I was born in New Jersey sometime before the Revolution and lived near what is now Hamilton Square. When war came to our land, I did not carry a musket or march with the army, but I served in a different way. I opened my home to prisoners of war—men who had been captured in battle, wounded, starving, and far from their families. I gave them shelter and I gave them care.

Details of my life are scarce. I married a man named David Chambers, and we lived quietly, like so many others whose stories were never written in the books. But during the fight for independence, I did what I could to help the cause. I stood with the Patriots not on a battlefield, but around a hearth. My contribution was not glory, but comfort.

Though I am not widely known, my name has survived. And like the many women who kept this country standing while the men went off to war, I played my part.