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that we excel all other hospitals in being attentive to our sick and in cleanliness. They suggested my going to Cairo. Dr. Niglas spurned the proposition, and I did too. I cannot tell you how well this work suits this restless heart of mine; my great desire to do something to benefit my fellow creatures is gratified in my present occupation.
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and boarding a series of sailing vessels through the Great Lakes, first to
Detroit, and onto Chicago, where they remained for a short time, until reaching the Rock River area of Illinois. This journey westwards involved much hardship, suffering and discomfort, particularly with the loss of her follow
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Quite a little incident took place yesterday; we, as nurses, were sworn into the United States service. Dr. Niglas tells me I have saved the lives of more than 400 men. I am afraid I hardly deserve the compliment. General Grant, General
Sturgis and General Sherman paid us a visit. All join in saying
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Twenty four nights in succession I have sat up until three in the morning dealing out medicine. I cannot think of leaving these poor fellows if there is any chance of their living. Dr. Niglas tells me I have saved the lives of over 400 men. I am afraid I hardly deserve that compliment. I cannot tell
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Her father died in 1856. When her husband became mentally ill, she worked as a domestic nurse to help defray his medical expenses and help support her mother, who was living in
Vermont. She also lost possession of their homestead. A while later her new home was destroyed after being struck by
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Aiken died on
January 17, 1906, aged 88. A funeral service was held at the Second Baptist Church in Chicago on January 20, 1906. The casket was draped in the American flag. In attendance were several well known ministers, judges and merchants. Of particular note were the tributes from pastor
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There died recently, in the City of
Chicago, a woman whose career was so remarkable for its heroic self sacrifice and dauntless courage, that she could be ranked as high as the bravest soldier who does battle for his country. Her name was, Mrs. Eliza N. Aiken, but perhaps this would have an
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unfamiliar sound to the grizzled veterans; but say, "Aunt Lizzie" the angel of the hospitals of
Memphis and Paducah, and they would raise their hands to the salute, out of respect and love to America' s Florence Nightingale.
343:, is a historic farm located at 31 Greenbush Road in Cavendish, Vermont. Built in 1785, it is one of the oldest in the rural community, and is its oldest known surviving tavern house. It was listed on the
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When she was sixteen, her mother became ill and Lizzie spent the next four years caring for her. Once her mother's health improved, she enrolled in the New
England Academy in Cavendish.
194:, resulting in the loss of all four of her young boys in 1852. Her brother Ward and sister Roxy arrived to console her. Within eleven days her sister had succumbed to cholera.
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Aiken became sick and returned to Peoria where she was nursed back to health. In 1867, she joined the Second
Baptist Church and worked as missionary until her death in 1906.
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McKenzie, Tim (September 20, 2004). "Civil war medicine is on display - re-enactors explain the brutal tools of surgery, reputation of early nurses".
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224:. Her comfort and care resulted in the nickname "Aunt Lizzie". At first she worked for no pay but eventually received $ 12 per month from the
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at the beginning of the
American Civil War. Serving under Austrian born, Dr John N. Niglas, she nursed soldiers in the sick tents near
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In 1864, the ladies of the Peoria Loyal League raised the money so she could visit her mother in
Cavendish for three weeks.
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283:(who served as the 22nd President). Some biographers have referred to Aiken as America's own "Florence Nightingale".
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on shipment of personal heirlooms she had inherited from her grandmother, which sank to the bottom of Lake Erie.
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in 1817. The daughter of Steadman Atherton (1791-1856) and Deborah Ward. Both her parents were from
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In 1837, ages 20, she married Cyrus Aiken, nine years her senior, and they honeymooned in Boston.
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439:"Memorial Aunt Lizzie Aiken: With Sketch of Her Life, Funeral Service, tributes and resolutions"
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and other ministers and her nephew Frank S. Atherton. At the end of the service, Members of the
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Aiken was a deeply religious person and was an active member of her local baptist congregation.
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She raised a young family, in a colony of other emigres from Vermont, including the blacksmith
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A number of newspapers paid homage to her. The following tribute from 1906 is from the
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600:"Vermont in the Civil War - Aunt Lizzie a Vermont girl who became a Civil War Nurse"
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In November 1861, she accompanied the 6th Illinois Cavalry to Shawnee Town, on the
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Her family came from Cavendish, Vermont. The Atherton family ancestry is from
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482:"Congressional Record: Proceedings and Debates of the, Volume 110, Part 9"
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in Chicago. Some sources incorrectly state that she was laid to rest at
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670:"Memorial, Aunt Lizzie Aiken: With Sketch of Her Life, Funeral Service"
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Mary Eleanor Roberts Anderson, pen name 'Mrs Galusha Anderson' (1880).
