A member of the Hutchinson Family Singers from, Abby Hutchinson Patton (1829-1892) dedicated her musical talents to social causes. Born the fourth daughter, and the youngest of sixteen siblings, Patton grew up in a musical family in Milford, New Hampshire, making her first appearance on stage at age ten. An ardent abolitionist and suffragist, she traveled the world with her brothers advocating for freedom, human rights and temperance through song. The most popular performers of their day, The Hutchinson Family Singers originated a unique American musical tradition that later informed the development of folk music. A poet and journalist, Patton published a compilation of her work entitled “A Handful of Pebbles” in 1891 and frequently contributed to American newspapers.