Deborah Weston
A staunch abolitionist, activist, and educator at heart, Deborah Weston (1814 -????) was key in promoting anti-slavery ideals in Massachusetts, especially in New Bedford and Boston.
Sarah D. Ottiwell
For over 60 years, Sarah Delano Ottiwell (1832-1912) served as teacher and administrator in New Bedford Public Schools.
Ruby Devol Finch
Westport’s Ruby Devol Finch (1804-1866), whose works can be found in the collections of Colonial Williamsburg and the American Folk Art Museum, is considered to be one of the most uniquely creative female American folk artists of her time.
Anna Murray Douglass
Anna Murray Douglass (c. 1813-1882), born in freedom in Maryland, secured funds for enslaved Frederick to escape to New York, where the couple would marry before moving to New Bedford.
Ida M. Eliot
Educator, author, and entomologist Ida Mitchell Eliot (1839-1923) taught throughout the United States, co-edited the much-celebrated Poetry for Home and School in 1877, and co-authored one of the first books on caterpillars and moths in 1902.
Alberta Simmons Brownell
Alberta Simmons Brownell (1882-1918) used book knowledge and personal experience to write articles on the social problems of the day.
Jane Jackson
Abolitionist Jane Adora Major Jackson (1814-1888) and her husband, the Reverend William Jackson, secretly sheltered freedom seekers along the Underground Railroad.
Cordelia Vien
At the peak of her career as a local businesswoman, Cordelia Dragon Vien (1853 -1928) owned property valued at $250,000, equivalent to nearly $6.5 million today, in New Bedford’s North End.
Alice Virginia Bradford Tobey Jones
Wareham philanthropist Alice Tobey Jones (1873-1922) funded the establishment of Tobey Hospital, an institution that has played a major role in the health and well-being of Wareham and South Coast residents.
Emma Hall
Emma Hall (1865?-1949) started the first Girl Scout troop in eastern Massachusetts in New Bedford in 1913, called the “Red Rose Troop.” It was the first troop nationally to welcome African American girls and the third official Girl Scout troop in the U.S.