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Abby May Alcott

Abby May Alcott might not be the most famous of all the Alcotts, but she was insanely brave and courageous in her own right. Her daughter, Civil War-era author Louisa May Alcott, wrote one of the most popular young adult novels of all time, Little Women. Seriously, ladies, if you haven’t read this book, do so now. It has it all — a love triangle, sisterly betrayals and a terribly unforeseen tragedy.

It’s presumed that Louisa based this book on her childhood, where she lived with her three sisters and activist mother. Abby was a proponent for several causes and was one of Massachusetts’ first paid social workers. She fought hard for women’s suffrage and was very active in the Underground Railroad, serving as a stationmaster alongside her husband. She was also passionate about the temperance movement, an ideology I have a harder time getting behind.

Although remarkable at any time in history, her advanced thinking was particularly extraordinary during a time when women were seen as little more than accessories to their husbands. She taught her daughters to think for themselves, to act independently of arbitrary social conventions and to always choose to do the right thing. It is most likely that Little Women is a result of this forward thinking.