On This Day in… 1842…Anna Elizabeth Dickinson by Donna Schlachter

Anna Dickinson, c. 1855-1865 -- Wikipedia

 

 

 

Anna Elizabeth Dickinson was born on this date in 1842 in Philadelphia. Her parents were Quakers and abolitionists, John and Mary Edmundson Dickinson. Her ancestors emigrated from England, settling with other Quakers near Evanston, Maryland in the 1660s. She was the youngest of three brothers and another sister. Their family went through difficult times and much poverty following her father’s death when she was two years old. Her mother opened a school in their home and rented rooms to boarders to support her family.

Anna was an avid student, hardworking, and whatever money she earned, she used to purchase books. When she was 14, she converted to the Methodist Church, remaining active throughout her life. It was in this same year that her first essay about slavery was published in The Liberator.

When she was 15, she worked as a copyist, replicating legal documents, letters, and more. At 17, she became a teacher in Pennsylvania, and at 19, she became a clerk at the US Mint, one of its first female employees. However, when she spoke out against General George McClellan in a public meeting, she was fired from the mint.

While today we consider the Quakers a conservative denomination, they encouraged women to speak in public at a time when such behavior was frowned upon by most Americans. Anna toured the country, speaking for the Sanitary Commission on such topics as abolition, reconstruction, women’s rights, and temperance.

Her first major speech, a two-hour discussion on women’s rights, occurred in 1861 in Philadelphia. Her mentor, Lucretia Mott, arranged a lecture tour sponsored by the Massachusetts Anti-Slavery Society, and Anna’s speeches are credited with helping the Emancipation movement.

During the Civil War, Anna visited hospitals and camps, speaking to the soldiers. During the 1863 US Senate elections and with the Civil War deepening all around her, Anna campaigned for several Republican candidates, speaking eloquently and powerfully in support of that party’s anti-slavery platform and for preservation of the union of the country. She spoke to coal miners in Pennsylvania, convincing many of her abolitionist views.

At a lecture in New York City, she held her 5,000 attendees captive for two hours, and earned a standing ovation for her impassioned speech in 1864 in the US House of Representatives, where President Lincoln was in attendance. She was the first woman to appear before Congress.

Interpines Mansion, where her mother lived, supported by Anna -- Wikipedia

 

Following the Civil War, Anna continued speaking, earning the equivalent of half a million dollars a year and giving most of it to charity, friends, and relatives. It was during this time that she expanded her repertoire of topics to now include African-American rights, venereal diseases, and polygamy. And while she continued to support women’s rights, she did not speak about the suffrage movement.

Mark Twain wrote of her in a letter in 1867: “She talks fast, uses no notes what ever, never hesitates for a word…and has the most perfect confidence in herself.”

Fine praise, indeed, from a similarly famous orator himself.

Anna, c. 1870 -- Wikipedia

 

Unfortunately for Anna, times changed but she didn’t. Audiences were less prone to listen to a lengthy lecture, preferring to be entertained. By 1875, she struggled to support herself through her speaking, and following one performance where she waved a bloody shirt on stage to make her point, bookings dried up and former supporters questioned her sanity.

In 1876, in an attempt to revive her career, she accepted the invitation by Ralph Meeker to visit Colorado, where she promptly climbed Pikes Peak and other mountains, often using mules or horses. She joined an expedition to survey Longs Peak, but when the Boulder County News reported her scandalous donning of trousers, her popularity dropped. However, she was the first white woman on record to climb Gray’s Peak, Lincoln Peak, and Elbert Peak; the second to summit Pike’s Peak.

Boston Music Hall -- Wikipedia

 

As her speaking career declined, she decided to try writing, and in 1868 published the novel, What Answer? that tackled the current opposition to interracial marriage. In 1876, she penned A Paying investment: a Plea for Education that promoted technical training for workers, better treatment of prisoners, assistance for the poor, and education for all children. And, in 1879, she wrote A Ragged Register of People, Places, and Opinions. She wrote several plays, even acting in several, but her performance wasn’t received with favor in New York.

Anna, c. 1901 -- Wikipedia

 

Anna’s final years were no easier than her early growing up had been. At one point, she exhibited signs of paranoia, and her sister had her committed to an insane asylum. After several years, Anna won her freedom and her court case alleging her illegal kidnapping, then she lived with a married couple for more than forty years.

She died in 1932 following a stroke, and is buried at State Hill Cemetery in Goshen, New York.

However, she left a legacy of boldly speaking out against societal wrongs, no matter how unpopular that made her. During the second world war, a Liberty ship was named after her, SS Anna Dickinson. 


