Elizabeth Ashbridge
Encyclopedia
Elizabeth Ashbridge was an 18th century Quaker minister born in Cheshire, England.
in Cheshire, England to Thomas and Mary Sampson. Thomas was a surgeon on sea vessels and Mary was a pious follower of the Church of England
. Mary was widowed in a previous marriage, and Elizabeth had a step brother and step sister as a result.
When Elizabeth turned 14, she married a miserly stocking weaver several years her elder without parental consent. She left with him only to become a widow herself five months later. This marriage drove a wedge between herself and her father, who refused to accept her back in her childhood home. So Elizabeth was sent to Dublin, Ireland, where she lived for the next five years with some Quaker relatives of her mother.
.
This was followed by three long years of adversity working for this master. However, during her indentureship she managed to work odd jobs to pay off her last year of the contract. It was during this time that she met her second husband, a teacher by the name of Sullivan.
. It was here that Elizabeth experienced a conversion from the Anglicanism
of her youth to the beliefs of a Quaker. Her husband, Sullivan, felt deeply threatened by this development and demanded that she live her life by his side roaming the various colonies.
Ultimately Sullivan could not keep Elizabeth from her religious practice, and eventually she was made a Quaker minister. Sullivan even began displaying mild interest in Quakerism by now. One night in a drunken stupor he enlisted himself in the army and was soon called to serve, which he refused claiming his Quaker religion as the reason why. This resulted in a horrific beating that hospitalized him and ultimately killed him in under a year.
Five years later Elizabeth married a third husband, his name was Aaron Ashbridge. Aaron was a well known and respected member within the Quaker community in Chester County, Pennsylvania
.
Early life
Elizabeth was born in 1713 in the town of MiddlewichMiddlewich
Middlewich is a market town in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. It is east of the city of Chester, east of Winsford, southeast of Northwich and northwest of Sandbach....
in Cheshire, England to Thomas and Mary Sampson. Thomas was a surgeon on sea vessels and Mary was a pious follower of the Church of England
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
. Mary was widowed in a previous marriage, and Elizabeth had a step brother and step sister as a result.
When Elizabeth turned 14, she married a miserly stocking weaver several years her elder without parental consent. She left with him only to become a widow herself five months later. This marriage drove a wedge between herself and her father, who refused to accept her back in her childhood home. So Elizabeth was sent to Dublin, Ireland, where she lived for the next five years with some Quaker relatives of her mother.
Kidnapping
In part due to her rebellious nature, Elizabeth hatched a plan where she would migrate to America. Whilst preparing for her departure, she was kidnapped by a woman who trafficked human beings as indentured servants for profit. The woman had tricked her into believing she was providing her with a passage to America, and led her to a boat which she was enslaved on. About five weeks later Elizabeth managed an escape. Soon after Elizabeth got on the very same boat she was indentured on and set off for America. During the voyage she averted mutiny upon the ship, after hearing a group of Irish servants plotting a hostile takeover. Upon telling the captain, he had her sign an indentureship contract of four years of which he sold to a brutish man from New YorkNew York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
.
This was followed by three long years of adversity working for this master. However, during her indentureship she managed to work odd jobs to pay off her last year of the contract. It was during this time that she met her second husband, a teacher by the name of Sullivan.
Quakerism
Sometime during this second marriage, the couple visited relatives over in PennsylvaniaPennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
. It was here that Elizabeth experienced a conversion from the Anglicanism
Anglicanism
Anglicanism is a tradition within Christianity comprising churches with historical connections to the Church of England or similar beliefs, worship and church structures. The word Anglican originates in ecclesia anglicana, a medieval Latin phrase dating to at least 1246 that means the English...
of her youth to the beliefs of a Quaker. Her husband, Sullivan, felt deeply threatened by this development and demanded that she live her life by his side roaming the various colonies.
Ultimately Sullivan could not keep Elizabeth from her religious practice, and eventually she was made a Quaker minister. Sullivan even began displaying mild interest in Quakerism by now. One night in a drunken stupor he enlisted himself in the army and was soon called to serve, which he refused claiming his Quaker religion as the reason why. This resulted in a horrific beating that hospitalized him and ultimately killed him in under a year.
Five years later Elizabeth married a third husband, his name was Aaron Ashbridge. Aaron was a well known and respected member within the Quaker community in Chester County, Pennsylvania
Chester County, Pennsylvania
-State parks:*French Creek State Park*Marsh Creek State Park*White Clay Creek Preserve-Demographics:As of the 2010 census, the county was 85.5% White, 6.1% Black or African American, 0.2% Native American or Alaskan Native, 3.9% Asian, 0.0% Native Hawaiian, 1.8% were two or more races, and 2.4% were...
.
See also
- ODNB article by Etta M. Madden, ‘Ashbridge , Elizabeth (1713–1755)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, Sept 2004 accessed 24 June 2010