a New England poet, newspaper correspondent, and author. Her poems “Tying her Bonnet under her Chin” and “After the Ball” shot her to literary fame and were reprinted in newspapers across the country. Her early success led her to write…

PLUMB, Levancia Holcomb

Levancia Holcomb Plumb was born in Sand Lake, NY on June 23, 1841. but she lived in Illinois for most of her life. She attended Oberlin College, graduating in 1861. On December 6, 1866, Levancia married Samuel H. Plumb in Lorain, OH. They became the…

POST, Mrs. Caroline Lathrop

Caroline Lathrop Post was born in Ashford, Connecticut, on November 27, 1824, and began her writing career at an early age. Her family later moved to Hartford, Connecticut, and Pittsfield, Massachusetts.She married Abner L. Parsons on March 27, 1844,…

ROHLFS, Mrs. Anna Katharine Green

Anna Katharine Green, Rohlfs was born in Brooklyn, NY to James Wilson Green and Catharine Ann Whitney on November 11, 1846. She attended Ripley Female College (now Green Mountain College) in Poultney, VT, graduated in 1866 and moved back to NY to…

ROSEWALD, Mrs. Julie

Vocalist Julie Rosewald was a member of the talented musical family called Eichberg. She was born in Stuttgart, Germany, on March 7, 1850. Her studies began at the conservatory there and continued at the exclusive Royal Theater School in Stuttgart,…

SAWYER, Mrs. Lucy Sargent

Lucy Sargent Sawyer, born in Belfast, ME on April 3, 1840, was a missionary worker, philanthropist, and reformer.Devoted to the Methodist Episcopal Church, in which her husband was a pastor, Lucy became involved in activities such as the Woman's…

SEDGWICK, Miss Catharine Maria

Born in Stockbridge, MA, Catharine Maria Sedgwick was the sixth of the seven surviving children of Theodore Sedgwick and Pamela Dwight Sedgwick. Catharine’s mother was ill for most of her childhood and died when Catharine was seventeen. A year later,…

SEVERANCE, Mrs. Juliet H.

Dr. Juliet H. Severance was born in Nantucket, Massachusetts, on July 1, 1833 and grew up in De Ruyter, New York. Juliet attended the De Ruyter Seminary. She taught in New York as a young woman before studying with physicians and becoming a doctor.…

SHEARDOWN, Mrs. Annie Fillmore

Annie Fillmore Sheardown, daughter of John and Olma J. Burdick, was born in Franklin, Connecticut on June 8, 1856, and spent her youth living in Franklin and Norwich, Connecticut. Passionate about music, she began lessons at a very early age. By…

SHOAFF, Mrs. Carrie M.

Artist and inventor Carrie M. Shoaff was born in Huntington, IN on April 2, 1849. By 1880, she and her husband Urias Shoaff were living in Fort Wayne, IN. In 1884, she exhibited three of her paintings in Keil's bookstore in Fort Wayne. The Fort Wayne…

SIGOURNEY, Mrs. Lydia Huntley

Lydia Huntley Sigourney, one of the most famous female writers of the nineteenth century, was born in Norwich, Connecticut on September 1, 1791. As a young woman, Lydia taught in her hometown. In 1819, she married Charles Sigourney and became the…

SMITH, Miss Helen Morton

Helen Morton Smith was born in Sullivan Harbor, Maine, on December 12, 1859. After she was educated at a convent in Michigan, Helen returned to Maine and became a teacher. By 1888, Helen was teaching at her own private school in Bar Harbor,…

SPOFFORD, Mrs. Harriet Prescott

Harriet Prescott Spofford, born on April 3, 1835, was an author, biographer, novelist, and poet. A native of Calais, Maine, she attended Pinkerton Academy. Harriet became known in the literary world in 1859 when, asA Woman of the Centurynotes, "she…

STOCKER, Miss Corinne

Elocutionist and journalist Corinne Stocker was born in Orangeburg, South Carolina on August 21, 1871, but she lived most of her life in Atlanta, Georgia. She was an extremely intelligent and talented woman. As herA Woman of the…

STONE, Mrs. Lucy

Reformer Lucy Stone was born near West Brookfield, Massachusetts on August 13, 1818. She graduated from Oberlin College in 1847, with honors. Early in her career, she was an Antislavery lecturer, but Lucy's lifelong passion was advocating for…

STONE, Miss Martha Elvira

Martha Elvira Stone was born in North Oxford, Massachusetts on September 13, 1816. She attended Oxford Classical School and Leicester Academy and then taught for many years. Martha and her cousinClara Barton, another North Oxford native, were…

TELFORD, Mrs. Mary Jewett

Mary Jewett Telford was born in Seneca, NY on March 18, 1839. During her career, she was am army nurse and a church and temperance worker.

