Jane Addams was born in Cedarville, Illinois on September 6, 1860,and the
             eighth of nine children. Her father, John Addams, was a prosperous miller
             and local political leader who served for sixteen years as a state senator
             and fought as an officer in the Civil War, he was a friend of Abraham
             Jane's mother dies when she was only two. Her father remarried and her new
             stepmother brought along two new stepbrothers to add to the already large
             family. With the fact of Jane's mother passing away she was especially
             devoted to her father, her father became her idol (Jane 1). He taught her
             tolerance, philanthropy, and strong work ethic (Biography 2). He encouraged
             her to pursue higher education but not at the cost of losing her femininity
             and the prospect of marriage and motherhood (Biography 2). She was born
             Laura Jane Addams and was named after Mrs. Laura Jane Forbes, an intelligent
             young woman who had taught private school in the village before she married
             Colonel H.C. Forbes. Soon her siblings were calling her Jenny: for most
             "Jane's" were "Jenny's" then, so soon after the gala concert tour of Jenny
             Lind, "the Swedish Nightingale." When Jenny was 2 years old she was still
             sleeping with her mother, who died while giving birth to her ninth child.
             This brought great sorrow to the town of Cedarville because Jane's mother was
             very well liked in the town, usually being the first to the bedside of the
             sick or invalid and a great comfort to all of the townspeople (Wise, 16).
             Although Jane's mother lost 4 children at a very young age she had five
             healthy ones survive. The oldest was Mary, who cared for all the children,
             then Martha, Webber, Alice, and Jenny the baby of the family (Jane). When
             their father went to Springfield for the state legislature Mary wrote to him
             often telling him about the children and the quickly spreading scarlet fever.
             In one such letter...