Archive for month: November, 2023

1744 – Abigail Smith Adams was born in Weymouth, Massachusetts. She was the wife of John Adams, second president of the United States, and the mother of John Quincy Adams, the sixth president. One of the most distinguished and influential first ladies in U.S. history, she advised her husband on many issues and worked for social justice and abolition of slavery. A devoted Unitarian, Adams was noted for her serene religiosity. Read more about Abigail Smith Adams at: www.HarvardSquareLibrary.org – the digital library of Unitarian Universalism.

The post November 11 first appeared on Harvard Square Library.

1805 – Harriot Kezia Hunt, a life-long Universalist, was born in Boston, Massachusetts. Widely known as the first woman doctor, she was a pioneer in medical practice and a strong advocate of abolition, women’s rights, and public health education. She published her autobiography, Glances and Glimpses, in 1856.

The post November 9 first appeared on Harvard Square Library.

Read more at: www.HarvardSquareLibrary.org – the digital library of Unitarian Universalism.

1837 – Elijah P. Lovejoy, Presbyterian minister and publisher of the Observer in Alton, Illinois, was killed while mobs destroyed his printing presses for his abolitionist writings. Although Lovejoy had trained as a Presbyterian minister, his work for human rights drew him closer to liberal neighbors who had moved from New England and retained their Unitarian and Universalist upbringings.

The post November 7 first appeared on Harvard Square Library.

Read more at: www.HarvardSquareLibrary.org – the digital library of Unitarian Universalism.

1921 – Antoinette Louisa Brown Blackwell died at the age of 96. Born in Henrietta, New York, she was called to the Congregational church in South Butler, New York, becoming the first woman pastor in the country, although her gender prevented her ordination in that church. She became a Unitarian in 1854, helped found All Souls Unitarian Church in Elizabeth, New Jersey, and served as its first minister. She wrote 10 books and was the mother of six children. Read more about Antoinette Brown Blackwell at: www.HarvardSquareLibrary.org – the digital library of Unitarian Universalism.

The post November 5 first appeared on Harvard Square Library.

1794 – William Cullen Bryant, one of America’s literary greats, was born in Cummington, Massachusetts. He is remembered chiefly for his poetry, especially “Thanatopsis.” He never graduated from college but read the law in several offices and was admitted to the bar in 1815. For nearly 50 years, Bryant edited the New York Evening Post. He was a member of the Unitarian Church of All Souls in New York City.

The post November 3 first appeared on Harvard Square Library.

Read more at: www.HarvardSquareLibrary.org – the digital library of Unitarian Universalism.