THORPE, Mrs. Rose Hartwick

Rose Hartwick Thorpe was born in Mishawaka, Indiana on July 18, 1850, and she spent her teenage years in Litchfield, Michigan.She became famous for her poem "Curfew Must Not Ring Tonight," which was published in theDetroit Commercial Advertiser in…

VERY, Miss Lydia Louisa Anna

Lydia Louisa Anna Very was born on November 2, 1823, in Salem, Massachusetts, the youngest child of Jones and Lydia Very. Her father passed away when Lydia was just a year old. In December of 1841, Lydia began teaching at Mason Street Public School…

WAIT, Mrs. Anna C.

Born Anna A. Churchill, on March 26, 1837 in Medina County, Ohio, suffargist, orator, teacher and newspaper owner Mrs. Anna C. Wait was a notable woman. An early entrepreneur, from the age of eleven she prided herself in being…

WALLACE, Mrs. Susan Arnold Elston

Susan Arnold Elston Wallace was born in Crawfordsville, Indiana, on December 25, 1830. After going to school in Quaker Hill, New York, Susan returned to Crawfordsville and later married Lew Wallace and became a mother.Since her husband's career took…

WALLACE, Mrs. Zerelda Gray

Zerelda Gray Wallace was born in Millersburg, Bourbon County, Kentucky on August 6, 1817. She was a temperance reformer, a woman suffragist, a public speaker, and an author.Zerelda spent her youth in Millersburg and her teenage years in New Castle,…

WEBSTER, Miss Helen L.

Born in Boston, Massachusetts, on August 1, 1853, Helen Livermore Webster grew up in Salem, Massachusetts. After having graduated from Salem Normal School, she taught high school in Lynn while continuing her own studies.Helen received her Ph.D. in…

WEISS, Mrs. Susan Archer

Susan Archer Talley Weiss was born in Hanover County, VA on February 14. A Woman of the Century lists her birth year as 1835, but other sources list it as 1822. Her family moved to Richmond when Susan was eight, and she lost her ability to hear two…

WELBY, Mrs. Amelia B. Coppuck

Amelia B. Coppuck Welby was born in St. Michael's, Maryland, on February 3, 1819. Best known by her pseudonym "Amelia," she was an author who spent most of her life in Louisville, Kentucky.Amelia's first contributions were toTheLouisville Journal.…

WEST, Mrs. Julia E. Houston

Julia E. Houston West was born in Ashburnham, MA on June 22, 1832. She began singing for Edward Everett Hale's South Congregational Church in Boston in 1856. After briefly singing for the Old South Church, she returned to Hale's church.As the…

WILLARD, Mrs. Allie C.

Alice "Allie" C. Rosseter Willard was born on April 13, 1860, near Nauvoo, Illinois. During her childhood, Allie's family moved to Grand City, Nebraska, then to Loup City, Nebraska. An avid learner, she dedicated herself to her studies. Interested in…

WETHERALD, Miss Agnes Ethelwyn

Agnes Ethelwyn Wetherald, a Canadian poet, novelist, and journalist, was born in Rockwood, Ontario, on April 26, 1857. A Quaker, she came to the United States to attend the Friends Boarding School in Union Springs, New York. A writer from an early…

WILLARD, Miss Frances Elizabeth

Frances Elizabeth Willard, whose lengthy biographical sketch lists her as an "educator, reformer and philanthropist," was one of the editors of A Woman of the Century. She was born on September 28, 1839, in Churchville, New York. Frances graduated…

WINSLOW, Mrs. Celeste M.A.

Celeste M. A. Winslow was born in Charlemont, Massachusetts, on November 22, 1837.A prolific writer, Celeste penned articles for numerous periodicals. Her poem"Perplexed"appeared inThe Atlantic Monthlyin June 1876, while her poem"Ah, Dawn,…

WOODBRIDGE, Mrs. Mary A. Brayton

Mary A. Brayton Woodbridge, born in Nantucket, Massachusetts, on April 21, 1830, was a temperance reformer. She married Frederick Wells Woodbridge when she was seventeen years old, and the couple settled in Cleveland, Ohio. Mary became a mother, and…

WOOLSON, Abba Goold

Author Abba Louise Goold Woolson was born on her family compound in Windham, Maine, on April 30, 1838. She was the daughter of author and Maine historian William Goold. Her family had long-established roots in Maine and resided in Windham for several…

WRIGHT, Mrs. Julia McNair

Julia McNair Wright, an author, was born in Oswego, New York,on May 1, 1840.HerA Woman of the Centuryprofile notes: "She began her literary career at sixteen, by the publication of short stories" (804). Three years later, Julia contributed"The…

WYLIE, Mrs. Lollie Belle

Lollie Belle Wylie was born in Bayou Coden, near Mobile, AL, on October 21, 1858. After growng up in Georgia, she married Hart Wylie at age seventeen.She published a book of poems while her husband was ill, and began writing for The Atlanta Journal…

YOUNG, Mrs. Sarah Graham

Sarah Graham Young, an army nurse, was born near Ithaca, NY on August 9, 1830. She married her first husband, Abel O. Palmer, in 1849 and had two children.By the time the Civil War started, Sarah was a widow. Leaving her children with family members,…

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