The Lives of Women in History
By April Rogers
The Lives of Women in HistoryNov 30, 2021
Helen Keller
Helen Keller was an author, lecturer, and crusader for the handicapped. Born in Tuscumbia, Alabama, She lost her sight and hearing at the age of nineteen months to an illness now believed to have been scarlet fever. Join us at The Lives of Women in History Facebook group.
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Sarah Jane Woodson Early
Sarah Jane Woodson Early was an African American educator, author, and feminist. For 30 years she was a teacher and school principal in Ohio, and in the South after the Civil War. In 1866 she became the first African American woman professor when she was hired by Wilberforce University to teach Latin and English.
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Minna Canth
Minna Canth was a Finnish writer and social activist. She began to write as a widow raising seven children. Her work addressed issues of women's rights and gender equality, particularly in the context of a prevailing culture she considered against permitting the expression and realization of women's aspirations. The Worker's Wife and The Pastor's Family are two of her best-known plays, but the play Anna Liisa was the most adapted to the films and operas. In her time, she became a controversial figure, due to the asynchrony between her ideas and those of her time, and in part due to her strong advocacy for her point of view.
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Elizabeth Murray Campbell Smith Inman
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Phillis Wheatley Peters
As a small child, she was stolen from her home. Placed aboard a dank, dark, disease-infested ship and chained to stranges for months. Somehow she managed to survive the journey. The young nameless girl, missing her two front teeth, was purchased by the Wheatley family and given the name of Phillis. The Wheatleys soon discovered how bright the little girl was and decided to educate her. She grew into an amazing Poet at a time when women and especially enslaved black women were seen as inferior and considered ignorant. Her book of poetry inspired a nation and soon after she gained her freedom.
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Mary Church Terrell
Mary Church was born to enslaved parents in 1863. Her mother and father both had white fathers who took interest in their lives and made sure they were educated. The family was eventually free of their bondage and went on to be business owners and gain significant wealth. Mary attended unsegregated schools and eventually went to college and graduated with both bachelor's and master's degrees. She started her career as a teacher and eventually became an activist for both racial equality and women's suffrage.
Kate Bender
Kate Bender gained a reputation as an attractive but dangerous woman in her Labette County community. Living with her mother, father, and brother while helping them run an isolated grocery and roadhouse she felt somewhat like an alien. She was the only one to culture social skills. It was even said that she had an alleged gift for second sight and spiritualism and distributed advertising circulars throughout the county proclaiming her abilities.
Her enduring fame wouldn't come from her supposed abilities but that of murder. Kate was the leading member of the "Bloody Benders." The small Bender home was divided into two rooms by canvas cloth. There was a table, stove, and grocery stores in front and beds in the back along with the pit-like cellar covered by a trap door.
The Bender family's crimes were considered some of the more gruesome perpetrated on Kansas soil. John, his wife Katherine, son John Jr., and daughter Kate operated an inn outside of Parsons from 1871 to 1873.
Witches in Britan
Happy Halloween. In this episode, we discuss the history of some of the witch trials and the self-proclaimed Witchfinder General Mathew Hopkins! along with a quick bonus of Faries, brownies, and Hobgoblins.
Ann Hutchinson
Ann Hutchinson was an influential Puritan spiritual leader in colonial New England who challenged the religious doctrines of her time. She was one of the earliest American feminists. She challenged male authority and this indirectly challenged gender roles. She preached to both women and men and questioned Puritan teachings about salvation.
Martha Canary a.k.a Calamity Jane
Young Martha Canary had a rough early life and didn't make things easier on herself as she grew into womanhood. She traveled from place to place looking for somewhere that she could call home. She quickly found that she preferred men's work to women's work and forgetting was in a bottle. She tried to be respectable but after years of living a life as Calamity Jane, it was hard to settle down and change. She had a heart of gold and a soul meant to wonder.
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Pocahontas
Pocahontas was the daughter of Chief Powhatan. She was around 11 years old when the English came from England to try and build a colony they would call Jamestown. Many myths surround the short life of Pocahontas, and many if not most of them are due to John Smith. In this episode of The Lives of Women in History I do my best to factually tell the story of this young Powhatan woman and how she came to be such an essential part of Native American history. In this episode kidnapping and rape are mentioned.
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The Elusive Etta Place
Etta Place was the love interest of Harry Longabaugh aka the Sundance Kid. She was and where she was from is a mystery to this day. The Pinkerton Detective Agency described her, in 1906, as having, "classic good looks, 27 or 28 years old, 5'4" to 5'5" [163–165 cm] in height, weighing between 110 and 115 lb [50 and 52 kg], with a medium build and brown hair."
