The American Cyclopædia (1879)/Graham, Isabella

GRAHAM, Isabella, a Scottish philanthropist, born in Lanarkshire, July 29, 1742, died in New York, July 27, 1814. Her maiden name was Marshall. In 1765 she married Dr. John Graham, an army surgeon, and went with him to Canada and to Antigua, where he died in 1774. Returning to Scotland, she taught school in Paisley and in Edinburgh. In 1789 she came to New York, and established a seminary for young ladies. Before leaving Scotland she originated the &ldquo;Penny Society,&rdquo; now known as the &ldquo;Society for the Relief of the Destitute Sick;&rdquo; and through her efforts in part or entirely, the &ldquo;Society for the Relief of Poor Widows,&rdquo; the &ldquo;Orphan Asylum Society,&rdquo; the &ldquo;Society for Promoting Industry among the Poor,&rdquo; and the first &ldquo;Sunday School for Ignorant Adults,&rdquo; were established in New York. She aided also in organizing the first missionary society and the first monthly missionary prayer meeting in the city; was the first president of the Magdalen society; systematically visited the inmates of the hospital, and the sick female convicts in the state prison; and to hundreds of families distributed Bibles, as well as tracts prepared under her own direction. Her memoirs were written by Dr. Mason (8vo, 1816), and her letters and correspondence, selected by her daughter, Mrs. Bethune, were published in New York in 1838.