Jane Eliza Newton
She served in the Civil war as a nurse along with her daughters Abby Howland Woolsey', Georgeanna Muirson Woolsey Bacon, and Jane Stuart Woolsey, Mary Elizabeth Woolsey Howland.
Parents:
Spouse and Children:
On the night of 13 Jan 1840, Jane's husband Charles was on the steamer Lexington returning to Boston when the smokestack ignited, spread to the 150 bales of cotton onboard, and the steamer burst into flames killing all but four onboard. This horrific tragedy caused Jane to take stock of the family's situation and make plans to relocate nearer to family in New York. She was the mother of seven young daughters and was expecting her eighth child.
In 1840 and 1850, Jane (transcribed as Eliza J) was the head of household due to the death of her husband early in 1840. The family was living in New York City. The 1840 Census shows 1 male under 5, and 11 females: 3 under 5, 3 from 5-9, 1 from 10-14, 2 from 15-19, 1 from 20-29, 1 from 30-39, and the 1850 Census details are in the table below. Both appear to include servants.[1][2]
Household | Role | Sex | Age | Birthplace | Occupation |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Jane E Woolsey | head | F | 48 | Virginia | |
Abby H Woolsey | F | 22 | Virginia | ||
Jane S Woolsey | F | 20 | New York | ||
Mary E Woolsey | F | 18 | England | ||
Georgianna M Woolsey | F | 16 | New York | ||
Eliza M Woolsey | F | 15 | Massachusetts | ||
Harriet R Woolsey | F | 13 | Massachusetts | ||
Chas W Woolsey | M | 10 | Massachusetts | ||
Mary R Adams | F | 50 | Virginia | ||
Ellen Mooney | F | 23 | Ireland | ||
Martha Moran | F | 22 | Ireland | ||
Mary J Taylor | F | 23 | Ireland |
The New York City directory for 1856-1858 shows Jane as widowed and living at 127 Tenth street. [3]
Having witnessed slave auctions, Jane vowed to fight slavery and raised her children to fight it as well. In the Civil War, four of her daughters served as nurses for the Sanitary Commission, only son Charles served as 2nd Lieutenant in the 164th New York Infantry, and the rest of her children dedicated their time to war relief. Five of the daughters became published author: Jane, Abigail, Mary and Georgeanna.
Jane supported her daughters' desire to become war zone hospital nurses, but required that at least two Woolsey ladies would serve together – mother and daughter team or sister teams. She and Georgeanna went to Gettysburg immediately after the battle, at first believing that Charles had been wounded, and then upon learning he was not, remained and were responsible for establishing and overseeing a Sanitary Commission camp near the railroad station at the edge of the battlefield.
Mother and daughter oversaw the pitching of tents, cooking of food, distribution of medicine and provided skilled medical nursing for the sick and wounded men. Jane began to be called "Mother", partly in gratitude for her spirit and caring approach toward each. She listened to the men's stories, comforted them, fed them and distributed clothing. According to Georgeanna's "Three Weeks at Gettysburg", she estimated that nearly each of the 16,000 soldiers who left Gettysburg stopped for at least a meal at their tents. It was a horrific scene – what loss and what misery. Of the thousands of wounded, most had very serious, often life-threatening wounds.
Jane continued to serve as nurse until the end of the war.
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N > Newton | W > Woolsey > Jane Eliza (Newton) Woolsey
Categories: Alexandria, Virginia | Nurses, United States Civil War | Manhattan, New York | Woolsey Cemetery, Glen Cove, New York
"Find A Grave Index," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QV2M-F76C : 11 July 2016), Jane Eliza Newton Woolsey, 1874; Burial, Glen Cove, Nassau, New York, United States of America, Woolsey Cemetery; citing record ID 55752267, Find a Grave, http://www.findagrave.com.