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The Love of Kid Curry's LIfe: Annie Rogers
Delta Moore, aka, Annie Rogers, was a soiled dove in Hell's Half Acre, in a brothel owned by Fanny Porter. This short episode tells all that we know about Annie. A well-read, intelligent, beautiful woman who kept the company of a brutal outlaw.
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The Wild Rose: Laura Bullion
Laura Bullion was born in Texas in 1876. Her father was an outlaw who died too soon and her mother was a wild lady who like to live it up with random boyfriends. Often dropped on the doorstep of her maternal grandparents Laura learned to fend for herself. Finding love in the arms of two infamous outlaws.
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The Donner Reed Party pt 9: After the Rescue the Survivors Settle In
Only half of the Donner-Reed party survived that horrible winter at Truckee Lake and Alder Creek and most of them were women and girls. Those that did survive went on to create a good life for themself in California. Most achieved their goals and obtained land, opportunities, and prosperity. That horrible winter shadowed them and made them famous insofar as fame existed at that time. Still, they did not let it rule their lives. Each survivor had their own life to live and outside of their family, they did not keep in touch with one another.
The Donner Reed Party pt 8: "Are you from California or are you from Heaven?"
James Reed and Aquilla Glover each lead a rescue team into the deeply snow-covered mountains in hopes of rescuing the remaining pioneers. For many, it was too late but for the survivors, the rescue parties were a sight for weary eyes. The pioneers at Truckee Lake and Alder Creek had both reached the deepest darkest depths of desperation and given in to the last resort of cannibalism. James Reed was reunited with his family and thankful they were all still alive.
Episode Cover Art: Tamsen Donner
The Donner Reed Party pt 7: "Were one to die, the rest might live."
Cover photo is
The Donner Reed Party pt 6: Trapped in Desperation and Despair
The Donner and Reed parties find themselves trapped near Truckee Lake. It is only November but winter snow has come early and trapped the pioneers in what can only be called hell. Freezing and starving the families struggle to survive while clinging o the hope that a rescue party is not too far away. A group of pioneers known as Forlorn Hope take the chance and go for help. Off in the distance, the Paiute quietly watches in fear as the white settlers face death and an uncertain future.
Cover Art image of Mary Ann Graves
The Donner Reed Party pt 5: Rock Upon Rock, Snow Upon Snow
James Reed has been banished from the group and had to leave his wife and children in the care of the others in the Donner Party. Just when the group thinks things are about to get better it starts all over again. Teachers desserts to traverse with no food or water. Then steep rocky mountains put the pioneers into even more danger. The snow begins to fall and the Donner-Reed party is trapped.
The Donner Reed Party pt. 4: The Desert Banishment
The Donner Party has fallen even more behind. As summer begins to fade into fall and the worry of winter quickly approaches the pioneers know they need to move fast. They continue to follow the directions of Lansford Hastings and find themselves in the middle of the Great Salt Lake Desert with no water and little hope of making it out alive. Tempers flair and James Reed is banished from the group to find his own way to California.
The Donner and Reed Party pt. 3: A Dangerous Shortcut
James Reed insists on taking the Hastings cutoff when most everyone is warning him not to. The party faces weeks of hardship traveling a path that no one knows and following the advice of a man who himself had not traveled the so-called shortcut.
The Donner and Reed Party pt 2: Independence Points the Way
The Donner and Reed Party: Preparing for the Journey
Meet James Reed and his family and George Donner and his family, plus several other families and hired hands as they prepare to travel 2500 miles across the country to California. The journey is full of excitement and danger. We will watch through the eyes of soon-to-be 13-year-old Virginia Reed as the families find themselves hopelessly lost in the Snow-covered land.
Pearl Starr Pt.2
Pearl Starr Reed moves to Arizona where she makes the decision to find and write her daughter Mamie (Flossie Pearl). A year after meeting her daughter that was given up for adoption Pearl dies.
Pearl Starr Pt.1
We now transition to the life of the beloved daughter of Belle Starr Pearl Reed. After her mother's death, Pearl moved to Arkansas to look for work. With limited options for employment Pearl found success. She owned and operated her own business, bought property, was married three times, and gave birth to three children.
