Sarah Thompson, Countess Rumford
Encyclopedia
Sarah Thompson, Countess Rumford, (18 October 1774 - 2 December 1852) was a philanthropist
. She is the first American to be known as a Countess.
Thompson was the daughter of the Anglo-American physicist
and inventor Benjamin Thompson
and of Sarah Rolfe, a rich and well-connected heiress, who was thirteen years older than her husband. Both were born and brought up in the American
colonies
and married there in 1772.
During the American Revolutionary War
of 1775 to 1783, Benjamin Thompson took the side of the British, and at the end of the war he moved to London. He was knight
ed in 1784. In 1785, when Sarah Thompson was eleven years old, her father moved to Bavaria
to become an aide-de-camp
to the Prince-elector
Karl Theodor
. She, however, remained in New England
with her mother.
In 1792, Sir Benjamin Thompson was created a Count
of the Holy Roman Empire
. He took the name "Rumford" for Rumford, New Hampshire, which was an older name for the town of Concord
, where he had been married, becoming "Count Rumford".
, with other trips in-between. She often would travel to Paris and lived there for two and three years.
From 1845, Thompson lived primarily at her home in Concord, New Hampshire. She lived there in luxury with an adopted daughter until her death in 1852.
Thompson established the Rolfe and Rumford Asylums in Concord, New Hampshire. She provided assistance to and bequeathed large sums of money to charitable societies in Concord and Boston for needy children, motherless girls, widows, and the mentally ill. The United Way in 1984 founded the Rumford Society in honor of the charitable donations given by Thompson.
Her gravestone monument reads,
Philanthropist
A philanthropist is someone who engages in philanthropy; that is, someone who donates his or her time, money, and/or reputation to charitable causes...
. She is the first American to be known as a Countess.
Early life
Physics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
and inventor Benjamin Thompson
Benjamin Thompson
Sir Benjamin Thompson, Count Rumford , FRS was an American-born British physicist and inventor whose challenges to established physical theory were part of the 19th century revolution in thermodynamics. He also served as a Lieutenant-Colonel in the Loyalist forces in America during the American...
and of Sarah Rolfe, a rich and well-connected heiress, who was thirteen years older than her husband. Both were born and brought up in the American
Massachusetts Bay Colony
The Massachusetts Bay Colony was an English settlement on the east coast of North America in the 17th century, in New England, situated around the present-day cities of Salem and Boston. The territory administered by the colony included much of present-day central New England, including portions...
colonies
Province of New Hampshire
The Province of New Hampshire is a name first given in 1629 to the territory between the Merrimack and Piscataqua rivers on the eastern coast of North America. It was formally organized as an English royal colony on October 7, 1691, during the period of English colonization...
and married there in 1772.
During the American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
of 1775 to 1783, Benjamin Thompson took the side of the British, and at the end of the war he moved to London. He was knight
Knight
A knight was a member of a class of lower nobility in the High Middle Ages.By the Late Middle Ages, the rank had become associated with the ideals of chivalry, a code of conduct for the perfect courtly Christian warrior....
ed in 1784. In 1785, when Sarah Thompson was eleven years old, her father moved to Bavaria
Bavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
to become an aide-de-camp
Aide-de-camp
An aide-de-camp is a personal assistant, secretary, or adjutant to a person of high rank, usually a senior military officer or a head of state...
to the Prince-elector
Prince-elector
The Prince-electors of the Holy Roman Empire were the members of the electoral college of the Holy Roman Empire, having the function of electing the Roman king or, from the middle of the 16th century onwards, directly the Holy Roman Emperor.The heir-apparent to a prince-elector was known as an...
Karl Theodor
Charles Theodore, Elector of Bavaria
Charles Theodore, Prince-Elector, Count Palatine and Duke of Bavaria reigned as Prince-Elector and Count palatine from 1742, as Duke of Jülich and Berg from 1742 and also as Prince-Elector and Duke of Bavaria from 1777, until his death...
. She, however, remained in New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
with her mother.
In 1792, Sir Benjamin Thompson was created a Count
Count
A count or countess is an aristocratic nobleman in European countries. The word count came into English from the French comte, itself from Latin comes—in its accusative comitem—meaning "companion", and later "companion of the emperor, delegate of the emperor". The adjective form of the word is...
of the Holy Roman Empire
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a realm that existed from 962 to 1806 in Central Europe.It was ruled by the Holy Roman Emperor. Its character changed during the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period, when the power of the emperor gradually weakened in favour of the princes...
. He took the name "Rumford" for Rumford, New Hampshire, which was an older name for the town of Concord
Concord, New Hampshire
The city of Concord is the capital of the state of New Hampshire in the United States. It is also the county seat of Merrimack County. As of the 2010 census, its population was 42,695....
, where he had been married, becoming "Count Rumford".
Adult life
Around 1796, at her father's request, Sarah Thompson traveled to London to be with him since four years earlier her mother had died. In 1797, the Elector of Bavaria accepted Thompson as a Countess of the Holy Roman Empire. In recognition of her father's military services to Bavaria, she was to be given one half of his pension of 2000 florins upon his death, with the right to live in any country she wished. When her father died in 1814 she became "Countess Rumford". Thompson spent her time between her homes in Brompton, London, and Concord, New HampshireConcord, New Hampshire
The city of Concord is the capital of the state of New Hampshire in the United States. It is also the county seat of Merrimack County. As of the 2010 census, its population was 42,695....
, with other trips in-between. She often would travel to Paris and lived there for two and three years.
Later life
Thompson established the Rolfe and Rumford Asylums in Concord, New Hampshire. She provided assistance to and bequeathed large sums of money to charitable societies in Concord and Boston for needy children, motherless girls, widows, and the mentally ill. The United Way in 1984 founded the Rumford Society in honor of the charitable donations given by Thompson.
Her gravestone monument reads,
External links
- A Biography of Benjamin Thompson (her father), written in 1868
- Family history on Thompson with additional on Sarah Thompson
- Count Rumford - General Benjamin Thompson additional family history