The Dillingham Siblings
Deaf Matrons and Teachers
Abigail Dillingham enrolled at the American School for the Deaf (ASD) as part of the first class in 1817. She was already 31 years old when she started school and graduated in 1821. The Pennsylvania School for the Deaf hired her right away to be a teacher. Clerc said, “She has a vigor of constitution and a decision of character which admirably qualify her to take charge of un cultivated scholars on their entrance into the Asylum.” Her brother, Charles, graduated from Williams College and taught at the Pennsylvania School for the Deaf. She retired from teaching in 1824 due to ill health and passed away on September 17, 1824.
Abigail’s sister, Nancy, attended ASD when she was 17 years old in 1819. After she graduated in 1823, she began working at ASD as an assistant matron. She stayed and worked at the school until her death in 1874.Credits and Sources:
Photo courtesy of:
Keenan.
