Abby Hopper Gibbons Papers RG5.174 FHL staff. Last updated on July 21, 2021. Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College Abby Hopper Gibbons Papers Table of Contents Summary Information....................................................................................................................................3 Biography/History..........................................................................................................................................4 Scope and Contents....................................................................................................................................... 5 Arrangement...................................................................................................................................................6 Administrative Information........................................................................................................................... 6 Related Materials........................................................................................................................................... 7 Controlled Access Headings..........................................................................................................................7 General........................................................................................................................................................... 8 Collection Inventory...................................................................................................................................... 9 Series 1. Abigail Hopper Gibbons (1801-1893) correspondence, 1811-1893........................................ 9 Series 2. James Sloan Gibbons (1810-1892) correspondence, 1834-1886......................................... 364 Series 3. Sarah (Sally) Hopper Gibbons Emerson (1835-1918) correspondence, 1850-1903.............382 Series 4. Julia Gibbons (1837-1889) correspondence, 1840-1885......................................................400 Series 5. Lucy Gibbons Morse (1839-1936) correspondence, 1889-1929..........................................417 Series 6. William Gibbons (1834-1855) correspondence, 1850-1855................................................ 427 Series 7. Isaac Tatem Hopper (1771-1852) correspondence, 1831-1904........................................... 428 Series 8. Miscellaneous, 1864-1992....................................................................................................434 - Page 2 - Abby Hopper Gibbons Papers Summary Information Repository Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College Creator Gibbons, Abby Hopper, 1801-1893 Creator New York Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (Hicksite: 1828-1955) Creator Women's Prison Association of New York Creator Hopper, Isaac T. (Isaac Tatem), 1771-1852 Creator Morse, Lucy Gibbons, 1839-1936. Creator Gibbons, J. S. (James Sloan), 1810-1892 Creator Child, Lydia Maria Francis, 1802-1880 Creator Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919 Creator Choate, Joseph Hodges, 1832-1917. Creator Emerson, Sarah Hopper, 1835- Creator Isaac T. Hopper Home Title Abby Hopper Gibbons Papers Call number RG5.174 Date [inclusive] 1824-1992 [bulk 1850-1892] - Page 3 - Abby Hopper Gibbons Papers Extent 2.5 linear feet (5 boxes) Location For current information on the location of materials, please consult the Library's online catalog Language English . Abstract Abby Hopper Gibbons (1801-1893), daughter of Isaac T. Hopper (1771-1852), was an important figure in many of the reform movements of the mid- and late nineteenth centuries, especially abolition and her work with the Women's Prison Association and Isaac T. Hopper Home. In 1833, she married fellow Hicksite Quaker, James Sloan Gibbons (1810-1892), a member of the New York Yearly Meeting of Friends. Her daughter, Sarah Hopper Emerson, used some of this material as a basis for her 1897 biography of Abby Hopper Gibbons. The collection contains about 1,680 ALsS and related materials. Of particular note is the correspondence sent and received by Abby Hopper Gibbons, including family letters and and related to her work to assist Union Soldiers during the Civil War. Also includes letters from Union soldiers, prominent Americans such as Theodore Roosevelt, Joseph Choate, and Lydia Maria Child, and correspondence reflecting Quaker family life and concerns. Cite as: [Indicate the cited item or series here], RG5/ 174, Abby Hopper Gibbons Papers, Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College Biography/History Abigail Hopper Gibbons (1801-1893) was an important figure in many of the reform movements in the middle and late nineteenth century. Like her father, Isaac T. Hopper (1771-1852), "Abby" Gibbons was - Page 4 - Abby Hopper Gibbons Papers