Tag: generals wives

generals wives
Authors, Civil War Women

Susan Wallace

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Poet and Writer in the Civil War Era Susan Arnold Elston Wallace was an American author and poet who wrote six books that were published in her lifetime: The Storied Sea (1883), Ginevra (1887), The Land of the Pueblos (1888), The Repose in Egypt (1888), Along the Bosphorus and Other Sketches (1898) and The City of the King (1903). The wife of author and Civil War General Lew Wallace, she completed his autobiography after his death. Early Years Susan Arnold Elston was born on December 25, 1830 in Crawfordsville, Indiana to wealthy and influential parents, Isaac Compton and Maria Eveline (Aken) Elston. Susan had eight siblings, three brothers and five sisters. In 1835, Isaac Elston built an impressive, two-story brick…

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Civil War Women, Famous Wives

Olivia Clemens

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Well Educated Wife (and Sometimes Editor) of Mark Twain Olivia Langdon Clemens (1845-1904) was the wife of the famous American author Samuel Langhorne Clemens, better known as Mark Twain; she was a major influence on his writing. Olivia was raised in the stimulating environment of Elmira, New York, and was constantly exposed to some of the most exciting issues and women of her day, including Isabella Beecher Hooker and Anna Dickinson. Early Years Olivia Langdon was born November 27, 1845 in Elmira, New York to Jervis and Olivia Lewis Langdon. Jervis was a very wealthy coal businessman, and her family participated in a branch of the Underground Railroad that came through Elmira, and socialized with leading doctors‚ theologians and suffragists. There…

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Civil War Women, Educators

Laura Towne

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Teacher of Emancipated Slaves When Union forces occupied St. Helena Island off the coast of South Carolina, plantation owners fled, leaving behind their homes, possessions and 10,000 slaves. Northern women like Laura Towne and Charlotte Forten volunteered to educate the freedmen and prepare them for economic independence. Image: Laura Towne class among the live oaks St. Helena Island, South Carolina The Port Royal Experiment, begun in 1862, was the first large-scale government effort to help the newly freed slaves, who promptly demonstrated their ability to work the land efficiently and live independently of white control. They assigned themselves daily tasks, and by selling their surplus crops, they acquired small amounts of property. Laura Matilda Towne was born May 3, 1825…

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Civil War Women, Women in Theater

Anna Cora Mowatt

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Writer and Theater Actress in the Civil War Era Anna Cora Mowatt (1819–1870) was an author, playwright and actress. She was the first upper-middle-class woman to make a career in the theater, and her successes helped to legitimize acting as an occupation for women. Mowatt is generally regarded as a significant contributor to the development of American drama. Early Years Born on March 5, 1819, in France, Anna Cora Ogden was one of fourteen children born to Samuel and Eliza Lewis Ogden, both descendants of old colonial families. Eliza Ogden’s grandfather was Francis Lewis, one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence. Samuel Ogden was one of the principal distributors of Bordeaux wines in the United States, and moved…

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Abolitionists, Civil War Women

Abigail May Alcott

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Social Reformer and Early Social Worker Abigail “Abby” May Alcott (1800–1877) was an abolitionist, women’s rights activist, pioneer social worker and one of the first paid social workers in the state of Massachusetts. Abigail was also the wife of transcendentalist philosopher and educator Bronson Alcott and mother of four daughters, including Civil War novelist Louisa May Alcott, providing the model for “Marmee” in Louisa May’s novel, Little Women. Early Years Abigail May was born October 8, 1800, the youngest child of Dorothy Sewall May and prominent Unitarian layman Joseph May. Abigail was given a largely informal education, though like the rest of her family, she was well-read. As a young adult she studied history, languages and science by her tutor…

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Authors, Civil War Women

Alice James

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Breast Cancer Awareness Month Biography Born into a wealthy and intellectually active family – sister of novelist Henry James and psychologist and philosopher William James – Alice James soon developed the psychological and physical problems that would end her life at age 43. Alice never married and lived with her parents until their deaths. She is known mainly for the diary she kept in her final years. Alice James was born August 7, 1848 in New York, the only daughter of Henry James, Sr. and Mary Robertson Walsh James. Henry James, Sr. had high hopes for his four sons, but his only expectation for Alice was that she stay at home and be a companion to her parents until she…

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Civil War Women, Famous Firsts, First Ladies, Generals Wives

Lucy Webb Hayes

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First Lady and Wife of Union General Rutherford B. Hayes Lucy and Rutherford B. Hayes Circa 1877 Lucy Webb Hayes (1831-1889) was First Lady of the United States and the wife of President Rutherford B. Hayes, but prior to his presidency, Hayes was a general in the Union Army during the Civil War. Lucy’s kindness and great moral courage contributed greatly to her husband’s successful military and political careers. Early Years Lucille Webb, born August 28, 1831, was the daughter of Dr. James Webb and Maria Cook Webb of Chillicothe, Ohio. Though he was originally from Kentucky, Dr. Webb and his family were highly opposed to slavery. After inheriting several slaves from his aunt, he returned to his family home…

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Civil War Women, Generals Wives

Annie Haggerty Shaw

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Wife of Union Colonel Robert Gould Shaw Annie Haggerty and Robert Gould Shaw met in 1861; they married in May 1863. Their time together was brief, but their letters sustained them through long separations while Robert served in the Union Army. Twenty six days after their wedding Colonel Shaw left to command the 54th Massachusetts Infantry, the first all-black regiment raised in the free states. Shaw is the principal subject of the 1989 film Glory, in which he is portrayed by Matthew Broderick. Annie is not depicted in the film. Annie Kneeland Haggerty was born July 9, 1835, in New York City to Ogden and Elizabeth Kneeland Haggerty. Annie’s father was a wealthy New York City auctioneer. Robert Gould Shaw…

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Civil War Women, Generals Wives

Elizabeth Meagher

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Wife of Union General Thomas Francis Meagher Elizabeth Townsend was born in New York September 20, 1830, the daughter of Peter and Caroline Parish Townsend of Monroe, New York. Thomas Francis Meagher, born in Ireland August 3, 1823, was an Irish nationalist, an American politician and a Union Army general during the Civil War. In his younger years he was an Irish revolutionary, fighting for Ireland’s independence from British rule. Image: Louis Lang’s Return of the 69th (Irish) Brigade, N.Y.S.M., From the Seat of War shows General Meagher (right center) tipping his hat to the crowd (N.Y.S.M. stands for New York State Militia) He was known as ‘Meagher of the Sword’ due to his fiery revolutionary speeches. In 1848, Thomas…

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African Americans, Civil War Women

Anna Brown

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Wife of African American Author William Wells Brown On April 12, 1860 twenty-five year old Anna Elizabeth Gray married William Wells Brown – author of Clotel, the first novel written by an African American in the United States. Anna later published Brown’s works under the imprint A.G. Brown. They had one daughter, Clotelle, in 1862. William Wells Brown (1814-1884) was a prominent African American abolitionist lecturer, novelist, playwright and historian. After spending the first 25 years of his life in slavery and most of a decade on the run as a fugitive, Brown came into prominence in the abolitionist movement. He wrote his autobiography, several volumes of black history and Clotel, the first novel written by an African American. Although…

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