Joanna Bethune

Joanna Bethune (* 1770 in Fort Niagara , New York Province; † 1860 ) was an American social reformer. She was instrumental in founding the New York Orphan Asylum orphanage in 1806.

Bethune was born the daughter of a surgeon in the service of the Royal American Regiment . Her mother, Isabella Graham, was a champion of social commitment. She spent her childhood in Antigua and Scotland . She returned to the United States in 1789 at the age of 19. There she began working as a teacher in New York and was also involved in various charities. In 1795 she married Divie Bethune, a merchant who had emigrated from Scotland.

Together with her husband, Bethune founded the first Sunday School in New York in 1802 . Four years later, she campaigned for the founding of the New York Orphan Asylum.

In memory of Bethune's work, a street in the West Village of Manhattan was named after her.