Eliza Farnham (November 17, 1815 – December 15, 1864) was a 19th-century American novelist, feminist,

abolitionist Abolitionism, or the abolitionist movement, is the movement to end slavery. In Western Europe and the Americas, abolitionism was a historic movement that sought to end the Atlantic slave trade and liberate the enslaved people. The British ...

, and activist for

prison reform Prison reform is the attempt to improve conditions inside prisons, improve the effectiveness of a penal system, or implement alternatives to incarceration. It also focuses on ensuring the reinstatement of those whose lives are impacted by crim ...

Biography

She was born in

Rensselaerville, New York Rensselaerville () is a town in Albany County, New York, United States. The population was 1,826 at the 2020 census. The town is named after Stephen Van Rensselaer. History Rensselaerville was once part of the Manor of Rensselaerswyck; as suc ...

. She moved to

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Roc ...

in 1835, and there married Thomas J. Farnham in 1836, but returned to New York in 1841. In 1843 she wrote a series of articles for ''

Brother Jonathan Brother Jonathan is the personification of New England. He was also used as an emblem of the U.S. in general, and can be an allegory of capitalism. His too-short pants, too-tight waistcoat and old-fashioned style reflect his taste for inexpen ...

'' refuting

John Neal John Neal may refer to: * John Neal (writer) (1793–1876), American writer, critic, and activist * John R. Neal (1836–1889), American politician * John Randolph Neal Jr. (1876–1959), American lawyer * John Neal (politician) (1889–1962), Br ...

's call for

women's suffrage Women's suffrage is the women's rights, right of women to Suffrage, 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 gran ...

in that same newspaper, though Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony wrote in 1887 that "Mrs. Farnham lived long enough to retrace her ground and accept the highest truth." In 1844, through the influence of

Horace Greeley Horace Greeley (February 3, 1811 – November 29, 1872) was an American newspaper editor and publisher who was the founder and editor of the '' New-York Tribune''. Long active in politics, he served briefly as a congressman from New York, ...

and other reformers, she was appointed matron of the women's ward at

Sing Sing Prison Sing Sing Correctional Facility, formerly Ossining Correctional Facility, is a maximum-security prison operated by the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision in the village of Ossining, New York. It is about north ...

. She strongly believed in the use of

phrenology Phrenology () is a pseudoscience which involves the measurement of bumps on the skull to predict mental traits.Wihe, J. V. (2002). "Science and Pseudoscience: A Primer in Critical Thinking." In ''Encyclopedia of Pseudoscience'', pp. 195–203. C ...

to treat prisoners. Farnham was influential in changing the types of reading materials available to women prisoners. The purpose of her choices was not entertainment but improving behavior. She also advocated using music and kindness in the rehabilitation of female prisoners. Farnham retained the office of matron until 1848 when, amid controversy over her choices and beliefs, she resigned in 1848. She then moved to

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the capital city, state capital and List of municipalities in Massachusetts, most populous city of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financ ...

, and was for several months connected with the management of the Institution for the Blind. In 1849 she travelled to California with her two sons, having inherited property there, and remained there until 1856, when she returned to New York. For the two years following, she devoted herself to the study of medicine, and in 1859 organized a society to assist destitute women in finding homes in the west, taking charge in person of several companies of this class of emigrants. She subsequently returned to California. She died from

consumption Consumption may refer to: *Resource consumption *Tuberculosis, an infectious disease, historically * Consumption (ecology), receipt of energy by consuming other organisms * Consumption (economics), the purchasing of newly produced goods for curre ...

in New York City at the age of 49. She was an atheist.Knepper, Paul. Writing the History of Crime. London: Bloomsbury Academic, an Imprint of Bloomsbury Plc, 2016. Print. "...like Eliza Farnham: atheist, phrenologist..."

Publications

*''Life in the Prairie Land'', 1846 - An account of life on the Illinois prairie near Pekin between 1836 and 1840. *''California, In-doors and Out'', 1856 - A chronicle of her experiences and observations on California. *''My Early Days'', 1859 - An autobiographical novel. *''Woman and Her Era'', 1864 - "Organic, religious, esthetic, and historical" arguments for woman's inherent superiority. * ''The Ideal Attained'', 1865 - The heroine molds the hero into a worthy mate.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Farnham, Eliza 1815 births 1864 deaths American abolitionists American feminist writers 19th-century American memoirists 19th-century American novelists American pioneers Novelists from New York (state) Activists from California Writers from California Novelists from Illinois People from Tazewell County, Illinois Phrenologists Prison reformers American women novelists People from Rensselaerville, New York American women memoirists 19th-century American women writers Activists from New York (state)

Biography

Publications

References

Further reading

External links