Overview
Cordelia Adelaide Harvey (December 27, 1824 – February 27, 1895) is best known for her advocacy for Wisconsin Union soldiers as an American Civil War nurse. Following her involvement in the war, she took on the challenge of finding homes for children of fallen soldiers.
Early life
Born on December 27, 1824, as Cordelia Adelaide Perrine, she grew up in Barre, New York. In 1842 she moved with her family to Kenosha, Wisconsin Territory, where they owned a prosperous farm. It was there that she taught school until 1845, when she met fellow teacher Louis P. Harvey. The two were married that same year, and briefly moved to Clinton Junction, Wisconsin, where Louis Harvey owned and operated a county store. The last letter Cordelia received from her husband, dated two days before his death, he wrote, "Yesterday was the day of my life. Thank God for the impulse that brought me here. I am well, and have done more good by coming, than I can well tell you." Cordelia received the devastating news while aiding a destitute family in Madison.
Wisconsin Angel
Following the death of her husband, Cordelia decided she must finish the work he had begun with wounded soldiers. It was at this time she was appointed an agent of the Western Sanitary Committee at St. Louis. In this new position, she visited Union Military Hospitals along the Mississippi River and Wisconsin Regiment Hospitals. At each stop, she would send for supplies to treat the numerous needs of her patients. On one of her tours, she caught camp fever and had to return north to recover. The Harvey Hospital in Madison had treated over 630 patients by the time the war ended. Once the war ended, Harvey took it upon herself to find homes for the children who lost fathers on the battlefield. When the Harvey hospital closed in 1865, she decided it was perfectly suited for a children's home. She convinced the government to purchase the building for $10,000.
Through private donations, she furnished and operated the home, opening its doors on January 10, 1866. The building housed dormitories as well as a classroom for 150 students, and an infirmary. Harvey began with 84 children as the superintendent, and had as many as 300 at certain times. As the children were placed in foster care the numbers dropped to just 40, and the home was closed in 1875. In the nine years it was open, 683 children between the ages of 9 and 14 called it home.
Final years
After the home closed, she married Reverend Albert Chester in 1876, and lived with him in Buffalo, New York until his death. She then moved back to her and Louis' home in Wisconsin, where she taught Sunday School. On February 27, 1895, Cordelia died at the age of 70. She was buried next to her first husband in Madison. Today, there is a historical marker near Kenosha that reads "Cordelia A. P. Harvey: Wisconsin women rallied to support the Union during the Civil War. They became nurses, hospital matrons, sanitary agents and ministers. C. A. P. Harvey attained national prominence for her role in promoting convalescent aid for sick and wounded soldiers."