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in Cavendish, which was owned by her grandfather, Jonathan Atherton.
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Her maternal grandfather was John Ward who was related to General
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155:
367:: "The Diabolical Plot". Episode 6. 2016 American Civil War drama
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She would later care for Union soldiers at Ovington Hospital in
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Eliza Atherton, known as "Lizzie", was born in the town of
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In January 1862, she wrote to another friend as follows:
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you how well this work suits this restless heart of mine.
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In 1826, at the age of nine, the family returned to the
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Anderson, Mary Eleanor (Mrs Galusha Anderson). (1880).
190:. A series of misfortunes occurred with an outbreak of
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She was personally known to every U.S. president from
453:"Eliza Atherton entry on the Atherton One Name Study"
286:Aiken was an honored guest and speaker at the many
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656:"Peoria Historical Society Records on Aunt Lizzie"
253:. She was friends with Mary A. "Mother" Sturges.
209:Aiken, now a widow, enlisted as a nurse with the
628:"Auntie Lizzie Aiken from Peoria Public Library"
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306:escorted the hearse to her place of rest at
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710:. Jansen, McClurg & Company, Chicago.
130:, who was widely known as "Aunt Lizzie".
724:. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press.
816:Burials at Graceland Cemetery (Chicago)
717:. Lawrence: University Press of Kansas.
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354:, a leader of the American Revolution.
496:"Illinois Review - Article on Lizzie"
126:(1817–1906) was a nurse in the
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642:"Portrait of Mary A. Mother Sturges"
345:National Register of Historic Places
339:, England. Her ancestral home, the
271:Aiken's grave at Graceland Cemetery
715:Women on the Civil War Battlefront
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614:"Illinois Review - Lizzie Aitken"
408:Estelle Johnson (Civil War nurse)
741:. Peoria, Illinois. p. B6.
708:"The Story of Aunt Lizzie Aiken"
511:"The Story of Aunt Lizzie Aiken"
279:(16th President), through to
231:In 1862, she wrote to a friend:
729:Illinois women in the civil war
480:United States Congress (1964).
791:People from Cavendish, Vermont
720:Massey, M. Elizabeth. (1994).
684:"PBS Production: Mercy Street"
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378:6th Illinois Cavalry Regiment
211:6th Illinois Cavalry Regiment
811:Nursing in the United States
801:People from Auburn, New York
796:19th-century American people
761:Cavendish Historical Society
572:"Aunt Lizzie Aiken Portrait"
388:Mary Moore (Civil War nurse)
101:Lizzie Atherton, Aunt Lizzie
467:"Women in American History"
437:Atherton, Frank S. (1906).
383:Susan Cox (Civil War nurse)
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304:Grand Army of the Republic
288:Grand Army of the Republic
766:Peoria Historical Society
713:Hall, Richard H. (2006).
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727:Woods, A. Rose. (1927).
174:Choosing to relocate to
37:Portrait of Lizzie Aiken
16:American Civil War nurse
557:Memorial to Aunt Lizzie
542:"Aunt Lizzie Civil War"
393:Mary A. Gardner Holland
722:Women in the Civil War
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176:Grand Detour, Illinois
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806:Female wartime nurses
469:. September 22, 2006.
290:events she attended.
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134:Early life and family
528:"Civil War Archive"
263:Honors and tributes
403:Lucy Fenman Barron
341:Atherton Farmstead
308:Graceland Cemetery
296:John Roach Straton
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251:Memphis, Tennessee
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151:Atherton Farmstead
144:Cavendish, Vermont
128:American Civil War
92:Graceland Cemetery
312:Rosehill Cemetery
205:Civil War service
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80:Chicago, Illinois
47:Eliza N. Atherton
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358:Portrayals on TV
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98:Other names
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124:Lizzie Aiken
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88:Burial place
74:(1906-01-17)
25:Lizzie Aiken
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786:1906 deaths
781:1817 births
586:"Civil War"
418:M.V. Harkin
413:Mary Loomis
298:, Reverend
198:lightning.
117:Cyrus Aiken
775:Categories
424:References
337:Lancashire
226:Union Army
222:Ohio River
188:John Deere
180:Erie Canal
106:Occupation
53:1817-03-24
747:412379650
347:in 2002.
743:ProQuest
372:See also
331:Ancestry
672:. 1906.
560:. 1906.
498:. 2014.
192:Cholera
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363:PBS -
114:Spouse
514:(PDF)
109:Nurse
82:, US
69:Died
63:, US
43:Born
689:PBS
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
