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Gratitude in Crisis: A Thanksgiving Reflection

Updated from a post on 11/24/2016

This season I’d like to offer a Thanksgiving reflection on my favorite national holiday. During my own hard times, I’ve often lulled myself to sleep with a gratitude list. This tradition is rooted in American history, beginning in 1863 and extending through our recent conflictual election.

During the Civil War, with the nation torn apart and hope in short supply, Abraham Lincoln decreed that the Union should “count its blessings” on the last Thursday of November. His proclamation acknowledged the struggles of that era but also highlighted enduring strengths.

President Lincoln’s gratitude list

Here is an excerpt from Lincoln’s gratitude list as included in his proclamation. I have spread it out so you can appreciate it more:

“In the midst of a civil war of unequalled magnitude and severity, . . .

order has been maintained,

the laws have been respected and obeyed,

and harmony has prevailed everywhere except in the theatre of military conflict.

Needful diversions of wealth and of strength from the fields of peaceful industry to the national defense, have not arrested the plough, the shuttle or the ship;

the axe has enlarged the borders of our settlements,

and the mines, as well of iron and coal as of the precious metals, have yielded even more abundantly than heretofore.

Population has steadily increased, notwithstanding the waste that has been made in the camp, the siege and the battlefield;

and the country, rejoicing in the consciousness of augmented strength and vigor, is permitted to expect continuance of years with large increase of freedom.”

Lincoln’s call to give thanks also acknowledged our country’s resilience.

Giving thanks in crisis

Before President Lincoln issued this proclamation, Sarah Josepha Hale,  a well-known publisher and promoter of women’s suffrage, spent years advocating for a national day of thanks. Secretary of State William Seward drafted the actual proclamation, which Lincoln signed during one of the darkest periods in American history. With the Civil War tearing families and the nation apart, his message offered an antidote to despair, encouraging Americans to reflect on what remained firm.

This truth about gratitude resonates today. The practice of gratitude, whether through journaling or reflection, shifts our focus from difficult challenges to the gifts we often overlook. Thanksgiving embodies this practice on a larger scale, fostering unity and hope among our whole country in difficult times.

 

Gratitude across borders

This year, Thanksgiving holds even deeper significance for my family because we have heard stories from refugee friends who have come to the United States seeking safety and freedom. In September, we attended a naturalization ceremony for one who has spent five years working toward U.S. citizenship. Happy tears and the snapping of pictures brought home to my husband and me just how precious our natural-born rights are.

Spending time with our friend and her family has given us a new appreciation for life in the U.S.—from the freedom to walk the streets safely to the beauty of our landscapes to the rights that women enjoy here.

We look forward to this year when these new Americans will bring dishes from their native cuisine to our table, making the holiday even richer with the flavors of their journey.

I wish you the blessing of a grateful heart!

«««—»»»

Holiday treat for youWatch your inbox for a free download of my Christmas story about Annie and Daniel’s first year of holiday-making together

 

 

Free stories to share:

Though I haven’t read all these stories,I do curate the lists to suggest only clean, well-crafted fiction. I hope you find some writers among them whose work you enjoy. I certainly have!

Pick a free book & leave a review

Women’s fiction

Clean historicals for adults & YA

Historical romance

 

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What would Susan B. Anthony wear to vote?

Rochester, NY–Sunday morning, as I prepared to vote at the Susan B. Anthony Museum & House, I pondered what she would wear if she had taken my place. This question may seem trivial, but from reading her letters and biography, I know that she paid attention to such things.

When Susan first ventured out on her own as a schoolteacher, she splurged on colorful clothing. A few years after beginning her public life, she drew considerable unwanted attention by adopting the bloomer costume consisting of gathered trousers visible under a dress that covered the knees.

Her desire never to repeat the ridicule and catcalls of that revolutionary outfit prompted her to wear high-necked black gowns that didn’t call attention to themselves. Thereafter, she was described as modest and quietly dressed, though she took care to buy good quality clothes.

Here’s my version of campaign dress at the carriage house where we actually voted. In honor of Susan, I chose a black turtleneck, fleece, and (with a nod to bloomers), slacks.  Since she was prepared to campaign in all kinds of weather, I packed a black hat and gloves for this chilly Rochester morning. My only accessory was a red scarf to commemorate her signature red (paisley) shawl, which she wore to help reporters pick her out of a crowd. Eminently practical, she was, and media savvy.

This is the first year that Susan B. Anthony’s historic home has joined the list of polling places. I rejoiced in the opportunity to celebrate this landmark occasion.