 

About Donna:

A hybrid author, Donna writes squeaky clean historical and contemporary suspense. She has been published more than 60 times in books; is a member of several writers' groups; facilitates a critique group; teaches writing classes; and judges in writing contests. She loves history and research, traveling extensively for both, and is an avid oil painter. She is taking all the information she’s learned along the way about the writing and publishing process, and is coaching committed writers eager to tell their story.

www.DonnaSchlachter.com

Newsletter: https://www.thepurposefullwriter.com/newslettersignup Stay connected so you learn about new releases, preorders, and presales, as well as check out featured authors, book reviews, and a little corner of peace. Plus: Receive 2 free ebooks simply for signing up for our free newsletter!

Facebook: www.Facebook.com/DonnaschlachterAuthor

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Donna-Schlachter/author/B01180A2EE

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/donna-schlachter

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/search?q=donna+schlachter

The Purpose-Full Writer: https://www.facebook.com/groups/604220861766651







Resources:

https://www.joankoster.com/anna-elizabeth-dickinson-americas-shining-star/

https://civilwartalk.com/threads/anna-elizabeth-dickinson.97123/

The Bell of Liberty

Elaine Marie Cooper

This photo of the child touching the Liberty Bell brings back happy memories for me.

Many years ago, I was a child with my small hand touching this same bell that both fascinated me and stirred a desire to know more about our American history. That craving still exists in my heart, as my adult years have brought me to research and write about the years of the American Revolution.

Because of its name, many often think the Liberty Bell was cast during the Revolution. It, in fact, was commissioned by the Quakers in Philadelphia in 1751 to commemorate the 50^thanniversary of William Penn founding the colony of Pennsylvania. 

Since Quakers were the strongest voice against slavery that was rampant in all the colonies, the Pennsylvania Assembly declared a “Year of Jubilee” and ordered the creation of the bell to be placed in the Philadelphia State House. 

According to author William Federer, the Speaker of the House, Isaac Norris, quoted from Leviticus 25: “And ye shall make hallow the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof; it shall be a jubilee.” 

In accordance with the Israelite calendar, the year of Jubilee was to free slaves, forgive debts, and return lands to the original families who owned them. 

As proponents of freedom, the Pennsylvania legislature requested these words to be inscribed on the bell: “Proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof.” 

Monument to Col. John Nixon who read the Declaration in 1776

Since the Liberty Bell became a symbol of freedom during the American Revolution, it seems ironic that it was cast in England. The irony lies in the fact that the bell was rung during the first public reading of the Declaration of Independence on July 8, 1776 when the writers of the document vilified their Mother Country. Some historians say it was after this event that it became known as the Liberty Bell. Others claim it was not referred to as the Liberty Bell until the 1830’s when an abolitionist group adopted it as their symbol. Regardless of the origin of the name, we all today refer to it as such. 

After the British invaded Philadelphia in 1777, local Patriots feared the British would steal the bell and melt it down to be used for armaments. The Americans snuck it out of the city, transported the 2,000-pound bell into a wagon, then covered it with hay and manure to hide it. The bell was taken to Zion Reformed Church in Allentown, PA where it was hidden in the church’s basement. When the British left Philadelphia in 1778, it was returned.

The famous crack in the bell is a subject of speculation. The original bell, commissioned in 1751, cracked when it underwent a test strike. The metal was too brittle, causing it to be recast twice. The final version was comprised of 2,080 pounds total of copper, tin, and small amounts of lead, zinc, arsenic, gold and silver. 

Despite numerous speculations about the crack’s origin—during the visit of Marquis de Lafayette in 1824 or while tolling to signal a fire or during the ringing for the funeral of Chief Justice John Marshall in 1835—historical accounts verify it was damaged by 1846. Although attempts were made to repair the crack, it did fracture beyond repair and was retired from “ringing duty.” 

It was placed in a pavilion near Independence Hall in 1776, then moved to Liberty Bell Center in Independence National Historic Park. Now millions come to view the famous bell each year.

Just like a young girl did many years ago in Philadelphia. As the curious child carefully fingered the crack, a writer of historical fiction was born. 

Elaine Marie Cooper has two historical fiction books that released in 2019: War’s Respite(Prequel novella) and Love’s Kindling. They are the first two books in the Dawn of AmericaSeries set in Revolutionary War Connecticut. This series will re-release with a new publisher beginning in 2021. 

Cooper is the award-winning author of Fields of the Fatherless and Bethany’s Calendar. Her 2016 release (Saratoga Letters) was finalist in Historical Romance in both the Selah Awards and Next Generation Indie Book Awards. She has been published in Chicken Soup for the Soul and HomeLife magazine. She also penned the three-book historical series, Deer Run Saga. 

