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 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) |
Life
editEliza 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]
Writing
editGurney 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]
References
edit- ^ a b c d "Gurney, Eliza Paul Kirkbride". House Divided. Retrieved 2023-09-02.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n "About West Hill". www.westhillnj.org. Retrieved 2023-09-02.
- ^ a b c Young, Amanda Verdery (2017-01-04). "Eliza P. Gurney". Women in Peace. Retrieved 2023-09-02.
- ^ a b c "Notable Visitors: Eliza Paul Kirkbride Gurney (1801–1881)". Mr. Lincoln's White House. Retrieved 2023-09-02.
- ^ a b "Heart Utterances, by Eliza Paul Kirkbride Gurney". www.gutenberg.org. Retrieved 2023-09-02.
- ^ Gurney, Eliza Paul Kirkbride (1852). A Brief Sketch of the Life of Anna Backhouse: By One who Knew Her Well, Loved Her Much, and was Often Instructed by Her. John Rodgers.
- ^ Gurney, Eliza Paul Kirkbride; Backhouse, Hannah Chapman; Backhouse, Katharine; Fry, Elizabeth Gurney; Backhouse, Anna Gurney; Corder (fl. 1850), Susanna; Barclay (fl. 1847), Ann F.; Mott, Hannah B.; Allinson, Rebecca W. (1884). Memoir and Correspondence of Eliza P. Gurney. J.B. Lippincott & Company.
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