S2 – INTERVIEW 4_ Nancy Rubin Stuart - Maggie Fox and the History of 19th-Century Spiritualism

Introduction and Guest Overview

• Host: Aaron Menke.

• Series: Unobscured Interview Series, Season 2 (iHeartRadio production).

• Guest Historian: Nancy Rubin Stewart.

• Guest Credentials:

  • Award-winning author and journalist.

  • Biographer specializing in women who were major power players in American history.

  • Executive Director of the Cape Cod Writers Center in Massachusetts.

  • Co-president of the Boston chapter of the National Book Association.

• Primary Subject: Maggie Fox, based on Stewart's book The Reluctant Spiritualist.

• Researcher involved: Carl Nellis.

The Climate of 19th-Century Spiritualism

• Required Personality Traits: Stewart notes that being a spiritualist required "pluck and bravery."

• Societal Perception: Depending on location and audience, a spiritualist was either "revered, adored, admired" or "despised" and linked to evil or communion with the devil.

• Motivations for Involvement:

  • Religious Ferment: The early 19th century, leading up to the Civil War, was a period of intense religious change.

  • The Second Great Awakening: This movement was a refutation of Enlightenment ideals (reason and logic) in favor of Romanticism, which emphasized emotion, mystery, and the magical qualities of humanity.

  • Shift in Doctrine: There was a move away from strict Calvinistic ideas of original sin and eternal suffering in hellfire.

  • Social Reform Connections: The spiritualist movement was intertwined with themes of brotherhood, abolition, coeducation, and women's rights.

• Demographics and Death:

  • Life expectancy was short: The average life expectancy for a man in Massachusetts was $50$, and for a woman, it was $42$.

  • Death was ubiquitous, leading to a shift in how it was perceived: from something to be feared (hellfire) to something benevolent and kind.

  • Definition of Spiritualism: The belief that humans are not just physical bodies but possess a higher spirit that survives death and can commune happily with the living.

Significance for Women and American History

• Social Conduit: Spiritualism served as a gateway for early psychology, early political movements (abolition), and women's rights.

• Religious Equality: The movement was founded on the idea that "all souls are equal," which translated to equality across genders, races, and creeds.

• Prominent Figure Connections:

  • William Lloyd Garrison: A noted abolitionist and a spiritualist.

  • Elizabeth Cady Stanton: Sat at early seance tables.

  • The McClintocks: Early women's rights advocates involved prior to the $1848$ Seneca Falls Convention.

• Stewart's Research Focus: Her work explores the common thread of "women in power"—how women achieved power, why they were denied it, and what occurred when they held it (e.g., Marjorie Merriweather Post, Mercy Otis Warren, Isabella of Castile).

The Origin of American Spiritualism: The Fox Sisters

• The Zeitgeist of Upstate New York: The area was prosperous due to the opening of the Erie Canal, which facilitated the flow of goods (furs, produce) to New York City.

• Rochester, New York: Described as a sophisticated city filled with new ideas.

• Religious Hub: The region saw the rise of the Millerites (later Seventh-day Adventists), Shakers (branch of Quakers from England), and Mormons (Joseph Smith).

• The "Burnt-Out Area": A term used for Western New York because people were exhausted by constant camp meetings and religious revivals.

• Key Influencer: Andrew Jackson Davis, who based his ideas on European philosopher Swedenborg. He published The Divine Revelations of Nature, a best-seller advocating for spirit communication.

• The Fox Sisters' Start (March $1848$):

  • Location: A farmhouse in Hyattsville (transcript spelling; historically Hydesville), roughly $30$ miles from Rochester.

  • Participants: Maggie Fox ($15$ years old) and Katie Fox ($12$ years old).

  • Initial Trickery: The girls played jokes on their superstitious mother, Mrs. Fox. They created "ghostly raps" by popping their toes and ankles. They also used strings on apples to mimic footsteps.

  • Escalation: The mother became hysterical and invited neighbors. The girls were caught in the lie and felt they had to continue to avoid disgracing their parents.

The Rise of the Movement

• Leah Fox Fish: The older sister, a single mother and piano teacher in Rochester.

  • She recognized the financial potential and functioned as a PR person.

  • She reportedly blackmailed her younger sisters to continue the seances.

  • She moved the girls to Rochester to handle the growing crowds.

• Media and Publicity: Horace Greeley of the New York Tribune became a prominent supporter and observer.

• Public Scrutiny:

  • Churches were horrified, accusing the girls of witchcraft.

  • The girls faced death threats and potential "tar and feathering."

  • The Corinthian Hall Seance (November $1848$): A major event in Rochester where the girls performed on stage. The raps were vague, leading to accusations of fraud.

  • Committee Examinations: The girls were examined for four or five days by committees, often involving undressing them to see if they were making sounds with their bodies. No conclusive evidence of fraud was found.

• Expansion: By $1854$, the movement was national, with over $15,000$ signatures on a petition presented to Congress. New mediums, especially children and women, appeared in cities from Philadelphia to San Francisco.

