Susan B. Anthony sister-in-law honored
Susan B. Anthony’s sister-in-law and brother were honored with a historical marker in Leavenworth, Kansas. This marks their support for women’s rights.
Too much history in Leavenworth, Kansas
This past summer I made my third visit to Leavenworth, Kansas, where there was too much history for me to absorb all at once. Ever since my return home on Labor Day, I’ve been mulling over my discoveries and finding new connections. Starting off from home in Rochester, NY, my husband Jon and I made […]
Who was Susan B. Anthony’s sister Hannah?
Susan B. Anthony’s sister Hannah Anthony Mosher was the next younger child in Susan’s birth family of four girls and two boys. The Anthony sisters formed a powerful impetus to woman suffrage and created bonds that lasted beyond death. After their father Daniel’s catastrophic financial losses in the panic of 1838, the older sisters went […]
Frederick Douglass statue in Rochester, NY
The Frederick Douglass statue in Rochester, NY’s Highland Park celebrates one of my hometown’s two greatest civil rights luminaries. The other is Susan B. Anthony
Susan B. Anthony’s family tree–strong and supportive
Susan B. Anthony’s family inspired and supported her throughout her life as an activist. View family tree and info about siblings
Posting to a timeline for historical fiction
Posting to a timeline is one of my most useful tools in writing historical fiction. Have a peek at my five-foot-long timeline of the Anthony-Osborn family, beginning in the 1700s and ending in 1930. On it, I have recorded not only events that were significant to the Anthonys but to the United States in general. […]
Using historical newspapers to write fiction
I discovered the value of historical newspapers on my second visit to Kansas to research Daniel Read Anthony and his family. An eloquent packet While at the Spencer Library, University of Kansas, I found a packet of news clippings neatly folded and tied with a black grosgrain ribbon. My breath caught in my throat as […]
Historical research: Walk where they walked
When I first researched Susan and her family, I walked where they walked. Wearing a long skirt, wool cape, and boots, I trudged snow-clogged streets of old Rochester. A bit later, I was dismayed to learn that the Rochester home of Frederick Douglass no longer exists. Undeterred, I branched out to visit Seneca Falls, where […]
Victorian garden ramble
My novel characters often take a ramble when life gets too much for them. Victorians particularly loved their gardens, but any movement in the fresh air calmed their heart rate and lowered their blood pressure. It’s the same for us today. In fact, it’s all the more possible since the pandemic allows more people than […]
Three Fun Ways to Learn About Historical People
Historical people are fun to research–if you know how. It’s one thing to look them up on the census or visit their graves. Even reading about them in a biography gives only a one-dimensional view of them. It’s another thing altogether to get a sense of their manner of speaking, temperament, and habits. Historical research […]