Belle Starr (and Pearl) Pt. 5
In part 5 of the series on Belle Starr, we learn of Pearl Reed's pregnancy and she quickly is pressured into marrying a much older man whom she has no interest in. Sam and Belle Starr serve a year in prison for horse theft. Sam Starr is killed on Christmas Eve and Belle wastes no time marrying a much younger man named Jim July whose name she refuses to take. Belle becomes concerned that someone she knows is going to try and kill her.
Belle Starr Pt.4
Welcome to Part 4 of the Belle Starr series. I hope you are enjoying this extended biography. In this episode, Belle travels to Kansas border towns racing horses. She meets and marries Bruce Younger and three weeks later moves to Indian Territory and goes from being Bellel Reed to Belle Younger to the legendary Belle Starr. Also during this time the infamous hanging judge Issac Parker takes the bench in Fort Smith, Arkansas.
Belle Starr Pt. 3
We continue the story of Belle Starr. Belle and her husband Jim moved to California hoping to hide out and start a new life. But Jim is soon recognized and heads back to Indian Territory to hide out. Belle follows and goes back to business as usual in Dallas and Scyene.
Belle Starr Pt. 2
We continue our multi-episode series on Belle Starr. In this episode, Belle marries Jim Reed and she gives birth to her daughter Pearl.
Belle Starr Pt.1
Myra Maybelle Shirley was born on February 5, 1848, in Carthage, Missouri. She was well educated and grew up in a family of SOuthern sympathizers and supporters of Slavery. She eventually found her way to a life of petty crime, or really more like she just befriended a crowd of criminals. Over the next few episodes, we will learn about the life of Belle Starr and then her daughter Pearl.
Victoria WoodHull
Bonus Episode - Outlaw Woman, Bad Girls of the Frontier. In this Bonus Episode, we take a look at Victoria Woodhull and her sister Tennessee Claflin. Victoria and Tennessee grew up with a con artist Pa and a religious fanatic Ma. They claimed to have clairvoyant abilities and conned people all across the United States. Victoria soon started speaking out about her beliefs that women should be able to practice "free love" and she tried to run for president. Please be aware that although there is no language used in this video there is limited talk of sex.
Sarah Winnemucca
This week we take a look at Sarah Winnemucca, a brave Native American woman not afraid to stand up and fight for the people she loved so dearly.
Divorce to Work
In this episode we take a short look at the possibility of separation and divorce on the frontier as well as the different kinds of work women did on the frontier. From setting up the home to gardening, plowing, caring for the animals, making soap, spinning yarn, sewing clothes, cooking every meal, and caring for the children of a growing family women endured many struggles and hardships.
Family, Marriage, and Children
In this episode we take a peek behind the closed doors of the Pioneer Woman living on the Frontier. We will compare and contrast the lives of Anglo women, a Native American, woman, and a Hispanic Woman. We look at how she struggled with the day to day living out West. Then we will sneak a peek at marriage and childbirth.
Madam Moustache - Wild Women of the Frontier
Cathay Williams: Buffalo Solider
Cathay Williams was born in 1844 as a slave. During the Civil War she was impressed into service by the Union Army as a cook a laundress. Once the war was over she found herself needing employment. She joined the US Army in November 1866. This is is story of the life of Cathay Williams. The little that is known shows us the life of woman who wanted nothing more than to be self-sufficient.
Furnishing, Utilities, and Critters Oh My!
Furnishing their new home on the plains and in the west was an important step in creating a warm welcoming place for woman's family. But battling the issue of water, waste disposal, and lighting could be as worrisome as battling insects, rattle snakes, and critters large and small.
Nearing the End of the Trail
As the end of the trail drew near, thoughts of building a home topped the minds of the women. The excitement of being off the trail soon turned to worry and sometimes dread at the task of turning earth into a home worthy of their families.
Dr. Martha Hughes Cannon
Dr. Martha Hughes Cannon was a skilled physician, ardent suffragist, public health reformer, the first female senator from Utah, fourth polygamist wife of Angus Cannon, and mother of three.
Cooking, Sleeping, Health and Child Birth on the Trail
Cooking provide to be particular hard on the trail. Contending with wind, rain, and lack of adequate firewood made feeding a family more than just difficult. Storms would sweep through the plains leaving everything in its wake wet. Staying health from disease and child birth were dangers faced everyday.
Nellie Cashman
The life of Nellie Cashman is a story of family, adventure, and freedom.
Modes of Transportation
As families start the journey west many travel in covered wagons, Mormons walk pulling handcarts behind them, while others make the later journey via the railway.