NOTABLE WOMEN IN THE HISTORY OF BURLINGTON COUNTY
AN ILLUSTRATED LECTURE BY JOSEPH M. LAUFER
In 1994, Burlington County, New
Jersey,
celebrated its tercentenary – three-hundred years of rich contributions to the
fabric of New
Jersey and the
American dream. To many, Burlington County merits the title “Cradle of American Liberty” for the
same reasons that Philadelphia earned it, because the same ingredients flavored its
birth, growth and expansion over the years.
The only difference is that Burlington County happened to be on the wrong side of the Delaware River to obtain the recognition.
Interestingly, Burlington
County was the home of several notable women who not only made contributions
locally, but who have earned national reputations for movements that have
impacted the culture and the lives of people of all periods, religions, genders
and races. Their contributions parallel
the rich history of Burlington County from the movement for independence, through the Civil
War and on through World Wars I and II into the modern period.
This slide-lecture, created
by Burlington County Historian Joseph M. Laufer as a spin-off from his
Burlington County Tercentenary slide-lecture presentations delivered throughout
1993 and 1994, focuses primarily on the lives of six women who once lived in Burlington County. With the help
of local historians and educators, Mr. Laufer has gathered little-known
information about the six notable women and woven their stories into a unified
and informative program.
Never-before-seen photos reflecting the events in the lives of these
women have been collected into a visually stimulating and historically accurate
account of their contributions to the local community and larger society.
The following women are
highlighted in this stimulating program:
Patience Lovell Wright –
1725-1786
A
resident of Bordentown, NJ, Patience Wright was a highly respected American Wax
Sculpture Artist, a friend of Benjamin Franklin and other Revolutionary-period
patriots, and a spy in George III’s London.
Indian Ann Roberts – 1805-1894
A
resident of Shamong, NJ, Indian Ann Roberts became a legend in Burlington County for her unusual lifestyle and her creative talent as a
basket weaver and as the last of the Delawares in Burlington County.
Clara Harlowe
Barton – 1821-1912
Best
known as the foundress of the American Red Cross,
Clara Barton resided in Bordentown, NJ for a brief period and founded the first free school
in New Jersey at Bordentown in 1852
Mary Irick
Drexel – 1868-1948
A
Vincentown, NJ native, Mary Stretch Irick married
George W. Childs Drexel, the youngest son of Anthony Drexel of the famous
Philadelphia banking family. Patroness
of the arts and Director of the Philadelphia Red Cross, she presented her home
town of Vincentown with its very own Library, in memory of her mother.
Elizabeth Coleman White –
1871-1954
A
resident of New Lisbon and Whitesbog, NJ, Elizabeth
White’s foresight and efforts led to the development and marketing of the
cultivated blueberry. A gifted
agriculturist, she also created a nursery in which she cultivated and marketed
hollies and other ornamental plants.
Alice
Stokes Paul – 1885-1977
Alice
Paul, born in Mount
Laurel, NJ, a feminist, suffragist and political strategist, was
the architect of some of the most outstanding political achievements on behalf
of women in the 20th century.
Author of the Equal Rights Amendment in 1923, she had founded the
National Woman’s Party in 1913 and was a firm advocate of women’s suffrage, having
been jailed for her civil disobedience during the Wilson administration.
Joseph M.
Laufer, 9 Smith Ct., Vincentown, NJ 08088 – 609-859-4042 Fax:
609-859-1746
E-mail: [email protected]
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Joseph M. Laufer was appointed Burlington County Historian in 2003. He
retired in 1997 after 27 years as an administrator and faculty member at Burlington County College. He currently serves as
Director of Alumni Affairs for the Lenape Regional High School District. He is also President
of the H. B. Smith Industrial Village Conservancy at Smithville Park in Eastampton and is a member of the Advisory Board of the
Burlington County Department of Cultural and Heritage Affairs and the
Burlington County Historical Society.
A native of Wilkes-Barre, PA and father of 4, he resides in Vincentown where he is an
elected Southampton Township Committeeman serving in his third 3-year term.
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