an ardent abolitionist and dedicated to prison reform. She served as a Civil War nurse and visited army camps in that period and also was a welfare worker. After the War, she established a "Labor and Aid Society" to provide work for returning veterans. Abby Hopper Gibbons was one of the founders of the Women's Prison Association and The Isaac T. Hopper Home in New York City, which was established to aid former prisoners' return to society. Many of the leading reformers of the day were entertained in her New York City home; the house was destroyed by a mob during the 1863 draft riots. Abigail Hopper Gibbons was born in Philadelphia in 1801, the third of ten children. In 1833, she married fellow Quaker, James Sloan Gibbons, in New York City. Both before and after her marriage, she directed Quaker schools. Like her father and her husband, she was deeply committed to anti-slavery concerns. After they were disowned by the New York Monthly Meeting (Hicksite) in 1841 for their writing and testimonies against slavery, the following year she resigned her membership, along with her four minor children. Nonetheless, the family remained "Quakerly" in worship and life-style. Abigail and James Gibbons had six children. Two boys died in infancy, and a third son died suddenly after an accident while a student at Harvard. Many of the letters in the collection reflect the concerns of family life. Abigail Hopper Gibbons remained active in reform concerns into old age, and in her later years dressed dolls in Quaker dress to present to quarantined and hospitalized children. Some of the correspondence in this collection were published in abbreviated form in 1897 for a biography, The Life of Abby Hopper Gibbons, Told Chiefly through her Correspondence, edited by her daughter, Sarah Hopper Emerson. T The bulk of the correspondence concerns the Civil War years, and Abigail Hopper Gibbons's work to assist Union officers. The collection consists of about 1,680 letters and related material, primarily letters to and from Abigail Hopper Gibbons, but also including correspondence of her husband and other family members. From the Civil War years, there are many letters from Union soldiers. The collection offers a valuable resource to scholars of nineteenth century reform movements. Included are letters from prominent figures including Theodore Roosevelt, Lydia Maria Child, and Joseph H. Choate. Scope and Contents The collection contains about 1,680 ALsS and related materials. Of particular note is the correspondence sent and received by Abby Hopper Gibbons, including family letters and and related to her work to assist Union Soldiers during the Civil War. Also includes letters from Union soldiers, prominent Americans such as Theodore Roosevelt, Joseph Choate, and Lydia Maria Child, and correspondence reflecting Quaker family life and concerns. - Page 5 - Abby Hopper Gibbons Papers Arrangement The collection is divided by primary correspondent into eight series: 1. Abigail Hopper Gibbons (1801-1893) 2. James Sloan Gibbons (1810-1892) 3. Sarah (Sally) Hopper Gibbons Emerson (1835-1918) 4. Julia Gibbons (1837-1889) 5. Lucy Gibbons Morse (1839-1936) 6. William Gibbons (1834-1855) 7. Isaac Tatem Hopper (1771-1852) 8. Miscellaneous Administrative Information Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College FHL staff. Access Restrictions Collection is open for research. Access Restrictions Note that the bulk of the correspondence to and from Abby Hopper Gibbons has been digitized and is available in our Digital Library. Explore this collection online. Use Restrictions Some of the items in this collection may be protected by copyright. The user is solely responsible for making a final determination of copyright status. If copyright protection applies, permission must be obtained from the copyright holder or their heirs/assigns to reuse, publish, or reproduce relevant items beyond the bounds of Fair Use or other exemptions to the law. See http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/ UND/1.0/. Immediate Source of Acquisition Accession information - Page 6 - Abby Hopper Gibbons Papers Donor: James M. Dunning, Sarah Dunning Schear, and Frances Dunning Beebe, 1987, 1993; Accession number: 90-001.13 and 93.21 The collection was given by Mrs. Gibbons's great-grandchildren. It had descended through her daughter, Lucy Gibbons Morse, and grand-daughter, Rose Morse Dunning. One of the donors, Sarah Dunning Schear was a graduate of Swarthmore College, Class of 1934. Processing Information Collection of about 1,680 letters given to FHL, originally sorted into five boxes, divided roughly into categories of General Family letters, Civil War events, Civil War time span, and prominent correspondents. (Sarah Hopper Emerson's biography of her mother, Life of Abby Hopper Gibbons, told chiefly