Mary Ashton was the daughter of Timothy Rice and Zebiah Vose Ashton Rice. She attended an all female seminary in Charlestown, Massachusetts and graduated from there in 1836. After teaching for several years, Mary took a tutor position at a Virginia plantation. It was after witnessing the cruel treatment of the slaves that she became an abolitionist, writing and speaking out for the need of emancipation.
She married Daniel P. Livermore on May 5, 1845 and they had four children:
During the Civil War, Mary was a member of the US Sanitary Commission, an organization devoted to aiding soldiers by supplementing army provided doctors, nurses, supplies and food at military hospitals and camps, as well as providing evacuation and transportation for the wounded. Following a trip to Washington D.C. as representatives of the Chicago Sanitary Commission to the First Women's Council of the United States Sanitary Commission, Mrs. Livermore and Mrs. Hoge took on the duties of corresponding secretary for the commission from Mrs. Chappell after Mrs. Chappell took up field work. Mrs. Livermore's work involved writing hundreds of letters each week, visiting aid societies in surrounding states, and working with drop-in visitors to the commission. She also made trips to hospitals to observe the workings of the commission in the field and note additional needs. The field trips allowed Livermore and Hoge to provide valuable feedback to guide the efforts of the aid societies. In July 1863, Mrs. Hoge and Mrs. Livermore proposed a fund raising fair to endow the Northwestern Sanitary Commission. The fair was a success and many fund raising fairs were held across the nation following their example. Mrs. Livermore worked with the Northwestern Branch of the United States Sanitary Commission for two and a half years. [1]
After the war, Mary worked with other women, notably Lucy Stone and Julia Ward Howe, to promote both woman's suffrage and in the temperance movement. Mary was an influential editor and writer for the Woman's Journal.
Mary was also a close friend of Sarah Borden, the mother of Lizzie Borden. During the trial of Lizzie, for the ax murders of her father and step-mother, Mary Livermore was given permission to interview Lizzie Borden in jail. Mary wrote several articles about Lizzie and the Borden family, always asserting Lizzie's innocence.[2]
Mary died on 23 May 1905 from bronchial pneumonia according to her Death Certificate in Melrose Massachusetts, [3]which indicates she was cremated, and interred at the Wyoming Cemetery, Melrose, Massachusetts.[4]
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R > Rice | L > Livermore > Mary Ashton (Rice) Livermore
Categories: Boston, Massachusetts | Melrose, Massachusetts | Wyoming Cemetery, Melrose, Massachusetts | Journalists | Abolitionists | Nurses, United States Civil War | Notables | Activists and Reformers
The on-line book can be found by searching the title and author on Google or direct link below.
https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015053093855&view=1up&seq=7