Anna Sewell was born on March 30, 1820, in Yarmouth, England, to Quaker parents of gentle beliefs and practices. She lived in a combined house and clothing shop in London until moving with her family to Dalston in 1822. Her humanitarianism developed early, as is evidenced by an event that occurred in Dalston. When Sewell and her brother Philip learned of the Irish potato famine, they forfeited a longawaited vacation in order to send money to Ireland. Fortunately for the children, an uncle soon sent them to the seaside at his own expense.

Similarly, Sewell displayed sensitivity toward the treatment of animals early in her life. At nine years of age, she refused to allow a man to retrieve a blackbird he had shot in her yard and scolded him for his cruelty. As both a child and an adult, Sewell often spoke out against the abuse...