THE WORLDS OF CATHOLIC LAYWOMEN IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY: BELIEF AND BEHAVIOR by Sandra Strohhofer Pryor A dissertation submitted to the Faculty of the University of Delaware in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in History Winter 2014 © 2014 Sandra Strohhofer Pryor All Rights Reserved UMI Number: 3617885 All rights reserved INFORMATION TO ALL USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. UMI 3617885 Published by ProQuest LLC (2014). Copyright in the Dissertation held by the Author. Microform Edition © ProQuest LLC. All rights reserved. This work is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code ProQuest LLC. 789 East Eisenhower Parkway P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, MI 48106 - 1346 THE WORLDS OF CATHOLIC LAYWOMEN IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY: BELIEF AND BEHAVIOR by Sandra Strohhofer Pryor Approved: ___________________________________________________ Arwen Mohun. Ph.D. Chairperson of the Department of History Approved: ___________________________________________________ George H. Watson, Ph.D. Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences Approved: ___________________________________________________ James G. Richards, Ph.D. Vice Provost for Research and Graduate Studies I certify that I have read this dissertation and that in my opinion it meets the academic and professional standard required by the University as a dissertation for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Signed: ___________________________________________________ Anne M. Boylan, Ph.D Professor in charge of dissertation I certify that I have read this dissertation and that in my opinion it meets the academic and professional standard required by the University as a dissertation for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Signed: _________________________________________________________ Christine Heyrman, Ph.D. Member of dissertation committee I certify that I have read this dissertation and that in my opinion it meets the academic and professional standard required by the University as a dissertation for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Signed: _________________________________________________________ Rebecca L. Davis, Ph.D. Member of dissertation committee I certify that I have read this dissertation and that in my opinion it meets the academic and professional standard required by the University as a dissertation for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Signed: _________________________________________________________ James P. McCartin, Ph.D. Member of dissertation committee ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The most rewarding and enjoyable aspect of writing a dissertation is the opportunity at the end of the long process to thank those without whose help the project would never have come to fruition. My greatest debt is to my advisor, Anne M. Boylan. From the beginning of the project to the final stages, she has been the best possible advisor, from offering suggestions on even the most unfocused drafts to helping me refine my writing and arguments, offering the ideal balance of encouragement and constructive criticism at every step of the way. With any other advisor, I doubt that I would have completed this degree. She epitomizes the ideal of the scholar-teacher. Of course, I am also very grateful to the other members of my dissertation committee. Christine Heyrman provided valuable suggestions from the earliest stages of the project; her comments encouraged me to focus on gender, identity, and respectability. As the dissertation neared completion, Rebecca L. Davis commented and critiqued my work in depth. Her time and effort enabled me to greatly refine my arguments and improve my writing in the final draft. My outside reader, James P. McCartin, generously offered his expertise in Catholic history and beliefs; I will be referring to his comments in the future. Sadly, Tamara Hareven, originally a member iv of my committee, did not live to see the dissertation completed, but the influence and example of her scholarship in family history, and her faith in me and in my work, continue to inspire. Through the long process of research and writing, members of my dissertation group provided valuable comments, criticisms, and suggestions: Jalynn Olsen Padilla, Marie Laberge, Adrienne Berney, Jan Davidson, Katina Manko, Katie Leonard- Turner, Bob Schoone-Jongen, Megan Jones, Hannah Kim, Hillary Murtha, and especially my dear friend Patricia Dockman Anderson. To our community of scholars, my deepest thanks. Outside of the group, I would like to thank others who read and commented on parts of this work in its various stages, especially Ann Kirschner, Carolyn J. Lawes, Jake Murray, and Joseph Mannard. I am greatly indebted to Jennifer Grindle Dolde, who generously shared her transcriptions of the letters of Julia Compton. Participants at conferences at the Society for the History of Childhood and Youth, the Interdisciplinary Nineteenth-Century Studies Association, the Society for the History of the Early Republic, and the Conference on the History of Women Religious gave me valuable comments and criticisms. The University of Delaware provided an ideal community for study and research, as well as generous financial support for which I am very grateful. In addition, I would like to thank the staff of the Department of History, especially Pat Orendorf, who welcomed me to the department, Diane Susan Clark, and Karen Kraul of Information Technology, who guided me through the use of formatting macros with v preternatural patience. I would also like to thank colleagues at Old Dominion University, especially Carolyn Lawes, Jane Merritt, Maura Hametz, and Michael Hucles, for their continued support. Librarians and archivists at the Library of Congress, Kent County Historical Society, the Maryland Historical Society, the Archdiocese of Baltimore, and Special Collections at the University of Delaware, were very patient and helpful. The Interlibrary Loan department at Old Dominion University processed my numerous requests quickly and efficiently and forgave my late fees. Finally, I would like to thank my friends and family, without whose support and encouragement this dissertation would never have been completed: Michelene Murawski, Anne Marie Landrineau, Annessa Babic, Elizabeth Hoag-Carhart, Catharyna Vail Britt, Kimberley Reed, Ruth Snow, Andrew Gold, Bill Sturman, Jake Murray, Meri Axinn, Anne Williams, Cate Crow, Shirley Haddad McGurr, Russell Scott Donda, Douglas Fredericks, Arielle Cunnea, Janet Dlugos, Lolen Wendy Daugherty, Lisa Carratini Rapp, May Britton, Carrie Newman, and others too numerous to mention. You know who you are, and you know that I love you all. My family has been an ongoing source of support and encouragement. My mother, Jane Strohhofer, helped ways too numerous to mention. Without her help caring for my daughter, I would not have attended graduate school. Over the long course of this project, my daughter Carla grew from listening to bedtime stories to sending me texts from the University of Miami encouraging me to keep working on vi the dissertation. My father, Anton Strohhofer, M.D., Ph.D., shared his love of history, philosophy, and literature, and read everything I ever wrote, from kindergarten through the dissertation prospectus. My greatest regret is that he did not live to see the completion of this project, but his faith that I would finish, and memories of the times we shared, sustained me through to the end. It is to my family that this dissertation is dedicated. vii TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT............................................................................................................... x INTRODUCTION...................................................................................................... 1 Chapter 1 “THE ALMIGHTY HAS SENT THEM TO ME””: RELIGION, BENEVOLENCE, AND GENDER IN ANTEBELLUM GEORGETOWN IN THE LETTERS OF JULIA COMPTON ...................... 12 “Ever Your Friend”: Julia as Teacher and Mentor ......................................... 19 “I Have Had Much Fatigue Both of Body and Mind”: Life as a Spinster Teacher ......................................................................................................... 24 “A League of Friendship”: The Laywoman and Visitation Nuns ................... 26 “My Little Girl”: Julia as Mother .................................................................. 32 “Remember Mr. Mate is Head of Your family”: Julia’s Ideas abut Courtship and Marriage ................................................................................ 40 “A Candidate for Heaven”: Raising Catholic Children .................................. 51 “A Most Lamentable State of Things”: Julia’s Criticisms of Protestantism ................................................................................................ 55 “The Homeless Being Must Have a Refuge”: Private Catholic Benevolence ................................................................................................. 58 “. [H]eaven Help wHis Preaching:” Church, Public Piety, and Sermons ........................................................................................................ 66 “Always Wear Your Medals”: Meanings of Julia’s Private Piety .................. 78 “How Wrong to Defer Our Preparation for Death” .......................................