Mary H. Graves (September 12, 1839 – December 5, 1908) was an American
Unitarian minister, literary editor, and writer of the
long nineteenth century
The ''long nineteenth century'' is a term for the 125-year period beginning with the onset of the French Revolution in 1789 and ending with the outbreak of World War I in 1914. It was coined by Russian writer Ilya Ehrenburg and British Marxist his ...
. After
Julia Ward Howe
Julia Ward Howe (; May 27, 1819 – October 17, 1910) was an American author and poet, known for writing the "Battle Hymn of the Republic" and the original 1870 pacifist Mother's Day Proclamation. She was also an advocate for abolitionism ...
, Graves was the second woman to be ordained within this
Christian theological
Christian theology is the theology of Christian belief and practice. Such study concentrates primarily upon the texts of the Old Testament and of the New Testament, as well as on Christian tradition. Christian theologians use biblical exeges ...
movement
Movement may refer to:
Common uses
* Movement (clockwork), the internal mechanism of a timepiece
* Motion, commonly referred to as movement
Arts, entertainment, and media
Literature
* "Movement" (short story), a short story by Nancy Fu ...
.
She aspired to the ministry, and studied under the guidance of Rev.
Olympia Brown
Olympia Brown (January 5, 1835 – October 23, 1926) was an American minister and suffragist. She was the first woman to be ordained as clergy with the consent of her denomination. Brown was also an articulate advocate for women's rights and one ...
of the
Universalist faith. She was ordained by
James Freeman Clarke
James Freeman Clarke (April 4, 1810 – June 8, 1888) was an American minister, theologian and author.
Biography
Born in Hanover, New Hampshire, on April 4, 1810, James Freeman Clarke was the son of Samuel Clarke and Rebecca Parker Hull, though h ...
as a Unitarian minister, and passed years in several pastorates, the earliest of which was at
Mansfield, Massachusetts
Mansfield is a town in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. As of the United States 2020 Census, the town population is 23,860. Mansfield is in the south-southwest suburbs of Boston and is also close to Providence, Rhode Island. The vill ...
. She preached with acceptance in various places in the west, in
Peoria, Illinois
Peoria ( ) is the county seat of Peoria County, Illinois, United States, and the largest city on the Illinois River. As of the United States Census, 2020, 2020 census, the city had a population of 113,150. It is the principal city of the Peoria ...
,
Earlville, Illinois
Earlville is a city in LaSalle County, Illinois, United States. The population was 1,613 at the 2020 census, down from 1,701 at the 2010 census. The city is part of the Ottawa, IL Micropolitan Statistical Area.
History
The Earlville Post Office h ...
, and
Manitou, Colorado. She also gave to friends valuable assistance in the education of their children. As the years wore on, her strength proved unequal to the arduous duties of the ministry, and her time was filled with literary work. She contributed occasionally to the pages of ''
The Christian Register
''UU World'' is a quarterly magazine published by the Unitarian Universalist Association. From 1821 to 1957, it was known as ''The Christian Register'', the leading American Unitarian weekly, published by the American Unitarian Association, Bosto ...
'', and other periodicals. With Julia Ward Howe, Graves edited a volume on the eminent women of New England, ''
Sketches of representative women of New England'' (1904).
Early life and education
Mary Hannah Graves was born in
North Reading, Massachusetts
North Reading (pronounced, as is with Reading as () is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 15,554 at the 2020 census.
History
The area was first settled in 1651 when the town of Reading received a special ...
, September 12, 1839. Her parents were Eben Graves, a farmer, and Hannah M. (Campbell) Graves. Her parents had six children who grew to maturity. The mother, who died May 21, 188i, was a sister of James S. and John B. Campbell. The father, Eben Graves, a lifelong resident of North Reading, was a farmer and market—man. Kind-hearted and a good friend to the poor, he was a man of few words. When his sudden death from
apoplexy
Apoplexy () is rupture of an internal organ and the accompanying symptoms. The term formerly referred to what is now called a stroke. Nowadays, health care professionals do not use the term, but instead specify the anatomic location of the bleedi ...
, January 2, 1872, was announced, that evening at the Farmers’ Club a spontaneous tribute was paid to his memory in the general utterance, "He was an honest man.” His father was Capt. Daniel Graves, a young soldier in the
Revolution
In political science, a revolution (Latin: ''revolutio'', "a turn around") is a fundamental and relatively sudden change in political power and political organization which occurs when the population revolts against the government, typically due ...
. The parish records show that the captain was a man of more than ordinary influence in the old North Precinct. He served two terms in the State legislature and in various town offices.
Her maternal ancestors, the Campbells and Moores, were descendants of the Scotch-Irish settlers of
Londonderry, New Hampshire
Londonderry is a town in western Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. It sits between Manchester and Derry, the largest and fourth-largest communities in the state. The population was 25,826 at the 2020 census. Londonderry is known ...
.
