1841–1930

Introduction

portrait

Born: May 20, 1841, Uwch­lan, Penn­syl­van­ia.

Died: Feb­ru­ary 2, 1930, Phi­la­del­phia, Penn­syl­van­ia.

Buried: West Laur­el Hill Ce­me­te­ry, Ba­la Cyn­wyd, Penn­syl­van­ia.

Biography

Sarah was the daugh­ter of Pax­son and Ann T. Vick­ers, and wife of John Ob­er­holt­zer.

She lived at va­ri­ous times near Cam­bria Sta­tion, Ches­ter Coun­ty, Penn­syl­van­ia, and in Nor­ris­town, Penn­syl­van­ia.

Her fa­mi­ly were ar­dent abo­li­tion­ists. Be­sides hun­dreds of slaves they helped on their way to Ca­na­da, their home en­tert­ained such guests as John Green­leaf Whit­ti­er, Lu­cre­tia Mott, Will­iam Lloyd Gar­ri­son, and Bay­ard Taylor.

Sarah was edu­cat­ed at Tho­mas’ Friends Board­ing School and the Mil­lers­ville State Nor­mal School.

She be­gan to write for news­pa­pers and ma­ga­zines at age 18. A num­ber of her po­ems were set to mu­sic by dif­fer­ent com­pos­ers. Among the best known are The Bay­ard Tay­lor Bu­ri­al Ode, sung as Penn­syl­van­ia’s trib­ute to her dead po­et at his fu­ner­al ser­vice in Long­wood, March 15, 1889, and Un­der the Flow­ers, a De­co­ra­tion ode.

She served as World Su­per­in­ten­dent of School Sa­vings Banks de­part­ment of the Wo­men’s Chris­tian Tem­per­ance Un­ion.

Works

Sources

Lyrics