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

spiritualist Spiritualism may refer to: * Spiritual church movement, a group of Spiritualist churches and denominations historically based in the African-American community * Spiritualism (beliefs), a metaphysical belief that the world is made up of at least ...

Theosophist Theosophy is a religious movement established in the United States in the late 19th century. Founded primarily by the Russian Helena Blavatsky and based largely on her writings, it draws heavily from both older European philosophies such as Neo ...

, 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 so ...

Connecticut Connecticut ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...

. Married to the politician, William F. Aldrich, she was the editor of '' The Occult World'' and the publisher of

Matilda Joslyn Gage Matilda Joslyn Gage ( Joslyn; 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, but also campaigned for Native American rights, aboli ...

'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 town is part of the Northwest Hills Planning Region. The boroughs of Bantam and Litchfield are ...

. 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 rid the Church of England of what they considered to be Roman Catholic practices, maintaining that the Church of England had not been fully reformed and should b ...

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 The Golden Rule is the principle of treating others as one would want to be treated by them. It is sometimes called an ethics of reciprocity, meaning that one should reciprocate to others how one would like them to treat the person (not neces ...

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 in and the county seat, seat of government of Monroe County, New York, United States. It is the List of municipalities in New York, fourth-most populous city and 10th most-populated municipality in New York, with a populati ...

, 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 is the organizational body of Theosophy, an esoteric new religious movement. It was founded in New York City, U.S.A. in 1875. Among its founders were Helena Blavatsky, a Russian mystic and the principal thinker of the ...

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 183 ...

, 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 Women's suffrage in the United States, suffragist and society woman of the long nineteenth centur ...

(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 Alabama, United States. It is the county seat of Jefferson County, Alabama, Jefferson County. The population was 200,733 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List ...

, 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 (Washington, D.C.), Petworth neighborhood of Washington, D.C., across ...

Washington D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

References

Attribution

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Bibliography

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Aldrich, Josephine 1843 births 1917 deaths American spiritual writers American Theosophists American editors 19th-century American publishers (people) American women editors People from Litchfield, Connecticut Wikipedia articles incorporating text from A Woman of the Century American women founders American founders Burials at Rock Creek Cemetery University and college founders