Family life
Elizabeth Blackwell was one of nine surviving children her parents had. Her father was named Samuel Blackwell and he was a well know sugar refiner. Her mother was Hannah Lane Blackwell. Her father was a strong supporter of woman’s rights and would hire private tutors to teach his children all the same subjects. He encouraged his children to remain faithful to the church, support woman’s rights, and to practice temperance and abolitionism. Their family was constantly moving not just around the country but around the world.
On the move
She was born in Bristol, England on February 3, 1821 and when she was 11 her family moved to New York City. There they struggled to make ends meet and eventually moved to New Jersey. After more financial trouble due to The Panic of 1837 they moved again, this time to Cincinnati when Elizabeth was 17.
Supporting herself
Later that year her father passed away and without his financial support Elizabeth began supporting herself as a teacher. Blackwell was turned onto the medical field after a close from was dying and suggested that she would have been spared her worst suffering if her physician had been a woman. She furthered her involvement in reform movements and decided she wanted to become a physician to further her ability to do good work. She studied medicine while teaching with her brother while he was attending medical school until 1847.
Elizabeth Blackwell was one of nine surviving children her parents had. Her father was named Samuel Blackwell and he was a well know sugar refiner. Her mother was Hannah Lane Blackwell. Her father was a strong supporter of woman’s rights and would hire private tutors to teach his children all the same subjects. He encouraged his children to remain faithful to the church, support woman’s rights, and to practice temperance and abolitionism. Their family was constantly moving not just around the country but around the world.
On the move
She was born in Bristol, England on February 3, 1821 and when she was 11 her family moved to New York City. There they struggled to make ends meet and eventually moved to New Jersey. After more financial trouble due to The Panic of 1837 they moved again, this time to Cincinnati when Elizabeth was 17.
Supporting herself
Later that year her father passed away and without his financial support Elizabeth began supporting herself as a teacher. Blackwell was turned onto the medical field after a close from was dying and suggested that she would have been spared her worst suffering if her physician had been a woman. She furthered her involvement in reform movements and decided she wanted to become a physician to further her ability to do good work. She studied medicine while teaching with her brother while he was attending medical school until 1847.