#16 famous people come from Pelham, Abby Kelley Foster the best known
Abby Kelley Foster, the American activist, is the most widely known, written about in 17 languages. Second place goes to the American inventor William Otis, third to Harvey Willson Harkness. More than half were born in the early republic, 5 in all. From David Thomas to Lettie S. Bigelow, the births on the list run from 1762 to 1849.
What stands out about Pelham’s famous people
When Pelham’s famous people were born
The 1810s alone account for 2 of the births charted here.
Each dot is a person, stacked by the decade they were born.
Born in Pelham
Two of the three are scientists and doctors.
#1
#2
#3What Pelham is known for
No other field is as far above the usual share as leaders, at 2.4 times.
The usual town: the share across everyone born in the towns gathered so far. Tap a field to see its people.
Everyone else born in Pelham
Still to come: 3 more, from 1762 to 1849.


No one matches both filters.
Who’s the most famous person from Pelham?
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Famous people from the towns next door
The neighbour with the most names is Amherst Town, at 29.
From Wikidata and Wikipedia: people whose birthplace is Pelham and whose English Wikipedia article agrees, ranked by how many Wikipedia languages cover each person. People known mainly for crimes, and adult performers, aren’t listed. “The usual town” = everyone born in the towns gathered so far.
Photo credits (9)
- Abby Kelley Foster: Abby Kelley Foster, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- William Otis: Bass Otis, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Harvey Willson Harkness: Not stated, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- David Thomas: Artist: Charles Balthazar Julien Févret de Saint-Mémin (12 Mar 1770 - 23 Jun 1852), Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Lettie S. Bigelow: Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Emily Dickinson: Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Robert S. Woodworth: Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Elisha Hunt Allen: credited to Bernice P. Bishop Museum, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Herbert Baxter Adams: Mathew Benjamin Brady / Levin Corbin Handy, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons



