Eliza Jane Trimble Thompson (1816–1905) was a

temperance Temperance may refer to: Moderation *Temperance movement, movement to reduce the amount of alcohol consumed *Temperance (virtue), habitual moderation in the indulgence of a natural appetite or passion Culture * Temperance (group), Canadian dan ...

advocate.

Biography

Eliza Jane Trimble was born in Hillsboro, Ohio, August 24, 1816. The daughter of Governor

Allen Trimble Allen Trimble (November 24, 1783 – February 3, 1870) was a Federalist and National Republican politician from Ohio. Son of James Trimble and Jane Allen. He served as the eighth and tenth governor of Ohio, first concurrently as Senate Speaker ...

, Thompson was inspired by a December 23, 1873 lecture by

Diocletian Lewis Diocletian Lewis (March 3, 1823 – May 21, 1886), commonly known as Dr. Dio Lewis, was a prominent temperance leader and physical culture advocate who practiced homeopathy. Biography Early life He was born on a farm near Auburn, New York.This ...

to begin leading groups of women into saloons where they sang hymns and prayed for the closure of the establishments. These direct, non-violent “Visitation Bands” were successful and quickly spread first across the state of Ohio and then to a total of 22 other states from New York to California. Dr. Lewis, a minister who had a drunken father which contributed to his desire for temperance and abstinence, believed that women needed to be educated on the social evils of alcohol. "Mother Thompson" and others claimed often dramatic conversions by saloon keepers. In other cases, the retailers simply gave up after being picked on for weeks by the Visitation Bands. Within several years the movement subsided. However, it was successful in stimulating the temperance movement, which had declined with the outbreak of the Civil War (1861–1865). The

Woman's Christian Temperance Union The Woman's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) is an international Temperance movement, temperance organization, originating among women in the United States Prohibition movement. It was among the first organizations of women devoted to social ref ...

(WCTU) traces its origins to the Women's Crusade against alcohol. Thompson died on November 3, 1905, in Hillsboro.

Gallery

File:Eliza Thompson.JPG, Headstone of Eliza Jane Thompson and her husband James Henry Thompson at Hillsboro Cemetery in Hillsboro, Ohio. File:Eliza Jane Thompson.JPG, Gravemarker of Eliza Thompson. File:James Henry Thompson.JPG, Gravemarker of James Henry Thompson.

References

Sources

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Thompson, Eliza 1816 births 1905 deaths American temperance activists People from Hillsboro, Ohio