Lewis Sisters

The Lewis Sisters of Kimberton--Graceanna, Mariann and Elizabeth,--were born to Quaker abolitionists who were active participants in the UGRR. After father John's death, Esther, a notably strong woman, continued to act as station-keeper but sometimes hired the fugitives to work for her and to earn money for their journey northward.
Once, Graceanna and her two sisters witnessed two such workers being recaptured and brought back in chains. They resolved to continue to act as station-keepers after their mother died.
Their uncle, Dr. Bartholomew Fussell, helped found the first women's medical college in Philadelphia, and the Lewis sisters were skilled in medicine . Often they nursed exhausted or wounded freedom-seekers back to health, over long periods of time. They, too, hired fugitives to work their farm if they wished to earn money.
Once in town shopping, Graceanna overheard some townsfolk speaking about the fact that the Lewis sisters used to be involved in the UGRR, but not so much anymore. She smiled because she knew her family had helped 40 freedom-seekers just that week!
After the Civil War, Graceanna turned her attention to scientific study, particularly ornithology and botany. She became one of the first female members of the American Academy of Sciences. Graceanna was an excellent artist of nature, and 50 of her drawings were displayed at the Chicago World's Fair in 1893.