Graves attended the school in the “lower end" ward, afterwards a term at the
Abbot Academy
Abbot Academy (also known as Abbot Female Seminary and AA) was an University-preparatory school, independent boarding preparatory school for women boarding and day students in grades 9–12 from 1828 to 1973. Located in Andover, Massachusetts, Abb ...
at
Andover, Massachusetts
Andover is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. It was settled in 1642 and incorporated in 1646."Andover" in ''The New Encyclopædia Britannica''. Chicago: Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 15th ed., 1992, Vol. 1, p. 387. As of th ...
and graduated from the State Normal School (now
Salem State University
Salem State University (Salem State or SSU) is a public university in Salem, Massachusetts. Established in 1854, it is the oldest and largest institute of higher education on the North Shore and is part of the state university system in Massa ...
),
Salem, Massachusetts
Salem ( ) is a historic coastal city in Essex County, Massachusetts, located on the North Shore of Greater Boston. Continuous settlement by Europeans began in 1626 with English colonists. Salem would become one of the most significant seaports tr ...
, in February, 1860.
Career
Graves taught in the public schools of her own town and in the Bowditch School, South Danvers, now
Peabody, Massachusetts
Peabody () is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 54,481 at the time of the 2020 United States Census. Peabody is located in the North Shore region of Massachusetts, and is known for its rich industrial histo ...
. As a teacher she was thirty years ahead of her time. Her generous teaching included cultivating the imagination and the finer qualities of the mind through drawing, and reading, and botany. But this went unappreciated as parsing, ciphering, and the memorizing of map questions were the favored approached of the public schools in that. Failing to garner appreciation by school examiners, she left the teaching profession.
Like most of the thoughtful minds of her time, she sought intellectual gratification. She found it first in writing for the newspaper press, writing for ''
The Ladies' Repository
''The Ladies' Repository'' was a monthly periodical based in Cincinnati and produced by members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. From 1841 to 1876, the magazine devoted itself to literature, arts and doctrines of Methodism, containing articles, ...
'' and other journals.
Then she was led to the study of theology. Graves took a theological course of study under Rev. Olympia Brown in
Weymouth, Massachusetts ("To Work Is to Conquer")
, image_map = Norfolk County Massachusetts incorporated and unincorporated areas Weymouth highlighted.svg
, mapsize = 250px
, map_caption = Location in Norfolk County in Massa ...
. In the summer of 1869, she supplied the pulpit of the Universalist church in North Reading, and during the fall and winter, while studying in
Bridgeport, Connecticut
Bridgeport is the List of municipalities in Connecticut, most populous city and a major port in the U.S. state of Connecticut. With a population of 148,654 in 2020, it is also the List of cities by population in New England, fifth-most populous ...
, preached in New Haven and other places in that State. The summer of 1870 she spent in
Illinois
Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...
, preaching at Earlville, Illinois. Returning to Massachusetts in September, she was next invited to the pulpit of the Unitarian church in Mansfield, Massachusetts, and after an active ministry of over a year, on December 14, 1871, was regularly ordained as its pastor of the Unitarian Church in Mansfield. This was the first instance of the ordination of a woman by Unitarians in the State. A large council, representing many different churches convened for this purpose, took unusual care in examining the action of the parish and the preparation of the candidate.
Graves' health was never vigorous, and this affected her ability for continuous pastoral work after her placement in Mansfield. However, in 1882, she had pastoral charge of the Unitarian Society in
Baraboo, Wisconsin
Baraboo is a city in the Midwest and the county seat of Sauk County, Wisconsin, United States. The largest city in the county, Baraboo is the principal city of the Baraboo Micropolitan Statistical Area. Its 2020 population was 12,556. It is situ ...
, and she managed some missionary work in the West, mainly in Illinois and adjoining States.
In 1885 and 1886, while living in
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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, coordinates =
, coordinates_footnotes =
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name ...
, she assisted in the conduct of ''Manford's Magazine'', acting as literary editor. For one year, she was secretary of the Women's Western Unitarian Conference. Recognizing that her strength was not sufficient to allow her to do the full work of the ministry, Graves moved to
Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
, and devoted herself to literary work. She contributed occasionally to ''The Christian Register'', the ''Commonwealth'', the ''
Boston Transcript
The ''Boston Evening Transcript'' was a daily afternoon newspaper in Boston, Massachusetts, published from July 24, 1830, to April 30, 1941.
Beginnings
''The Transcript'' was founded in 1830 by Henry Dutton and James Wentworth of the firm of D ...
'', the ''Leader'', and other journals. She also took great interest in the
genealogy
Genealogy () is the study of families, family history, and the tracing of their lineages. Genealogists use oral interviews, historical records, genetic analysis, and other records to obtain information about a family and to demonstrate kins ...
of New Zealand, and her efforts helped many families.
Death
Graves died December 5, 1908, in Boston, and was buried at Riverside Cemetery in North Reading.
References
Attribution
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Bibliography
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External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Graves, Mary H.
1839 births
1908 deaths
19th-century Christian universalists
20th-century Christian universalists
19th-century American writers
19th-century American women writers
20th-century American writers
20th-century American women writers
19th-century American clergy
People from North Reading, Massachusetts
Salem State University alumni
Clergy of the Universalist Church of America
Literary editors
American magazine editors
Women magazine editors
Abbot Academy alumni
Wikipedia articles incorporating text from A Woman of the Century