Celia Burleigh was one of the first women in America to be ordained as a minister. Mrs. Burleigh received her ordination in the Old Meeting House on October 5, 1871, its centennial year. She became the first woman ever ordained by Unitarians. She was a widow of an abolitionist. That was someone who did not want to have slavery. She served in the Brooklyn church for two years before retiring due to poor health.