Voting at the Susan B. Anthony Museum & House

My inner compass knows the way to her home because I served as a docent there beginning in 1994. The following year, I published my children’s biography of her to celebrate the 75th anniversary of women’s suffrage. For 25 years after that, I portrayed her in costume. Here’s an article I posted around Election Day several years ago.

Susan’s been my heroine ever since I first got to “know” her. While portraying her, I proclaimed some of her most memorable deeds and words. Here are two you will probably recognize:

Men their rights and nothing more. Women their rights and nothing less.

Failure is impossible.

But here’s a poignant quote you probably haven’t seen. She spoke these words on her deathbed to Anna Howard Shaw, her successor as president of the National American Woman Suffrage Association:

I don’t know much about the other life [afterlife], but this I do believe, that if anyone there can help or influence those who are left behind in this life, I will come to you. If the existence beyond the grave is, as most of us believe, a conscious existence, I do not see how my interest in this cause can change or why I should desire less to work for it than when I am here in the body….and if it is possible, I shall always be where I am most needed. Life and Work of Susan B. Anthony, Ida Husted Harper, p. 1906.

My husband and I rose early to participate in this historic event, needing to get on with our day. We were second in line after a Black minister, who has done much to bring equality to our city, home to one of the highest crime rates in the U.S..

Susan’s activism for Black and female suffrage never achieved its complete goal, but it did earn voting rights for African-American men. Though she lamented that her life’s work had not helped her own half of the population, I believe she would’ve warmed to this highly educated, civic-minded minister.

Susan B. Anthony’s colleagues

Yesterday I voted with thankfulness for all the women who came before and after Susan to guarantee my right to vote:

For Lucretia Mott and Elizabeth Cady Stanton who, after being barred from full participation at the World Antislavery Convention in London, channeled their anger into hosting the Seneca Falls Convention on women’s rights in 1848.For the 15 women with Susan, who set out early on a November morning in 1872 from this very to cast their illegal ballots.For Alice Paul and her contemporaries, who endured starvation and force feedings to pressure Congress to pass the Nineteenth Amendment.Passing Susan B. Anthony’s torch

At 9:15, just moments after the polls opened for the day, we processed our ballots. Already, as we left, at least a hundred men and women were waiting in line for the privilege to do what Susan paved the way for us to do. Many of them, including our new friend the minister, brought children.

Afterwards, I paused for a moment in front of her home.

I didn’t have a child with me. But I did have a single copy of my biography of Susan. This  I gave to a white-haired photographer who, I know, will read it and pass it on.

Here’s to the hope that another generation of women and girls will cherish this right that is so characteristically American.

 

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Big News: Book Trailer for Secrets to the Wind

Big News: Book Trailer for Secrets to the Wind

You’re the first to know about my book trailer! I’m so excited because this is a brand-new type of media for me and it was really fun making it with my webmaster.
Enjoy it and, if you know someone who loves historical fiction, please share!

(Psst! Scroll to the bottom for last-minute Big News about special pricing, too.)

Coming Soon

I’m keeping it short today because I’ve been hard at work on a new story, too. Remember my dismay when I discovered that Vanessa Lind’s book cover used the same image featured on Secrets to the Wind?  Well, she did agree to collaborate with me on a short story about two women who encounter each other wearing the same dress.

Sneak Peek: Set in Leavenworth, Kansas during the Civil War, this story features a cameo appearance by a spy! Plus plenty of Victorian Christmas embellishments to satisfy your delight in the past. Look for it here next month.

Bonus Post for Thanksgiving 

This mailing usually comes out the first week of each month. However, I couldn’t resist giving you a “taste” of how the U.S. celebrated Thanksgiving during the Civil War. Watch your inbox during the last week in November for this special treat.

Special pricing & avid readers 

I’m still learning the ropes of doing business online. (My messy desk pictured below is an outward sign of brain cells desperately trying to sort things out.) So forgive me for raising the ebook price without warning yesterday to $4.99. But keep reading, because there’s a flip side to that…a special holiday price of $8.99 (savings of $8) on the paperback available on Amazon.

Workaround on the ebook for loyal readers:

Bu using promotion 1 or 2 below, you can still get the ebook for free if you’re enrolled in Kindle Unlimited (KU) or are willing to leave a review. This is a special just for my newsletter and blog readers.

Book Nerds, you also will find plenty of delightful offers on the promotions below. Each link represents a whole collection of books!

New historical romance, on sale and in KUPick a free ebook to leave a reviewHistorical fiction/women’s fictionTrue confession

Here’s how my desk looks when I get really busy. (Can you guess my favorite color?) To the right, in the purple folders, are Books Two and Three in my series. My NEW desk, coming next week, will have more file drawers. Now if I can just get organized enough to put things in the drawers….

