Jane Chambers McKinney Graydon
American abolitionist
About Jane Chambers McKinney Graydon
Lived 1802 – 1891 (aged 88–89). Jane Chambers McKinney Graydon was an American.
Jane Chambers McKinney Graydon (July 16, 1802 – March 30, 1891) was an abolitionist who served as a nurse during the American Civil War. In collaboration with Catharine Merrill, she organized a charitable society in 1867 that founded the Indianapolis Home for Friendless Women, the predecessor to the Indianapolis Retirement Home.
McKinney, who was born in Wilmington, Delaware in 1802, became an abolitionist as an adult. She married Alexander Graydon, an iron manufacturer, in 1822 and they moved to Indianapolis, Indiana, in 1843. She was also involved with the Presbyterian Church. With Catharine Merrill, who also served as a nurse during the war, Jane McKinney Graydon organized the charitable group that established the Indianapolis Home for Friendless Women in 1867. This Indianapolis women's shelter provided refuge to homeless women, as well as orphans and widows of soldiers. By the end of the nineteenth-century, it was caring for an estimated 400 to 500 people annually. The facility was renamed the Indianapolis Home for the Aged in 1936 and reorganized so that it could accept male residents; its name was changed to the Indianapolis Retirement Home in 1976.
As an abolitionist, her home was also reported to be a station in the Underground Railroad.
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Important facts
People in Jane Chambers McKinney Graydon's life
Named in this biography and alive at the same time
Contemporaries
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Frequently asked questions
Who was Jane Chambers McKinney Graydon?
American abolitionist
When was Jane Chambers McKinney Graydon born?
Jane Chambers McKinney Graydon was born in 1802 in Wilmington.
When did Jane Chambers McKinney Graydon die?
Jane Chambers McKinney Graydon died in 1891.
What nationality was Jane Chambers McKinney Graydon?
Jane Chambers McKinney Graydon was American.
Sources & further reading
· Wikipedia: Jane Chambers McKinney Graydon
· DBpedia: Jane Chambers McKinney Graydon
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Jane Chambers McKinney Graydon. https://biography.guide/jane-chambers-mckinney-graydon/
MLA: "Jane Chambers McKinney Graydon." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/jane-chambers-mckinney-graydon/.
Chicago: "Jane Chambers McKinney Graydon." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/jane-chambers-mckinney-graydon/.
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