Lucy was born on 18 Jan 1842 in Cleveland, Ohio to parents John Seaman and Cleora Stevens.
Lucy had three brothers and was the only daughter. She was 8 years old at the 11 Aug 1850 Census when the family lived in Cleveland:[1]
Household | Role | Sex | Age | Birthplace |
John Seaman | Head | M | 45 | Vermont |
Clara A Seaman | Wife | F | 35 | Ohio |
George Seaman | Son | M | 13 | Ohio |
Solomon Seaman | Son | M | 12 | Ohio |
Lucy Seaman | Daughter | F | 8 | Ohio |
Charles Seaman | Son | M | 2 | Ohio |
Delia Davis | Domestic | F | 22 | Canada |
Norah Fitzgerald | Domestic | F | 17 | Ireland |
Horace Petengal | Laborer | M | 16 | New York |
She was tutored at home until she was nine years old. She then attended grade school, high school, and the Cleveland Female Seminary for one year. [2]
A decade later 18 year old Lucy is with her family in Cleveland:[3]
Household | Role | Sex | Age | Birthplace |
John Seaman | Head | M | 55 | New York |
Cleora A Seaman | Wife | F | 46 | Vermont |
Geo W Seaman | Son | M | 24 | Ohio |
Henry S Seaman | Son | M | 22 | Ohio |
Lucy Seaman | Daughter | F | 18 | Ohio |
Charles J Seaman | Son | M | 12 | Ohio |
Honora Fitzgerald | Domestic | F | 25 | Ireland |
Lizzie Hogan | Domestic | F | 17 | Ohio |
She was then transferred to a seminary at Ipswich, Massachusetts. Her extensive education was unusual for females living in that era.
Lucy describes a pivotal event in her life when she visited Washington, DC with her mother in 1864, a visit which brought about an immediate change in her life:[2]
Lucy immediately joined the Ohio Soldiers’ Aid Society and was sent to Fredericksburg, Virginia, where she cared for the wounded soldiers as they were being transported by boat to Washington, DC. Very successful in this work, she was asked to go to the front of the Union Armies, and she subsequently served at Port Royal, White House Landing, and City Point, all in Virginia.
Lucy wrote of her service, and how she came to be known as Sister Ohio:[2]
Lucy described her experiences on the battlefield in her autobiography, [https://collections.nlm.nih.gov/bookviewer?PID=nlm:nlmuid-55210320R-bk Yesterdays.
During her war service, Lucy met William Folwell Bainbridge, a young man working with the Christian Commission that sought to bring hope and faith to the soldiers. He had graduated from Rochester University in 1862 and was working his way through Rochester Theological Seminary.
After the war, William was minister to a Baptist church in Erie, Pennsylvania, and began visiting Lucy in Cleveland. At age 24, Lucy married William on 5 Sep 1866 in Cleveland.[4] Soon thereafter, William was appointed pastor of the Central Baptist Church of Providence, Rhode Island.[2]
Lucy gave birth to a daughter, Clara, "Cleora" Emily Bainbridge at Cleveland on November 8, 1868, and . The infant died on April 14, 1870, less than 18 months old, from tuberculosis meningitis.
A son, William Seaman Bainbridge, was born on February 17, 1870. Lucy adopted a second daughter, Helen Augusta Bainbridge, who was born on November 23, 1872.
The Bainbridges returned to Providence for several years and then moved to Brooklyn, New York, where William was in charge of the New York City Mission Society. Lucy was appointed as Superintendent of the Woman’s Branch of that same organization, a position she held for 18 years. She managed a force of fifteen nurses, fifty missionaries and forty trained workers. She also lectured constantly and authored four books.
Lucy was an author and activist after the war. Among her lifetime achievements:
She left Providence, Rhode Island, on New Year’s Day 1879 to begin her first of two trips around the world with her husband. The first trip lasted two years and included stops in Japan, China, Burma, India, Egypt, “The Holy Land,” Germany, Paris, and England.[2]
Lucy stated:
Her books: "Jewels From the Orient," and "Round the World Letters" were about her travels.
At the age of 83 and almost blind, Lucy went to California for several months. In 1928, her son bought the house in the country she had always longed for. She spent some happy months there and was brought back to her old home at Gramercy Park for her final days.[2] Lucy died in New York City on November 19, 1928 at 86 years old, [5] and was laid to rest on 21 Nov 1928 in Woodlawn Cemetery, Bronx, New York. [6]
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S > Seaman | B > Bainbridge > Lucy Elizabeth (Seaman) Bainbridge
Categories: Cleveland, Ohio | Nurses, United States Civil War | Providence, Rhode Island | Manhattan, New York | New York, New York | Woodlawn Cemetery, The Bronx, New York
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/57385810/lucy-elizabeth-bainbridge
https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Bainbridge-1808
edited by Warren Kuntz