Josephine Cables Aldrich (June 12, 1843 – August 12, 1917) was an American

spiritualist Spiritualism is the metaphysical school of thought opposing physicalism and also is the category of all spiritual beliefs/views (in monism and dualism) from ancient to modern. In the long nineteenth century The ''long nineteenth century'' i ...

Theosophist Theosophy is a religion established in the United States during the late 19th century. It was founded primarily by the Russian Helena Blavatsky and draws its teachings predominantly from Blavatsky's writings. Categorized by scholars of religion a ...

, editor, and publisher from the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sover ...

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...

. Married to the politician,

William F. Aldrich William Farrington Aldrich (March 11, 1853 – October 30, 1925) was an American politician and a U.S. Representative from Alabama. He was brother of Truman Heminway Aldrich and great-great-grandfather of William J. Edwards. Biography Aldr ...

, she was the editor of ''

The Occult World ''The Occult World'' is a book originally published in 1881 in London; it was compiled by a member of the Theosophical Society The Theosophical Society, founded in 1875, is a worldwide body with the aim to advance the ideas of Theosophy in cont ...

'' and the publisher of

Matilda Joslyn Gage Matilda Joslyn Gage (March 24, 1826 – March 18, 1898) was an American writer and activist. She is mainly known for her contributions to women's suffrage in the United States (i.e. the right to vote) but she also campaigned for Native Americ ...

's ''The Liberal Thinker''. She was a co-founder of the Woman's National University and School of Useful and Ornamental Arts.

Biography

Josephine Cables was born in

Litchfield, Connecticut Litchfield is a town in and former county seat of Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 8,192 at the 2020 census. The boroughs of Bantam and Litchfield are located within the town. There are also three unincorporat ...

. Her mother died when she was young, leaving her in the care of two

Puritan The Puritans were English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries who sought to purify the Church of England of Catholic Church, Roman Catholic practices, maintaining that the Church of England had not been fully reformed and should become m ...

grandmothers. They believed that free use of the rod was necessary to save the child's soul from destruction. This severe treatment taught her that the Golden Rule was by far the best maxim for morality and happiness, and no sooner was she in control of a home of her own in

Rochester, New York Rochester () is a City (New York), city in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, the county seat, seat of Monroe County, New York, Monroe County, and the fourth-most populous in the state after New York City, Buffalo, New York, Buffalo, ...

, than she began to teach the same, turning her home into a sort of Mecca for advance thinkers, not only in the US, but pilgrims came from Europe, Asia and Africa to confer with her. In 1882, in Rochester, she began publishing "The Occult World", a paper devoted to advanced thought and reform work. Her editorials focused on liberality, justice and mercy. She was at one time secretary of the

Theosophical Society The Theosophical Society, founded in 1875, is a worldwide body with the aim to advance the ideas of Theosophy in continuation of previous Theosophists, especially the Greek and Alexandrian Neo-Platonic philosophers dating back to 3rd century CE ...

of the U.S., and president of the Rochester Brotherhood. She lived an affluent lifestyle in

Aldrich, Alabama Aldrich is an Unincorporated area, unincorporated community in Shelby County, Alabama, Shelby County, Alabama, United States, that is now part of Montevallo, Alabama, Montevallo. History Coal was mined in the area around Aldrich beginning in 1839. ...

, a mining town named for her husband, William Aldrich, whom she married April 16, 1889. He supported his wife in all her work, and she, in turn, assisted him to carry out a plan of his, whereby persons accused of crime were defended before the court, at the public expense. She served as vice-president of the Woman's National Industrial League, and was one of the founders of the Woman's National University and School of Useful and Ornamental Arts. Aldrich (vice-president) was one of the four initial officers of the newly-established Woman's National Liberal Union, which included Matilda Joslyn Gage (president),

Mary Emily Bates Coues Mary Emily Bates Coues (, Bennett; after first marriage, Bates; after second marriage, Coues; August 26, 1835 – February 16, 1906) was an American suffragist and society woman of the long nineteenth century, committed to women's rights, spiritua ...

(secretary), and Aldrich's husband, William (treasurer). There were two adopted children in the family: Farrington, who died at age 19, and Josephine, who married Dr. Farley Winfield Harris. Aldrich died in 1917 in

Birmingham, Alabama Birmingham ( ) is a city in the north central region of the U.S. state of Alabama. Birmingham is the seat of Jefferson County, Alabama's most populous county. As of the 2021 census estimates, Birmingham had a population of 197,575, down 1% fr ...

, and is buried at

Rock Creek Cemetery Rock Creek Cemetery is an cemetery with a natural and rolling landscape located at Rock Creek Church Road, NW, and Webster Street, NW, off Hawaii Avenue, NE, in the Petworth neighborhood of Washington, D.C., United States. It is across the stree ...

Washington D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, Na ...

References

Attribution

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Bibliography

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Aldrich, Josephine 1843 births 1917 deaths American spiritual writers American Theosophists American editors American publishers (people) American women editors People from Litchfield, Connecticut Wikipedia articles incorporating text from A Woman of the Century Founders of universities Women founders Burials at Rock Creek Cemetery