[3][4] Laura's father Harvey was an abolitionist who was active in the Congregationalist Church, the Underground Railroad, and in politics.

[6] In Cleveland, Lute and Laura Spelman met John Davison Rockefeller while attending accounting classes together.

After the wedding, Spelman remained active in the church (she joined Rockefeller's congregation, the Northern Baptists) and with her family.

[2] Laura Spelman Rockefeller died on March 12, 1915, at 75 of a heart attack, at the family estate Kykuit in Pocantico Hills, New York near the Hudson River.

He donated large amounts to the fund and charitable organizations then shifted his focus to giving to social sciences.