Catherine (White) Coffin

Catherine White Coffin (born Catherine White; September 10, 1803 – May 22, 1881), also known as "Auntie Katie", was an American Quaker abolitionist and the wife of Levi Coffin, the unofficial "President of the Underground Railroad". The Coffin home in Fountain City, Wayne County, Indiana, has since been turned into a museum, and was referred to as the Underground Railroad's "Grand Central Station". Catherine and Levi had six children, three of whom did not survive to adulthood. Levi Coffin said "There never was a night too cold, or dark or rainy, for her to get up at any hour, and prepare a meal for the poor fugitives [...] many a time 12, 15, and even 17 sat down," about his wife on their fifteenth wedding anniversary.

On October 24, 1824, at age 21, White married Levi Coffin Jr., a farmer from Guilford County, North Carolina at Hopewell Friends Meetinghouse in North Carolina. They had six children: Jesse, Addison, Thomas, Henry, Anna, and Sarah. Addison (July 9, 1828 – 1830), Thomas (September 15, 1831 – March 29, 1832), and Anna (August 14, 1839 – July 16, 1850) died during childhood while Jesse (August 1, 1825 – September 25, 1899), Henry (1836–1916), and Sarah (October 2, 1843 – May 11, 1869) made it to adulthood. Some other potential jobs included transportation to the next safe house, giving instructions on how to get there or even a personal escort there. Possible penalties for helping escaped slaves after the passing of the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 included flogging, imprisonment and even death. Women were usually known by Mrs. [husband's name] or [husband's name]'s wife instead of their own name. Their house was later added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1966. The characters Simeon and Rachel Halliday from Uncle Tom's Cabin were based on Levi and Catherine Coffin.