Abba Goddard (July 20, 1819 - November 26, 1873) (also A. A. G., A. A. Goddard, A. G. A.) was a 19th-century New England woman best known for her work as an editor and author as well as for her role as a nurse during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...

''Lowell Offering''

In 1834, Goddard moved to

Lowell, Massachusetts Lowell () is a city in Massachusetts, in the United States. Alongside Cambridge, It is one of two traditional seats of Middlesex County. With an estimated population of 115,554 in 2020, it was the fifth most populous city in Massachusetts as of ...

with her family Samuel Brigham Goddard (1793-1852) and Hannah Skiff (1794-1851). Samuel Goddard was a machinist and Superintendent at the Lowell Machine Shop

Saco-Lowell Shops The Saco-Lowell Shops (later Saco-Lowell Corporation) was once one of the largest textile machine manufacturers in the United States. It was formed in 1912 with a merger between the Lowell Machine Shop with the Saco-Pettee Machine Company. At i ...

. In series 2 Volume 5 of the ''Offering'', published in 1845, a list of authors compiled by contributor

Harriet Hanson Robinson Harriet Jane Hanson Robinson (February 8, 1825 – December 22, 1911) worked as a bobbin doffer in a Massachusetts cotton mill and was involved in a turnout, became a poet and author, and played an important role in the women's suffrage movement i ...

features Goddard along with two of her pen names (A. A. G. and A. G. A.). A similar list is found in Robinson's book ''Massachusetts in the Woman Suffrage Movement: A General, Political, Legal and Legislative History from 1774, to 1881'' regarding

women's suffrage Women's suffrage is the right of women to vote in elections. Beginning in the start of the 18th century, some people sought to change voting laws to allow women to vote. Liberal political parties would go on to grant women the right to vot ...

in Massachusetts. The works featured in the ''Offering'' covered a broad range of topics; it was widely read by many of the Lowell Mill Girls.

''The Trojan Sketchbook''

In 1846, Abba Goddard contributed to a compilation of poetry, essays, and short stories titled ''The Trojan Sketchbook'', written by citizens of

Troy, New York Troy is a city in the U.S. state of New York and the county seat of Rensselaer County. The city is located on the western edge of Rensselaer County and on the eastern bank of the Hudson River. Troy has close ties to the nearby cities of Albany ...

, and published by Young and Hartt. It describes the history of the city and nearby areas, as told by its citizens. Goddard was both the editor of the collection and the author of an essay titled "Legend of the Poestenkill," referencing the neighboring town of Poestenkill, New York. "Legend of the Poestenkill" tells the story of the relationship between the Mohawk people who are indigenous to Poestenkill, New York and the

Dutch people The Dutch ( Dutch: ) are an ethnic group and nation native to the Netherlands. They share a common history and culture and speak the Dutch language. Dutch people and their descendants are found in migrant communities worldwide, notably in Aru ...

who settled there. The tale begins with the Dutch settlers creating a new settlement farther up the

Hudson River The Hudson River is a river that flows from north to south primarily through eastern New York. It originates in the Adirondack Mountains of Upstate New York and flows southward through the Hudson Valley to the New York Harbor between N ...

. The white settlers and the native people develop an amicable relationship and coexist peacefully in the region. A Mohawk man named Dekanisora develops feelings for a Dutch woman named Elsie Vaughn, who is described as being "too good to excite the envy of her own sex, and too beautiful to be overlooked, or neglected, by the other." When Dekanisora professes his love, he is rejected, but still harbors his feelings in secrecy. One day, Elsie goes on a walk and Dekanisora follows her; when Elsie falls asleep and is attacked by a vicious serpent, Dekanisora saves her life. Once again, he professes his love to her, promising that she can become the queen of the Mohawk people. Repulsed by his behavior, Elsie throws herself from a cliff and dies and her body is discovered many years later by vacationing men.

Civil War

During the

, Goddard aided her country by writing about the war and serving as a nurse for wounded soldiers. She lived in

Portland, Maine Portland is the largest city in the U.S. state of Maine and the seat of Cumberland County. Portland's population was 68,408 in April 2020. The Greater Portland metropolitan area is home to over half a million people, the 104th-largest metropo ...

during this period and wrote for its newspaper, informing citizens of the soldiers' situations. She encouraged them to take initiative and support the troops in whatever way they could. Taking her own advice to heart, Goddard travelled over 600 miles so she could aid the soldiers from

, who were a part of the

10th Maine Volunteer Infantry Regiment The 10th Maine Infantry Regiment was mustered in for two years of service at Portland, Maine, on October 4, 1861, by then-Major Seth Eastman. It was mustered out on May 8, 1863, also at Portland. The regimental commander was Colonel George Lafayet ...

. She knew that there would be many wounded and dying men who would direly need her assistance. She had much sympathy for these soldiers, many of whom were living in miserable conditions if they were not wounded or killed. She helped gather donations for the soldiers and served as a volunteer female nurse along with many other civilian nurses and volunteers.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Goddard, Abba 1819 births 1873 deaths American Civil War nurses American women nurses American editors 19th-century American non-fiction writers 19th-century American women writers

''Lowell Offering''

''The Trojan Sketchbook''

Civil War

See also

References