Her upcoming release, Scarred Vessels, is about the black soldiers in the American Revolution. Look for it in October 2020. You can visit her website/ blog at www.elainemariecooper.com

The Moravians: John Heckewelder

John Heckewelder

This is the third and final post in my series on the Moravian missionaries to the Native Americans during the 18th and early 19th centuries. These men and women were saints of sturdy faith, indeed, and they suffered many trials in their devotion to spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ. Like all humans, they also had flaws, as we’d expect. When he was only a youth, the subject of today’s post, John Heckewelder, went to the Muskingum River in Ohio in the spring of 1762 as Christian Frederick Post’s assistant in his mission to the Delaware Indians in the Ohio Territory. Like John Mark, the young man who accompanied Paul and Silas on their first missionary journey only to turn back when the going got tough, Heckewelder fled that fall when the Indians became increasingly hostile toward the Whites. At the end of the year, however, with the conflict known as Pontiac’s War looming, threats against Post’s life finally forced him to flee as well.

Heckewelder spent the rest of his life as a missionary among the Delaware at a crucial period of their history, while they were progressively being driven from their lands in Pennsylvania into Ohio, and eventually to Ontario. His book, History, Manners, and Customs of the Indian Nations, which published in 1818, is a classic work that offers readers and historians insights into the history and lives of the Delaware even today. I own a copy of it myself and am using it to do research for my historical series.

Moravian Baptism of Indian Converts

Heckewelder was born in England in 1743. His parents were German Moravians, and in 1754 they moved their family to Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, the headquarters of the Moravian Church in North America. Young Heckewelder grew up among fellow believers who ministered to the Delaware living along the Susquehanna and Allegheny rivers. Heckewelder’s parents apprenticed him to a cooper as a boy, but in 1762 he accompanied Post on his journey into the Ohio Territory as his assistant. Under Post’s guidance and later that of David Zeisberger, Heckewelder lived among the Delaware Indians throughout the 1760s and 1770s, becoming fluent in their language and intimately acquainted with their culture.

After the French and Indian War, the colonists in Pennsylvania were hostile toward all Indians because of the devastating raids they had suffered. English settlers and soldiers also continued to move into the lands west of the Allegheny Mountains claimed by the Indians, pushing the original inhabitants ever farther west. In the early 1760s a Delaware prophet named Neolin came to prominence. He told of a vision in which the Master of Life had commanded him to call the Indians to abandon the ways of the Whites and cast them out of the Ohio lands, which he had given to them. Only then would they gain the blessing of the Master of Life, and he would restore their power and prosperity. In 1763, under the influence of this teaching, many of the tribes renewed their attacks against the English, led by the Ottawa leader Pontiac and the Seneca leader Guyasuta in a war that came to be known as Pontiac’s War. The Moravian missionaries and their Indian converts, who like the Quakers and Amish were nonresistant, found themselves under suspicion—and often attack—by both the English and the Indians.

Gnadenhutten Massacre

The American Revolution made their situation even worse. Although the Moravians remained neutral, the Americans suspected them of aiding the British because they would not fight on their side. At the same time the British accused Heckewelder and Zeisberger of treason, claiming they passed intelligence from the Indians to the American rebels. The two missionaries were arrested and hauled in front of British officers at Detroit and held there for months. Meanwhile, a group of soldiers in Pennsylvania’s militia brutally murdered 96 unarmed Indian converts, including women and children, at the village of Gnadenhutten.

Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

Heckewelder assisted in reestablishing the Moravian Indian refugees from Pennsylvania in Ohio after the war. He also was instrumental as a negotiator between the Indian communities and the new United States government. After his retirement, he returned to Bethlehem, but continued to occasionally work as an interpreter and agent for the Indians for some years. He devoted his greatest energies to writing, however. He published 3 books between 1818 and his death in 1823, which were based on his intimate knowledge of the Delaware. Leading scholars sought him out for details of the Indians’ languages, customs, and legends. He essentially served as a bridge between his generation, who grew up while the Indians still inhabited Pennsylvania and other eastern states, and new generations whose only knowledge of the aboriginal peoples came from history books.

~~~

J. M. Hochstetler is the daughter of Mennonite farmers and a lifelong student of history. She is also an author, editor, and publisher. Northkill, Book 1 of the Northkill Amish Series, won ForeWord Magazine’s 2014 INDYFAB Book of the Year Bronze Award for historical fiction. Book 2, The Return, releases in April 2017. Her American Patriot Series is the only comprehensive historical fiction series on the American Revolution. One Holy Night, a contemporary retelling of the Christmas story, was the Christian Small Publishers 2009 Book of the Year.

Hope in Upper Canada: The Sharon Temple

During my recent research trip to York County, I hadn't planned on visiting the Sharon Temple Museum because I was short of time and had too many other scheduled places to visit. But on one of my trips through Sharon, I decided on a whim to stop and explore. After all, my husband is related to the Doan family who built the temple, albeit a fourth cousin. 

Courtesy of Wikipedia

In the first decade of the 19th century, thousands of British loyalists and land-hungry farmers and entrepreneurs entered Upper Canada (now Ontario). Many made their way to York County, and in particular to the area north of the city of York (now Toronto), and began clearing the thick forests crossed by Indian trails. 

One of the earliest settlers was David Willson, born 7 Jun 1778 in Dutchess County, NY. David's wife, Phebe Titus, a birthright member of the Society of Friends, was disowned by the Friends for “going out from plainness and keeping company with one not of our society." In 1800 when David's brother emigrated to Upper Canada, David followed with his family. By 1801, David had acquired a Crown grant and settled on land that would be part of East Gwillimbury once the township was incorporated 1850 (red on the map).

David Willson, Courtesy of Wikipedia

In 1804, David Willson and his family joined the Yonge Street Society of Friends and by 1811, David had begun preaching. However, David's ministry was rejected by an elder of the Yonge Street Meeting. The following year, David started having meetings in his own home. His followers, including many former Friends, were known as the Children of Peace.

Now before you start wondering what radical ideas David was preaching, you have to understand that David loved music and he believed it should be an integral part of worship. The austere Friends believed one should worship in silence until the message was given. Others agreed with David and soon the Willson house was too small to accompany all the followers and the first meeting house, made of logs, was built.

David Willson wanted to rebuild Solomon's temple of the Old Testament as the New Jerusalem detailed Revelations 21. It would hold an altar similar to the Ark of the Covenant, and incorporate the New Testament. He hired another former American, Ebenezer Doan and together the two carpenters designed a grand temple on the grounds of David Willson's farm.

The Sharon Temple, 1860 glass negative. Courtesy of  Ontario Archives © Queen's Printer for Ontario

Started in 1825 and completed in 1831, the temple was an architectural wonder that - like another grand temple - took seven years to complete. The Ontario Heritage Trust describes it thusly:

Square in plan and painted white with green trim, the Temple of Peace is a unique frame construction building comprising three tiers that rise from a 60-by-60-foot base to a 12-by-12-foot lantern. Each tier has tall multi-paned windows on all four sides with a small pinnacle at each corner of the roof. Every element of the Temple was intended to symbolize some aspect of the sect's religious beliefs – the three tiers represent the Trinity; a door in each of the four sides allowed people to enter on an equal footing from all directions; equal numbers of windows on each side allowed the light of the gospel to shine on the assembly with equal strength; four pillars supporting the lantern were inscribed with the words denoting the cardinal virtues of faith, hope, love and charity; and 12 pinnacle lanterns and 12 interior pillars represent the apostles. A central space housing the altar is approached from four aisles, each commencing and radiating from a doorway. The continuous arcade of 12 turned columns supports the second tier. In the centre of the Temple is the tabernacle – an artifact of remarkable design, proportion and wood joinery.

 Sharon Temple Interior, stereoview. Courtesy of  Ontario Archives © Queen's Printer for Ontario

Because the stereoview doesn't show the inscribed words on the pillars as mentioned in the above quote, I'm showing you one of the photographs which I took of the Sharon Temple in June. Look about two feet above the base of the pillars and you'll see the plaques where David Willson ensured the New Testament was represented.

Sharon Temple interior, June 2015, decorated for an upcoming wedding.

The four pillars at the corners of the Ark show, Faith, Hope, Love, and Charity. The twelve posts surrounding them each contain the name of one of the twelve Apostles.

Interior of the Sharon Temple showing the plaques on the pillars, June 2015

