Read Part One HERE
In this story I will focus on a woman named Grace Anna Lewis. She lived from 1821 -1912. Grace Anna was born into a Pennsylvania Quaker family. Her mother had been a teacher before her marriage so she began Grace's education at home, then sent her to a Quaker Boarding School located two miles from the farm where they lived.
Social awareness was also a strong trait in her family, and Grace Anna grew up a staunch abolitionist, viewing slavery as "one of the greatest crimes against humanity." Their home was frequently a refuge for fugitive slaves.
Upon completing her education in 1842, Grace Anna became a teacher. Her first job was at a small boarding school in York, Pennsylvania, run by her uncle Bartholomew Fussell. Afterwards she taught at a school in Phoenixville.
In 1845, she moved back home, devoting herself to the farm and abolition activities. As the 1850's progresssed.she began to organise meetings and procure speakers for local anti-slavery organisations.
Around that time Grace Anna moved to Philadelphia, living within the close-knit community of Quakers active in science. She began to apply for numerous scientific positions both at the academy and in the private sector. However, her lack of formal education beyond high school was a stumbling block, as was her gender. She ended up teaching for several years at the Friends' School in Philadelphia, then at the Foster School for Girls in Clifton Springs, New York.
In 1885, Mary Anna returned to Media, Pennsylvania, where she remained for the rest of her life. She became active in several community organisations, including the Media Women Suffrage Association, serving as a secretary for a number of years. She was also active in the Women's Christian Temperance Movement and was a member of the Women's Club of Media, which she deemed "a very useful organisation, taking hold of questions of real importance and giving courses of valuable lectures."
Grace Anna died in 1912.
Read Part One Hundred And Forty-Eight HERE
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