Eliza Thompson

Who was Eliza Thompson?

A lecture by Diocletian Lewis in 1873 inspired Eliza Thompson, daughter of Governor Allen Trimble, to begin leading groups of women into saloons where they sang hymns prayed for the closure of the establishments. These direct, non-violent “Visitation Bands” were successful and quickly spread first across the state of Ohio and then to a total of 22 other states from New York to California.

"Mother Thompson" and others claimed often dramatic conversions by saloon keepers. In other cases, the retailers simply gave up after being picked for weeks by the Visitation Bands.

Within several years the movement subsided. However, it was successful in stimulating the temperance movement, which had declined with the outbreak of the Civil War. The Women’s Christian Temperance Union traces its origins to the Women’s Crusade against alcohol.

Headstone of Eliza Jane Thompson and her husband James Henry Thompson at Hillsboro Cemetery in Hillsboro, Ohio.

Gravemarker of Eliza Thompson.

Gravemarker of James Henry Thompson.