Mary Emery, Cincinnati's

Cincinnati, Ohio

Cincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located to north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's...

 lady bountiful, (born Mary Hopkins) was born to parents Richard Hopkins and Mary Barr Denny Muhlenberg in 1844. In 1862, Mary and her family moved to Cincinnati, Ohio from Brooklyn

Brooklyn

Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...

, New York

New York

New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...

. Mary was educated at the Packer Collegiate Institute

Packer Collegiate Institute

Packer Collegiate Institute is an independent college preparatory school for students from prekindergarten through grade 12. Formerly the Brooklyn Female Academy, Packer has been located at 170 Joralemon Street in the historic district of Brooklyn Heights since its founding in 1845.- History :A...

 in Brooklyn and excelled in advanced mathematics and astronomy. She married Thomas Emery in 1866. Thomas was the oldest son of a businessman, whose empire of candle manufacturing, real estate and housing construction would soon grow exponentially. They had two sons together, Sheldon and Albert. Albert was killed in a fatal sledding accident while at prep school. Together, the couple bought an enormous estate called "Mariemont" near Newport, Rhode Island

Newport, Rhode Island

Newport is a city on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, Rhode Island, United States, about south of Providence. Known as a New England summer resort and for the famous Newport Mansions, it is the home of Salve Regina University and Naval Station Newport which houses the United States Naval War...

. Upon the death of her husband, Mary became a generous philanthropist and benefactor. In her final years, she recognized her "vast responsibility" and began funding various orphanages, colleges, hospitals, and schools with the enormous fortune she inherited upon her husband's death. She avoided publicity as much as possible for her donations. In 1923, she funded the planned community of Mariemont, Ohio

Mariemont, Ohio

Mariemont is a planned community village in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States. It includes one or two historic districts, Village of Mariemont and Mariemont Historic District. Founded in the 1920s by Mary Emery, Mariemont exhibits English architecture from Norman to classic Georgian style...

, named after her estate in Rhode Island, an investment in which she apparently took much pride. She died four years later in 1927.