Hettie Kersey Painter
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June 2, 1821
Hettie Kersey Painter | |
|---|---|
| Born | Esther Kersey June 2, 1821 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Died | August 8, 1889 (aged 68) Lincoln, Nebraska, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Penn Medical University |
| Occupation | Physician |
Hettie Kersey Painter (June 2, 1821 – August 8, 1889) was an American physician who served as a nurse in the American Civil War, organizing the first Union army hospital south of the Potomac River. She graduated from Penn Medical University in 1860. Later in life, she owned and operated a clinic in Lincoln, Nebraska.
Painter was born Esther Kersey in Philadelphia to Joseph and Charity Kersey (née Cope). Her grandfather was Jesse Kersey, a respected Quaker Hicksite minister. Her parents died when she was 7, and her uncle and aunt, Mordecai and Esther Hayes of Newlin Township, Pennsylvania, adopted her and raised her. Throughout her life, Hettie would be a devout Quaker and a committed humanitarian and activist.[1][2][3]
In March 1840, Hattie married Joseph H. Painter of West Chester. In 1846, they moved to Massillon, Ohio, where they participated in the temperance movement, the women's suffrage movement, and the abolitionist movement, with their house serving as a station on the Underground Railroad. The Painters had two sons, J. K. and L. M. Painter. In the 1850s, they returned to Philadelphia and soon after moved to Camden, New Jersey. She enrolled in Penn Medical University and graduated with an MD degree in 1860.[1][2]