Abbie M. Gannett, "A Woman of the Century"

Abbie M. Gannett (July 8, 1845 – March 22, 1895) was an essayist, poet and philanthropist, author of the poem "Tis Love That Makes the World Go Round".

Early life

Abbie M. Gannett was born in North Brookfield, Massachusetts, on July 8, 1845. Her girlhood was passed in that town. Her love for the country and her early associations is shown in her dainty volume of poems, The Old Farm Home (Boston, 1888). [1]

Career

Gannett taught school for a few years in Massachusetts, Michigan, and St. Louis, Missouri. [1]

She was well known in the women's clubs as a reader of thoughtful essays on current themes. She tilled the Unitarian pulpit on a few occasions and served on the Maiden school board. Her essays, poems, sketches and stories had a wide publication, many of them appearing in the leading magazines and periodicals. [1]

She was deeply interested in the welfare of women and their higher education. Her paper on The Intellectuality of Women, printed in the International Review, excited wide comment. [1]

She espoused the cause of the neglected Anna Ella Carroll with enthusiasm. By a series of articles in the Boston Transcript and other papers she did as much as any one woman to bring her case to public notice. She joined the Woman's Relief Corps and attended the Grand Army of the Republic encampment in Minneapolis to advocate that lady's cause. She won recognition for her and was appointed chairman of a national relief committee to raise funds for Carroll. The effort was successful. Not content with that, Gannett visited Washington and argued Carroll's case before the military committees of both Senate and House. [1]

Personal life

Abbie M. Gannett became the wife of Captain Wyllys Gannett, a nephew of the Unitarian clergyman of Boston, and himself a writer of sketches of travel and sea stories. Captain Gannett served through the Civil War in the 24th Massachusetts and the 55th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment. After living a few years in St. Louis, the Gannetts went to Boston, where they made their home for a short time. For many years they lived in Malden, Massachusetts. They had three children. [1]

She died on March 22, 1895, in Malden. [2]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Willard, Frances Elizabeth, 1839-1898; Livermore, Mary Ashton Rice, 1820-1905 (1893). "Abbie M. Gannett". A woman of the century; fourteen hundred-seventy biographical sketches accompanied by portraits of leading American women in all walks of life. Buffalo, N.Y., Moulton. p. 312. Retrieved 8 August 2017.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  2. ↑ "Saturday, March 23, 1895". Logansport Pharos-Tribune. Retrieved 26 August 2017.
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