The Tenacious and Compassionate Margaret Atwood

by Elizabeth Harris and Linda Miller

At the beginning of the nineteenth century, citizens of Newburyport who fell on hard times relied on a combination of public assistance in the form of incarceration in the poorhouse or jail (if a debtor), or some limited subsidies that paid for some expenses of the truly indigent. One major poorhouse was on the upper part of Federal St. and housed families, but parents were expected to go to work to support their families if they were able. The jail was also used as an almshouse, with debtors allowed out during the day for work. There was, of course, no Social Security or Medicare, and private benevolent institutions were established to provide assistance to the destitute and unfortunate, particularly women and children.

Private societies, such as the Female Charitable Society, were formed to help neighbors and were often sponsored by, or affiliated with, a religious organization. The Female Charitable Society has, as its titular head, the Rev. Daniel Dana of the Old South Presbyterian Church, but the entire Board of Directors was made up of women. Margaret Atwood, one of the founders of the Female Charitable Society in 1803, became its first Treasurer and held that position for twenty-seven years. The position was required to be held by “an unmarried woman” as the laws of that time did not favor women handling money or deciding financial affairs and husbands could take over the assets of wives. In July, 1830, just two years before her death at age 78, she asked to be relieved of her role, asking the “Directress and members of the Newburyport Female Charitable Society…to discharge her from her office as treasurer (since) the responsibilities are such that she cannot retain it longer.” She thanked the organization for “all of their past kindness”, and promised that she would be “as much interested in the management and welfare of the Society as ever.” She certainly followed-through on that promise.

Margaret Ford was born in Newbury in 1752 and married Zachariah Atwood , a ship owner, captain and merchant, in 1793. They had two sons and owned four ships, houses on High St. and a brick shop and wooden wharf at the bottom of Fair St. where it meets Water St. The poet laureate of the day, Jonathan Plummer, called her “the lovely Mrs. Atwood”, although there are no likenesses of her known. When Zack died young in 1796 of a scourge of yellow fever that swept through the town, Margaret defied convention and took over the management of their businesses and assets and ran them directly and aggressively, filing lawsuits in her own name and buying and selling property. As her sons matured, they assisted with the family business, but tragically both died before their mother – Henry in 1821 and Zachariah Jr. in 1831.

The Jefferson Embargo was lifted in 1809 and trade prospered. Peggy, as she was known by her friends, bought a new brick house at the corner of Ann (now Atwood) St. and Lime St., built by Robert Hale in 1810. When the “Great Fire” hit Newburyport in 1811 she lost her wharf and shop but the ships were unharmed. She built back her properties and rebuilt her finances.

The Female Charitable Society took in young, often orphan, girls and taught them to be self-sufficient and tried to place them in households as servants or helpers. The local public schools of the time were for males only and there were private schools available for those who could pay. The indigent and poverty-stricken girls of the town could not afford to attend them and had no other educational opportunities. Margaret Atwood lived and worked in the South end where many of the recipients of the Female Charitable Society also lived. Some of the girls may have been taught in her house as there were many chairs and books and a lot of space for them to hold classes. The Female Charitable Society also helped women who had lost their husbands because of accidents, disease or mayhem, to provide food and housing for themselves and their children, trying to help keep families together and stave off the creation of more orphans.

The Board of Directors received requests from many sources, relying on the churches and neighbors to advocate for the poor in their neighborhoods. The Board, along with advice from others, decided what to give and recorded everything in their meeting minutes. This was a community of women who volunteered to help others, pledged a certain amount of money each year to the Society, and kept it running. A stirring speaker, whose words were published and sold to benefit the organization, was a feature of their annual meeting, as this pamphlet from a private collection, attests.

Margaret Atwood died in 1832 but the Female Charitable Society continued until the late 1840’s. In 1850, the General Charitable Society was formed by a group of women from the same neighborhood, and the mission was about the same but without the gender distinction.

The General Charitable Society has been helping Newburyport neighbors for 175 years with short-term relief so applicants won’t suffer more long-term bad consequences. It is still going strong and may or may not be a direct outcome of the Female Charitable Society. Its mission is to “lend a helping hand to those who are struggling through poverty and discouragements”. Today, they are “quietly supporting Newburyport residents”.

When Margaret Atwood died, both her sons had predeceased her. She left funds for the support of individual people that she had helped in the past, and also funded annual payments to the Newburyport Infant School, the Fourth Religious Society in Newburyport, and missionary work. She also left part of her fortune as a Trust to the City of Newburyport for “support of the poor and religion”. This exists today as the Margaret Atwood Trust with about $18,000 in its coffers, according to City records. Trustees are members of the Trust committee of the City and they give out up to 3% of the balance per year in honor of Margaret Atwood’s legacy.