The Children of Peace believed in a cooperative society. They named their village, Hope, and built the first homeless shelter in Canada called the House of Affliction, where those in need could be helped until they regained financial independence. This was the purpose of the temple - to raise money to feed and clothe the poor as mandated by God. Once a month, the temple was opened for such a purpose and during the meeting, members would walk toward one of the four tables surrounding the Ark and place money to be used in the House of Affliction. Hope was so important that it is inscribed on the golden ball suspended at the highest point of the church, which was the highest point of the Village of Hope (now Sharon).

Due to its high position in the village, the temple could be seen for miles when all the window candles and the 12 corner lanterns were fully lit. The number of corner lanterns were chosen to symbolize the 12 apostles going out into the world to spread the gospel of salvation. In effect, the illuminated temple has always been a physical reminder of hope.

Sharon Temple illuminated, Courtesy of © Adam Mayers, Toronto Star

In 1824 with wheat being the biggest commodity of the time, the members organized the Farmer's Storehouse which became Canada's first marketing co-operative. A large warehouse along the shoreline of Toronto's harbour, it was used to market wheat in Montreal, and then pay the members in cash or finished goods at reduced prices.

The members were generous and by 1832 there were concerns about excess money in the Charity Fund just sitting there, unused, and not gaining interest. The result was a credit union where members could borrow as needed, while the interest depended on their ability to repay.

The Village of Hope prospered. Schools had been started early and included a ladies boarding school where the curriculum included Domestic Science. By 1834  a new meeting house was required. Three times the size of the original log one, the second meeting house was surrounded by a colonnade of pillars, it matching David Willson's study, which was built in 1829. When the second meeting house was completed in 1842, the original log one became a Music Hall and was used for entertainment as well as band practice.

2nd Children of Peace Meeting house and David Willson's study, 1860. Courtesy of the Toronto Public Library

In 1819, before the temple had been started, David Willson hired York (Toronto) musician, Richard Coates, to build a barrel organ for the meeting house. The first one in Ontario, it is now the oldest barrel organ in Canada. Coates built a second barrel organ for the Children of Peace and then a keyboard organ. All three organs are still in the Sharon Temple.

Music had always been a big part of the Children of Peace community. In the line drawing of the interior of the second meeting house (below), you can see a woman playing an organ in the back corner. 

Interior of Meeting House of the Children of Peace, Pen and black ink line drawing, ca 1909?. Courtesy of the Toronto Public Library

There was also a barrel organ in Willson's study which he used to create his music. (David Willson's music and the Children of Peace band will be covered in depth in another post.)

Interior of the Study of the Children of Peace, Pen and black ink line drawing, ca 1909?. Courtesy of the Toronto Public Library

When David Willson died in 1866, his aging son took over as leader, but he lacked the charisma of his father. In 1889, the last Children of Peace service was held and the group dissolved. Now known as the village of Sharon, the temple grounds were rented out and for a time even used to shelter cattle.

Sharon Temple grounds used for agricultural purposes sometime between 1889 and 1917. Courtesy of Ontario Archives © Queen's Printer for Ontario

This 1912 article from the Newmarket Era is very stark in its announcement that the "sacred and time-honored buildings" will be demolished and the materials used to make farm buildings. I can't help but wonder if the article's writer is more concerned with the loss of revenue from tourists visiting Sharon than for the loss of the unique buildings themselves. 

In 1915, the 2nd Meeting House which had been built in 1842, was torn down.

However, recognizing the importance of the Temple as an historic and architectural treasure, the Toronto-based York Pioneer and Historical Society started raising funds. By 1917, they purchased the Sharon Temple for the purpose of restoration and by 1918 the building was opened as a museum. This is one of Canada's earliest examples of historic preservation. 

Shortly afterwards, the York Pioneers moved David Willson’s study to the site. The site has a collection of restored buildings and displays pioneer artifacts and historic items related to the sect, including the original house and buildings from the farm of the temple's master builder, Ebenezer Doan. 

The Sharon Temple and David Willson's Study (left side), June 2015.

Since 1990, the Sharon Temple has been a National Historic Site and Museum. It is also a National Peace Site. 

What did I think of the place? I was awed by the grandeur and simplicity. History echoed in the temple even though I was alone with only a breeze from the open doors moving through the building. And trite as it sounds, I've never felt so much peace as I did sitting on a bench along one wall and just listening to the past. 

What about you? Do you know of a place that was saved from demolition in the nick of time, and has become a museum or national historic site?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Anita Mae Draper is retired from the Canadian Armed Forces and lives on the prairie of southeast Saskatchewan, Canada with her hubby of 30 plus years and the youngest of their 4 kids. Anita Mae's short story, Riding on a Christmas Wish is published in A Cup of Christmas Cheer Volume 1 Tales of Faith and Family, Guideposts Books, October 2013, and a 2nd short story, Here We Come A-Wassailing, is published in A Cup of Christmas Cheer Volume 4 Heartwarming Tales of Christmas Present, Guideposts Books, October 2014.   Anita Mae has recently sold a novella to WhiteFire Publishing to be released January 2016. She is represented by Mary Keeley of Books & Such Literary Management. You can find Anita at   http://www.anitamaedraper.com/