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Elizabeth Van Lew’s American Civil War ActivitiesAmerica's Civil War | 7 comments | Print This Post | Email This Post
One of Grant’s first official acts upon his inauguration as president of the United States in 1869 was to appoint Van Lew postmaster of Richmond. He reappointed her during his second term, but she was replaced when President Rutherford B. Hayes took office. Later, she received a clerical appointment in the Post Office Department in Washington, which she held until she resigned at the beginning of President Grover Cleveland’s first administration. Subscribe Today
Van Lew returned to Richmond for her remaining years, although she wrote in her journal, ‘No one will walk with us on the street; no one will go with us anywhere, and it grows worse and worse as the years roll on.’ Her companion at that time was her niece, also named Elizabeth Van Lew, who died in May 1899. Soon after her niece’s death, Van Lew suffered from what was probably congestive heart failure and lived her remaining months in the family mansion in the company of her 40 cats.
Elizabeth Van Lew died in 1900 and was buried in the family plot in Shockoe Cemetery, but for three years the grave was without a headstone. The roughly cut boulder doesn’t look like a grave marker until one reads the plaque. After the epitaph it reads: ‘This boulder from the capitol Hill in Boston is a tribute from Massachusetts Friends.’ This article was written by Ella Anderson and originally appeared in the July 1991 issue of America’s Civil War. For more great articles be sure to subscribe to America’s Civil War magazine today! Pages: 1 2 3 4Help HistoryNet by bookmarking to
            Tags: 19th Century, America's Civil War, American Civil War, Historical Conflicts, Historical Figures, Social History, Women's History
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7 Comments to “Elizabeth Van Lew’s American Civil War Activities”
I had to do a Social Studies project on Elizabeth Van Lew
all i knew about her was that she was a spy for th Civil War, and
that was all i knew about her. So then i started to do computer
research on her, I went to every site there is just to find out
information on her. I found a cuouple of things on her but they
only told me when she was born, the place she was born, when
she had died and the place she had died then they told the family
tree of her and that was it. so then ihad recntly found this site
and IT IS TH BEST SITE EVER TO FIND OUT WHAT VER YOU
NEED TO FIND OUT I WILL NEVER REGRET FINDING THIS SITE
EVER I’LL ALAWYS YOU THIS SITE WHEN EVR I NEED TO!!!
By Brittany on Oct 25, 2008 at 7:18 pm
I like it good info thnx much!
By Julia on Feb 23, 2009 at 12:40 pm
this is very good help for me thanks so much!
By crystal on Mar 31, 2009 at 8:44 am
if anybody is looking for more information on Lizzie, might i suggest a book about her by Heidi Schoof. In my opinion, it is one of the best out there (i am doing a History Day project about her, so i most assuredly know most every book about her there ever was) Also, Elizabeth and Eliza never freed the family slaves. That is one of the most publicized myths about her. In his will, her father said that they could not free the slaves, so as women, they had no ability to free them. They had passes, etc. so they could go places, but they were never technically free.
By Jakalyn on May 1, 2009 at 9:18 am
i had to do a shitqua on Elizabeth Van Lew, but i couldnt find any thing much, i found more when i came hear, but most of it i found on different sights. this is a good site to find things on but i wish it wasent things i found on other sitesi think i will visit this site more offten . maby it will even be the first site i go to.
By Vandra on May 12, 2009 at 6:04 pm
i would like to cite this.. cant find an author or anything. help?
By Julie on Aug 2, 2009 at 6:06 pm
elizabeth van lew rocks and does she have any songs …………….!
By holly on Oct 26, 2009 at 4:48 pm