Margaret's Mighty Morals

 

Born in Fredericksburg, Virginia in 1773, Margaret Prior grew up with the new nation of America. She was only sixteen when she began her first marriage to William Allen. Upon his death at sea, she and her only surviving son relocated to New York City. Years later Margaret married William Prior, a member of the Society of Friends, who was known for his generous spirit. 

Margaret's morals matched those of her husband. Perhaps because Margaret lost many children herself, she found herself on a mission to care for as many of New York's children as possible. However, Margaret felt that one mission was not enough. Her deep faith compelled her to extend her charity to the poor as well. She found herself rising everyday to serve as many people as possible. Margaret not only assisted the children and the poor, she found herself assisting in developing a number of benevolent societies so she could reach as many souls as possible. In addition to these works, Margaret also created a soup kitchen and a school for New York City. 

March 15, 1806, Isabella Graham and Elizabeth Hamilton developed a plan to create the New York Orphan Asylum (NYOA). Their plan was a success and their orphanage was the first of its kind. They began the NYOA by assisting sixteen children. Soon they had to upgrade their facility in order to keep up with the need of the city. Years later Margaret joined the ladies in their crusade and found herself a seat on its Board of Directors. Together the women helped to raise hundreds of children. According to the research of Sarah Bean Apmann, "The organization evolved to become the Graham Home for Children, and then merged to become Graham Windham-an organization that continues to work at improving the lives of the children in care today."1 Anne Boylan found that women like Margaret and her friends would have not only been active in caring for the poor and innocent, they would have participated in abolitionism as well. Boylan's article describes the efforts and great impact women like Margaret had on New York.

When reading the one book about her life, one can see that Margaret's work was never done. Margaret found herself in a constant state of benevolence. The book's preface states that in the last five years of her life, Margaret was credited with converting over one hundred souls. The book describes Margaret as a lovely representative of her religion and even states that her religion was her life. Examining the works listed in the book, one can see Margaret embodied the Christian spirit and served as an example to all. 

Sadly, not a lot of resources exist to help us learn more about Margaret. Luckily, Sabin Americana provides an excellent one. Walks of Usefulness, or, Reminiscences of Mrs. Margaret Prior rests in its vast catalog. Boylan referenced this text for her article on the benevolent societies of New York. If one simply peruses Walks of Usefulness, one will not only learn Margaret's life story, but one will read numerous examples of Margaret's daily moral example of living your life for Christianity. After examining the book, one will find Margaret Prior is hidden hero among the ranks of the benevolent in early American society. 

 Image from: https://librarycompany.org/women/portraits_religion/images/ports/prior_lg.jpg

Sources:

Apmann, Sarah Bean. “The New York Orphan Asylum - Village Preservation.” Village Preservation Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation, 22 May 2020, www.villagepreservation.org/2015/12/28/the-new-york-orphan-asylum/.

Boylan, Anne M. “Women in Groups: An Analysis of Women’s Benevolent Organizations in New York and Boston, 1797-1840.” The Journal of American History 71, no. 3 (1984): 497–523. https://doi.org/10.2307/1887469.

Prior, Margaret, and Sarah R. I. Bennett. Walks of Usefulness, or, Reminiscences of Mrs. Margaret Prior, 3rd ed. New York: The AM. F. M. R. Society, 1844. Sabin Americana: History of the Americas, 1500-1926 (accessed July 13, 2024). https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/CY0111055491/SABN?u=vic_liberty&sid=bookmark-SABN&xid=98a8951b&pg=7.