Victorian Christmas
Merry Christmas! This festive door from The Rowley House Museum in Williamsport, PA exemplifies the spirit of a Victorian Christmas. From Susan B. Anthony’s letters and biographies, we know that the Rochester Anthonys
Who Gathered at the Osborns for Christmas?
Annie Osborn had ten siblings spanning three decades, since her father was married three times (widowed twice). Here are some glimpses of who may have joined her on Martha’s Vineyard for her family Christmas in 1863:
Replica of Historic Captain’s Home on Vineyard
It was fun visiting Martha’s Vineyard several years ago and seeing where Anna Osborn Anthony grew up as daughter of whaling captain Abraham Osborn. Unfortunately, I was not able to see the interior of the house, but the inside look at this historic replica of that era helps me imagine my heroine in the rooms where she […]
Not His Father’s Quaker
Daniel Anthony, the father of Susan B. and her siblings, was of such an independent mind that he married “out of Meeting,” i.e. someone who was not a Quaker. In fact, he married a girl who had been his student, a Baptist named Lucy Read. For this he was temporarily ousted from the Meeting, as […]
Recycling Family Names
Nowadays expectant parents may give their babies names based on seasons, astrological signs, place names, or popular celebrities. Or they may create new names
Shipwrecked!
Storms off Martha’s Vineyard can get fierce with 35- to 40-knot winds and 20- to 25-foot seas. Read on for contemporary and historical accounts of sea rescues.
How to Pay a Thanksgiving Call
In the mood to see your friends during the Thanksgiving break? Here’s what you would do if you lived in the 1800s and she was a lady:
Lincoln’s Thanksgiving Proclamation 1861
Thanksgiving is my favorite national holiday, perhaps because I lull myself to sleep nightly with a gratitude list. The Civil War was taking a toll when Abraham Lincoln in 1861 decreed that the entire nation should “count its blessings” on the last Thursday of November. Here is an excerpt of Lincoln’s gratitude list as enumerated […]
Staking a Claim in Kansas
In my last post I referred to men from the Emigrant Aid Company staking claims on land via the Law of Preemption. John Doy, one of D.R.’s early emigrant friends, explained that law to his family back east:
Pioneer in Kansas
Of Susan B. Anthony’s two brothers who emigrated to Kansas, Daniel Read (D.R.) was the more colorful. Abolitionist, Republican, publisher, mayor, postmaster, and gunslinger, he figured prominently in Leavenworth’s early history.