To the women of future centuries of the United States of America, this record of many women of the first and second centuries, whose lives were full of usefulness, and therefore worthy of renown and imitation. - from the Dedication Initially released in 1883, DAUGHTERS OF AMERICA OR WOMEN OF THE CENTURY contains the first published attempt to record the life and times of hundreds of extraordinary women. This remarkable manual chronicles a vast array of women including insightful profiles of: - Religious & Spiritual Women - Women of the American Revolution - The Wives of the Presidents - Women Leaders in Philanthropy and Society - Women Poets and Scientists - Women Preachers and Educators Invaluable and entertaining, Hanaford's work here is an enduring example of the profound influence of women throughout Western culture. PHEBE A. HANAFORD (1829-1921) was born into a Quaker family on Nantucket Island, Massachusetts. She spoke openly of her desire to be a Quaker preacher and eventually took the pledge at age 18 as an ordained chaplain and treasurer of the Daughters of Temperance. However, her commitment as an abolitionist led her to relinquish her Quaker pacifism. As a result, her contact with women of the Universalist church opened up a world of activism for the rights of women.