Eliza Paul Kirkbride Gurney | |
---|---|
Born | Eliza Paul Kirkbride April 6, 1801
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
Died | November 8, 1888 | (aged 87)
Burial place | Burlington, New Jersey, U.S. |
Occupation(s) | Minister, poet |
Spouse | Joseph John Gurney (married 1841–1847) |
Eliza Paul Kirkbride Gurney (April 6, 1801 – 1888) [1] [2] was an American Quaker minister and poet. She was both a pacifist and an abolitionist. [3]
Eliza Paul Kirkbride was born in Philadelphia to Quakers Mary Pauil Kirkbride and Joseph Kirkbride. [1] [2]
In September 1837, Kirkbride met Joseph John Gurney while returning from England. [2] The two worked together during his trip to the United States. In July 1841, Kirkbride was recognized as a minister by the Quaker Monthly Meeting in England. [2] She married Gurney in October 1841. [2] The two shared an interest in pacifism and abolitionism, and preached about and spoke with political figures (including Louis Philippe I) on the topics. [2] They were also interested in prison reform and abolition, and preached on this topic in France and Germany. [2] Gurney and her husband co-founded Earlham College in 1847, shortly before Joseph's death that year. [3] The couple had three children. [1] [2]
Gurney returned to the United States from England in 1850. [2] In 1851, she settled at West Hill, New Jersey. [2] However, she continued to work as a traveling minister, and again went abroad to preach in England, France, Germany, Italy, and Switzerland. She also continued to meet with political figures to try and incur change; in one instance, she was able to secure the release of a German man imprisoned for his consicentious refusal to bear arms after an audience with the King of Germany. [2]
When not traveling, she hosted evening gatherings at her home in West Hill, which were well-attended by political figures, ministers, and fellow abolitionists. [2]
When the Civil War broke out, Gurney was conflicted, as although she was a pacifist, she wanted the North to win. [2] [3] [4] She visited then-President Abraham Lincoln at the White House on October 26, 1862, along with fellow Quakers James Carey, Hannah B. Mott, and John M. Whithall. [4] Gurney continued to exchange letters with Lincoln following the visit, and one of her letters was found in Lincoln's pocket on the night he was assassinated. [2] [4]
Gurney is buried in Burlington, New Jersey. [1]
Gurney began writing poems in 1811 and continued until at least 1875. [5] She compiled some of her poetry into a collection entitled Heart Utterances at Various Periods of a Chequered Life, which was not published in her lifetime. [5]
In 1852, Gurney wrote a biography of Anna Backhouse, originally only intended for her family. [6]
In 1884, Gurney published a memoir and some of her correspondence. [7]
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