Eliza Paul Kirkbride was born in Philadelphia to Quakers Mary Pauil Kirkbride and Joseph Kirkbride.[1][2]
In September 1837, Kirkbride met Joseph John Gurney while returning from England.[2] The two worked together during his trip to the United States. In July 1841, Kirkbride was recognized as a minister by the Quaker Monthly Meeting in England.[2] She married Gurney in October 1841.[2] The two shared an interest in pacifism and abolitionism, and preached about and spoke with political figures (including Louis Philippe I) on the topics.[2] They were also interested in prison reform and abolition, and preached on this topic in France and Germany.[2] Gurney and her husband co-founded Earlham College in 1847, shortly before Joseph's death that year.[3] The couple had three children.[1][2]
Gurney returned to the United States from England in 1850.[2] In 1851, she settled at West Hill, New Jersey.[2] However, she continued to work as a traveling minister, and again went abroad to preach in England, France, Germany, Italy, and Switzerland. She also continued to meet with political figures to try and incur change; in one instance, she was able to secure the release of a German man imprisoned for his conscientious refusal to bear arms after an audience with the King of Germany.[2]
When not traveling, she hosted evening gatherings at her home in West Hill, which were well-attended by political figures, ministers, and fellow abolitionists.[2]
When the Civil War broke out, Gurney was conflicted, as although she was a pacifist, she wanted the North to win.[2][3][4] She visited then-President Abraham Lincoln at the White House on October 26, 1862, along with fellow Quakers James Carey, Hannah B. Mott, and John M. Whithall.[4] Gurney continued to exchange letters with Lincoln following the visit, and one of her letters was found in Lincoln's pocket on the night he was assassinated.[2][4]
Gurney is buried in Burlington, New Jersey.[1]