Maggie Fox and Elisha Kent Kane

• Elisha Kent Kane: An elite physician and Arctic explorer from Philadelphia. He suffered from rheumatic fever.

• The Meeting ($1852$): Kane attended a seance at the Webb Hotel in Philadelphia, initially skeptical but eventually falling in love with Maggie.

• Conflict with Leah: Leah viewed Maggie as a "cash cow" and opposed the relationship.

• Kane's Ambition: He wanted to turn Maggie into a "lady" and wife, which meant she had to quit being a medium. He funded her education in Crookville, Pennsylvania, under the supervision of a Mrs. Turner.

• Arctic Expeditions:

  • Kane departed on May $31, 1853$, searching for Sir John Franklin.

  • He was gone for over two years; his ship became frozen in ice.

  • Maggie remained in Crookville, bored and occasionally returning to New York.

• The Breakup and Marriage:

  • Upon his return, Kane initially told Maggie he could not marry her because of her status as a "rapper" and family pressure.

  • In $1856$, just before leaving for England, they underwent a private "Quaker ceremony" exchange of vows witnessed by Mrs. Fox and Katie.

  • Kane's Death: Kane went to England and then Cuba for his health ($1856-1857$). He died in Cuba, but Maggie only discovered this via the newspaper.

Legal Struggles and Alcoholism

• Legacy Issues: Kane left a legacy of $5,000$, but Maggie was sidelined by his family. She engaged in a protracted, unsuccessful lawsuit to prove her status as his wife and secure dower rights.

• Public Image: Maggie became known as unstable and emotionally disturbed, lashing out in letters to the Kane family.

• The Book: In May $1862$, she co-authored The Love Life of Doctor Kane to validate her relationship, but it failed to generate significant income or public interest.

• Alcoholism:

  • Maggie and Katie both struggled with severe alcoholism.

  • Their father had also been an alcoholic.

  • Katie was treated at the Swedish Movement Cure hospital by Dr. George Taylor and his wife Sarah in New York but frequently relapsed.

• Leah's Later Life: Leah married a wealthy man named Underhill, who funded Katie's rehab and Maggie's support despite internal family rifts.

The Confession and Final Years

• London ($1870s$): Katie moved to London, married Henry Jenkins, and had two children (Ferdinand and Henry Jr.). After Jenkins died, she returned to New York without funds.

• The $1888$ Confession:

  • Maggie determined to expose spiritualism as a "fraud" and an "ulcer."

  • On October $21, 1888$, she appeared before $3,000$ people at the New York Academy of Music.

  • She demonstrated how she produced the raps by hiking her skirts and showing her foot movements.

  • She later "refuted her refutation," claiming she was forced or paid to confess, which further complicated her legacy.

• Deaths: Katie died of alcoholism; Maggie died in $1892$.

• Post-Mortem Mystery: A nurse attending Maggie reported hearing mysterious knocks and sounds at the time of her death that could not be explained.

Scientific and Psychological Legacy

• William James: The Harvard psychologist and philosopher investigated clairvoyants (like Lenora Piper), leading to the field of parapsychology.

• Societies: The American Society for Psychical Research and the British Society for Psychical Research were formed to study these phenomena scientifically.

• Notable Adherents/Skeptics:

  • Arthur Conan Doyle: A staunch believer.

  • Harry Houdini: A magician who became a dedicated debunker.

  • Joseph Banks Rhine: A disciple of William McDougall at Duke University who researched ESP (Extra Sensory Perception).

• Modern Recognition: In $1893$, the National Spiritualist Association of Churches was recognized as a legitimate religion, now centered at the Lilydale Assembly in New York.

Questions & Discussion

• Question (Carl Nellis): In addition to writing about Maggie Fox, you've written biographies of Marjorie Merriweather Post, Mercy Otis Warren, and Isabella of Castile. Is there a common thread?

  • Response (Nancy Rubin Stewart): Yes. The common thread is "women in power." I was curious about what happened to women who had power in history, those who didn't, and why. These biographies all reflect that exploration.

• Question (Carl Nellis): How did the religious atmosphere particularly open space for spiritualism?

  • Response (Nancy Rubin Stewart): It was the "zeitgeist." The Erie Canal brought wealth and sophisticated ideas to Rochester. New religions like the Millerites and Shakers created a "burnt-out area" in Western New York, leading people to seek simplicity or new ways to connect with the divine, specifically through the spiritualism proposed by people like Andrew Jackson Davis.

• Question (Carl Nellis): What did the Fox sisters think of the Civil War?

  • Response (Nancy Rubin Stewart): The records are contradictory and not well-documented. However, given their background with abolition, it is assumed they were in favor of freeing the slaves. The Civil War itself caused a surge in spiritualism because so many people were seeking to communicate with loved ones lost in battle.

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• Teaser for Next Week: An interview discussing Victoria Woodhull, who functioned as a spiritualist "advice columnist" for physical, marital, and financial problems.