Dorothea Abrahams (c. 1779 – February 6, 1853) was a philanthropist from the West Indies who left funds in her will to open the Abrahams Home for Indigent Widows of Savannah in

Savannah, Georgia Savannah ( ) is the oldest city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia and the county seat of Chatham County, Georgia, Chatham County. Established in 1733 on the Savannah River, the city of Savannah became the Kingdom of Great Brita ...

, United States.

Life and career

Abrahams was born on Anastasia, West Indies, in 1779. A visitor to the island from

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

brought Dorothea home with her. At school in Philadelphia, one of her classmates was

Dolley Madison Dolley Todd Madison (née Payne; May 20, 1768 – July 12, 1849) was the wife of James Madison, the fourth president of the United States from 1809 to 1817. She was noted for holding Washington social functions in which she invited members of b ...

, future

First Lady of the United States First Lady of the United States (FLOTUS) is a title typically held by the wife of the president of the United States, concurrent with the president's term in office. Although the first lady's role has never been Code of law, codified or offici ...

.''Research Project on Dorothea Abrahams'', Julia A. Powers,

Armstrong State University Armstrong may refer to: Places * Armstrong Creek (disambiguation), various places * Armstrong River (disambiguation), various rivers Antarctica * Armstrong Reef, Biscoe Islands Argentina * Armstrong, Santa Fe Australia * Armstrong, Victor ...

(1984) She became friends with a girl, last name Pooler, who was from

. Abrahams accepted Pooler's invitation to come visit her for a while, and it was there that she met and married Captain Abraham De Lyon Abrahams in 1803. They lived on Broughton Street. A Jew, the captain was a member of the

Congregation Mickve Israel Congregation Mickve Israel (transliterated from Hebrew language, Hebrew as "Congregation for the Hope of Israel") is a Reform Judaism, Reform Jewish congregation and synagogue located at 20 East Gordon Street, Monterey Square (Savannah, Georgia) ...

in Savannah's Monterey Square. In 1808, the couple moved to Washington, D.C.

James Madison James Madison (June 28, 1836) was an American statesman, diplomat, and Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father who served as the fourth president of the United States from 1809 to 1817. Madison was popularly acclaimed as the ...

had just become president, and Dorothea's childhood friendship with Madison's wife seemingly earned Abraham employment under the president. The Abrahamses returned to Savannah in 1826. Four years later, their household consisted of eleven people: Abraham, Dorothea, six male slaves and three female slaves. Captain Abrahams died in 1844, aged 71, of

apoplexy Apoplexy () refers to the rupture of an internal organ and the associated symptoms. Informally or metaphorically, the term ''apoplexy'' is associated with being furious, especially as "apoplectic". Historically, it described what is now known as a ...

. Five years later, Dorothea was living at 179 Broughton Street in Savannah. In 1852, she bought a 12-year-old "

mulatto ( , ) is a Race (human categorization), racial classification that refers to people of mixed Sub-Saharan African, African and Ethnic groups in Europe, European ancestry only. When speaking or writing about a singular woman in English, the ...

girl" from George Wylly.

Death and legacy

Abrahams died on February 6, 1853, aged 72 or 73, from

dropsy Edema (American English), also spelled oedema (British English), and also known as fluid retention, swelling, dropsy and hydropsy, is the build-up of fluid in the body's tissue. Most commonly, the legs or arms are affected. Symptoms may inclu ...

. She was interred in Savannah's

Laurel Grove Cemetery Laurel Grove Cemetery is a cemetery located in midtown Savannah, Georgia. It includes the original cemetery for white people (now known as Laurel Grove North) and a companion burial ground (called Laurel Grove South) that was reserved for slaves ...

. Her husband, whom she survived by nine years, was buried in Mordecai Sheftall Cemetery. In her will, she left funds to establish the Abrahams Home for Indigent Widows of Savannah. Lots 31 and 34 on Broughton Street, at its intersection with East Broad Street, were set aside to build the three-storey home. Its cornerstone was laid on July 3, 1856.

John S. Norris John S. Norris (1804 – July 25, 1876) was an American architect. He was born and raised in New York City, where he began his career as a mason. He advanced to being a builder and eventually listed himself in the telephone directory as an archi ...

was its architect. In the 1980s, the home was occupied by women of advanced age who were in good health and could care for themselves. They paid rent on a sliding scale according to their income. In 2022, the fund started by Abrahams had become a $2 million endowment.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Abrahams, Dorothea 1770s births 1853 deaths Burials at Laurel Grove Cemetery People from the British West Indies People from Savannah, Georgia 19th-century American philanthropists 19th-century American women Deaths from edema