Abby Hopper Gibbons (1801-1893), daughter of Isaac T. Hopper (1771-1852), was an important figure in many of the reform movements of the mid- and late nineteenth centuries, especially abolition and her work with the Women's Prison Association and Isaac T. Hopper Home. In 1833, she married fellow Hicksite Quaker, James Sloan Gibbons (1810-1892), a member of the New York Yearly Meeting of Friends. Her daughter, Sarah Hopper Emerson, used some of this material as a basis for her 1897 biography of Abby Hopper Gibbons. The collection contains about 1,680 ALsS and related materials. Of particular note is the correspondence sent and received by Abby Hopper Gibbons, including family letters and and related to her work to assist Union Soldiers during the Civil War. Also includes letters from Union soldiers, prominent Americans such as Theodore Roosevelt, Joseph Choate, and Lydia Maria Child, and correspondence reflecting Quaker family life and concerns.
Held at: Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College [Contact Us]