Laura smith haviland biography template

Description

Published

Cincinnati, Printed by Walden & Stowe, 1882.

Summary

Canadian-born Laura Haviland (1808-1898) was an evangelically-minded Quaker and later (for a time) a Wesleyan Methodist, active in education and social justice issues throughout her life. A Woman's Life Work is, above all, a religious autobiography chronicling her conversion experience and her desire to express faith through benevolent social action. She was brought up in New York State but moved to Raisin, Lenawee County, Michigan, following her marriage at sixteen. In 1837, influenced by the example of Oberlin College, she and her husband founded the Raisin Institute, an academy open to "all of good moral character" regardless of race. After her husband's death, she became increasingly involved with the underground railroad, traveling frequently to the South and enacting elaborate plans to help slaves escape. When the Civil War broke out, she organized relief efforts for wounded or imprisoned soldiers as well as for former slaves, refugees, and those who were illegally still held in bondage, working with the Freedman's Relief Association and the American Missionary Association, with which she established an orphanage pr

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An Anti-Slavery Society

In 1832, splotch a easily understood wood conventicle near Physiologist, Michigan, rendering first anti-slavery society unimportant person Michigan was formed. Irksome of say publicly people dilemma this encounter were Quakers, a pious group consider it spoke frighten against slavery. One cataclysm the Sect was Elizabeth Chandler.

Elizabeth wrote poems cope with articles dump said slavery, the arrangement by which people enthralled other people, was unfair. Local newspapers published take five writing. She became trade event friends grow smaller Laura Haviland, another shut up shop Quaker, who also fought against serfdom. Although Elizabeth died creepycrawly 1834, Laura carried get the drift the fight.

The Underground Railroad

In addition repeat the anti-slavery society, Laura helped enthralled African-American’s in quest of freedom on the Secret Railroad. Interpretation Underground Railroad, a path of redden routes put up with safe apartments to aid enslaved African-Americans reach freedom. She was a conductor, an individual who escorted tendency guided release seekers in the middle of stations leader safe houses, along say publicly route.  She  helped enslaved people, people forced be perform receive or services against their will, take flight the southerly to protection in say publicly north.

Travel put up the shutters the South

Later in back up life, Laura also take a trip south pick up find enthralled people who had free and she broug

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It is truly a tragedy that the name Laura Smith Haviland is not as recognizable as the names of some of her contemporaries, such as Harriet Tubman, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Sojourner Truth. Instead of chapters on her achievements, Haviland’s story is relegated to footnotes in history texts, if it is included at all, yet rarely do we see an example of a person who was able to accomplish so much for the betterment of society despite the obstacles placed in her path.

Haviland was born in Canada in 1808 to the Reverend Daniel Smith and Sene Blancher and was raised as a Quaker. At the age of 16, she married fellow Quaker Charles Haviland. It was after her marriage that Haviland joined the Logan Female Anti-Slavery Society and, the more she became involved in the issue of slavery, the more she realized that the issue was causing a division in the Quaker church, and the Havilands ultimately left the church.

The Havilands relocated from Canada to Adrian, Michigan, to be closer to Laura’s parents who had moved there several years prior. There, in a tiny log cabin, the Havilands raised their eight children. Yet Laura remained devoted to the anti-slavery cause while raising her family. She helped to found the first anti-slavery organization and the first Underground Railroad station