Hannah White Arnett

Hannah White Arnett (January 15, 1733 – January 10, 1823) was a Colonial American woman who is known for preventing a group of men in Elizabethtown, Province of New Jersey (now Elizabeth) from proclaiming their loyalty to Great Britain in exchange for "protection of life and property." Discouraged, the men decided not to accept amnesty. She stated why it was important to remain devoted to independence and they changed their minds.

The Daughters of the American Revolution was organized when she could not be honored by the Sons of the American Revolution. A chapter was formed in her name and a memorial to her and other patriots was erected in the cemetery of the First Presbyterian Church of Elizabeth, New Jersey.

Personal life Hannah White, born on January 15, 1733 in Bridgehampton, New York, Long Island, New York was the daughter of Sarah Howell and Silas White (ca. 1709–1742). On May 6, 1753, Hannah White married husband Isaac Arnett, born May 30, 1726, becoming Hannah White Arnett. Arnett had a daughter, Susan, who married Shepard Kollok. The men refused the offer of amnesty. She is buried in the cemetery of the First Presbyterian Church of Elizabeth, New Jersey. On July 13, 1890, after the Sons of the American Revolution refused to allow women to join their group, Mary Smith Lockwood published the story of Hannah White Arnett in The Washington Post, ending her piece with the question, "Where will the Sons and Daughters of the American Revolution place Hannah Arnett?"

Memorial A memorial "honoring the patriotic dead of many wars laid to rest in this hallowed ground especially a noble woman Hannah White Arnett" was erected in 1938 in the cemetery of the First Presbyterian Church of Elizabeth, New Jersey by the Boudinot Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. Another marker on the wall of that cemetery, which is now illegible, read in part, "Near here rests Hannah White Arnett... Her patriotic words, uttered in the dark days of 1776, summoned discouraged men to keep Elizabethtown loyal to the cause of American independence."