She raised money needed to purchase the freedom of some of her family members by embarking on an anit-slavery lecture tour.
[4] Frances Gordon planned to free the Pyles family from slavery because her Wesleyan Methodist faith advocated for manumission.
Frances took the Pyles family to the north seeking freedom except for Charlotta's son Benjamin who was kidnapped and sold.
Despite having no formal education, her public speaking was very popular and she was able to raise the money within 6 months and buy the freedom of her sons-in-law.
On her lecture tour, she caught the attention of fellow abolitionist Fredrick Douglas along with women's suffrage activist Susan B. Anthony.
[7] After her lectures, Pyles continued to fight against slavery as her home in Keokuk became a haven for runaway slaves on their escape to Canada.