Elizabeth Buffum Chace
Elizabeth Buffum Chace | |
---|---|
Born | Providence, Rhode Island, U.S. | December 9, 1806
Died | December 12, 1899 | (aged 93)
Resting place | Swan Point Cemetery, Providence, Rhode Island, U.S. |
Nationality | American |
Known for | Activist |
Spouse |
Samuel Buffington Chace
(m. 1828) |
Children | 10, including Arnold and Lillie |
Relatives |
|
Elizabeth Buffum Chace (December 9, 1806 – December 12, 1899) was an American activist in the anti-slavery, women's rights, and prison reform movements of the mid-to-late 19th century.
She was inducted into the Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame in 2002.[1]
Birth and early life
Elizabeth; Buffum Chace was born Elizabeth Buffum in
Marriage and early activities
On April 4, 1828, Buffum married Samuel Buffington Chace, also a birthright
Elizabeth had ten children with Samuel. The first five died in childhood to diseases that ravaged the families of that time.
In 1835, Elizabeth helped to found the
Civil War years
With the outbreak of the American Civil War in 1861, the Chaces continued their striving for the outlaw of slavery and although firmly supportive of the Union cause, were disappointed that Abraham Lincoln did not move immediately to abolish slavery. Elizabeth Buffum Chace met and corresponded regularly with many of the most significant Anti-Slavery figures of that time; she associated personally with William Lloyd Garrison, Frederick Douglass, and William Wells Brown, and hosted them frequently at her home.
As an illustration of just how dedicated to and involved in the anti-slavery movement the Buffum family were, while
Later years
In her later life, Elizabeth continued to advocate for the political rights for women and for prison and workplace reform. She and other influential women were involved in the creation of the RI State Home and School for Dependent and Neglected Children, which resulted in a bill in 1884 to create a home for them. The School was opened in 1885. She died on December 12, 1899, aged 93, and was buried at Swan Point Cemetery in Providence, Rhode Island.[3]
Legacy
- Conscience of Rhode Island
In 2001,
- Influence of the family
Samuel and Elizabeth's progeny played large roles in higher education in the 20th century. Their son,
Samuel and Elizabeth's grandson,
However, the Chace family is perhaps best known for its involvement in textile manufacturing. The textile company associated with the Chace family, the Valley Falls Company, later became known as Berkshire Fine Spinning Associates, later Berkshire Hathaway.
- Influence on the Foundation of the Rhode Island State Home and School
Buffum was one of the largest impetuses in the Foundation of the Rhode Island State Home and School in 1885.
See also
References
- ^ "Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame: Elizabeth Buffum Chace, Inducted 2002". Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on February 3, 2020. Retrieved February 3, 2020.
- ^ a b Stevens, Elizabeth C. Elizabeth Buffum Chace and Lillie Chace Wyman: A Century of Abolitionist, Suffragist, and Workers' Rights Activism. United States: McFarland Publishing, 2003.
- ^ "Notable Persons Interred at Swan Point Cemetery". Swan Point Cemetery. Archived from the original on January 22, 2016. Retrieved August 19, 2015.
Further reading
- Elizabeth Buffum Chace, 1806–1899, Her Life and its Environment, In Two Volumes, by Lillie Buffum Chace Wyman and Arthur Crawford Wyman, WB Clarke Co., Boston, 1914.
- Two Quaker Sisters, From the Original Diaries of Elizabeth Buffum Chace and Lucy Buffum Lovell, with an introduction by Malcolm R. Lovell, and foreword by Rufus M. Jones. New York: Liveright Publishing Corporation, 1937.
- Elizabeth Buffum Chace and Lillie Chace Wyman: A Century of Abolitionist, Suffragist and Workers' Rights Activism, by Elizabeth C. Stevens, McFarland and Company, 2003.
- Elizabeth Buffum Chace and Lillie Chace Wyman, by Elizabeth C. Stevens, Unstoppable mother and daughter activists Archived September 28, 2014, at the Wayback Machine
- Elizabeth Buffum Chace Anti-Slavery Reminiscences (archive.org)
External links
- Elizabeth Buffum Chace at Find a Grave
- First Petition for Women's Suffrage in Rhode Island from the Rhode Island State Archives