Elizabeth Wood Kane correspondence and other material, 1830-1909

Sub-Series — Box: 25

Identifier: Vault MSS 792 Series 6 Sub-Series 1

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

Contains letters, programs, and other material by Kane. The correspondence is primarily with family members, and deals with concerns. Also includes materials related to her work with the Women's Christian Temperance Union. Materials date from between 1830 and 1909.

Dates

Majority of material found within 1830-1909

Creator

Kane (Family : Kane, Thomas L. (Thomas Leiper), 1822-1883) (creator, Family)

Conditions Governing Use

It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain any necessary copyright clearances. Permission to publish material from Kane family papers must be obtained from the Supervisor of Reference Services and/or the L. Tom Perry Special Collections Coordinating Committee.

Biographical History

From the Series:

Elizabeth Wood Kane (1836-1909) was a prominent Pennsylvania prohibitionist, philanthropist, and physician.

Elizabeth Denniston Wood was born on May 12, 1836 to William Wood and Harriet Amelia Kane, and was raised in England. Her family emigrated to New York in 1844. In 1853 she married Thomas L. Kane. With her husband and four children, Harriet Amelia Kane (1854-1896); Elisha Kent Kane (1856-1935); Evan O'Neill Kane (1861-1932); and Thomas Leiper Kane, Jr. (1863-1929), Elizabeth founded the town of Kane, Pennsylvania. She worked tirelessly for the prohibition of alcohol both in Kane, and the wider United States. Her 1872 travels with her husband in Utah are recorded in her book "Twelve Mormon Homes." She obtained a medical degree from the Women's Medical College in Philadelphia in 1883. After her husband's death later that year, she became more involved in social and philanthropic causes including the Women's Christian Temperance Union, and the Kane Summit Hospital Association. She died peacefully while sleeping May 25, 1909.