How do you cope with piles of paper and files? I would seriously like your tips on that subject in the comments below. Check in next time to see my new arrangement!

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Belated discovery about Fugitive Slave Act

This week I made a belated discovery about the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850–just what every Civil War-era author wants after publication! Frustrated that I didn’t see this earlier, I’m pondering how it would have changed my book.

Before we discuss that, I have two happy announcements:

Book News:

Secrets to the Wind is now available in paperback.  Buy it on Amazon here.

Story Collections:

For Secrets to the Wind and other digital full-length books, look for introductory prices at “Travel the World with Great Literary & Historical Fiction Books.”

If you haven’t already read my prequel to Secrets to the Wind, you’ll find it listed as Songbird in the Marsh in these two different collections of short stories here and here.

And now for my belated discovery . . .

~~~

New information has surfaced about the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 that propelled Susan B. Anthony’s family and their colleagues into campaigning to end slavery. Without it, they might have remained observant Quakers engaged in business, but the atrocities of slavery prodded them to join other appalled Northerners. Her awareness raised, Susan began comparing the marginalized state of women to that of people in bondage who lacked all human rights.

What the law said:

The Fugitive Slave Act required ordinary citizens to help capture escaping slaves and return them to their former bondage. To get an idea of how Northerners viewed the Act, listen in on this excerpt from Songbird in the Marsh among the friends and family of young Annie Osborn. (She later married Daniel Read Anthony and joined Susan in the campaign for women’s suffrage.)

They’ve just heard Frederick Douglass call for citizens to help runaways evade slavecatchers. Annie’s stepmother says,

‘His point about Christian charity was well taken . . . . We don’t have many Quakers on the island, so if any slaves try to escape here, it’s probably up to the Christians to help them.’

‘That’s all well and good, said Abraham Osborn, ‘but the penalties are severe.’

‘How much is the fine?’ asked Cora’s father, who was a blacksmith.

‘A thousand dollars and six months jail time,’ Osborn replied.

‘That’s more than I make in a year!’ observed the blacksmith.

–Songbird in the Marsh

In short, both freedom seekers and their helpers on the Underground Railroad had good reason to dread the consequences of disobeying the Act. Throughout both Songbird in the Marsh and Secrets to the Wind, Annie fears discovery of her role in helping an escaped slave who made it as far north as her island home on Martha’s Vineyard.

How was the Fugitive Slave Act actually enforced?

Recently I’ve learned that fewer than 400 Black people were returned to slaveholders during the first decade of the Fugitive Slave Act. While that amounts to serious inhumanity and suffering, the number is not nearly as large as one might expect, considering the estimate that 100,000 enslaved people took refuge in the North.

The Act appointed federal commissioners rather than local judges to hear cases of runaways. Consider this: in an era before easy transportation and communication, it would have taken considerable effort and expense to haul Black people and their helpers in front of a judge. In my opinion, this would have precluded many would-be accusers from subjecting Underground Railroad participants for prosecution.

After reviewing this and other new findings about the Fugitive Slave Act, this researcher concluded that the law “was never a viable national instrument to re-enslave freedom-bound men, women and children.”

Effect on everyday life

If the Fugitive Slave Act was seldom upheld, would this new information have changed the trajectory of my book? Probably not much. Here’s why:

It’s still true that the Fugitive Slave Act prompted hundreds, if not thousands, of Blacks and whites to go “underground.” If punishment seldom occurred, why did knowledgeable people like Frederick Douglass (who was formerly enslaved) and the household of Henry Seward (Lincoln’s Secretary of State) carefully guard their Underground Railroad activity? Most likely, because they were truly afraid. Apparently, the nuances of the law were not well known. I’d love to see some discussion of why that was the case.

Regardless of the infrequent enforcement, I still cringe when I think about even one man, woman, or child being captured and taken back to bondage.

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Meet your special someone

Couples meet their special someone in a variety of ways. Asking “How did you two meet?” elicits stories that are often heartwarming or startling, and sometimes they are fraught with difficulties.

Here are three of the more memorable accounts I’ve heard.

How couples meet

During Covid, two of our friends were taking an online seminar. Working on the same team to complete a project gave them ample opportunity to get acquainted casually, even though they’d only met virtually. He began to fall in love but had no idea how she felt.

As Covid loosened its grip, he was very excited to learn that the whole cohort would finally gather in person. He orchestrated a quiet walk with her after the event and, with his heart in his mouth, broached the subject of dating with her.

To his delight, she said yes! For these two divorced friends, finding love again was a wonderful gift.

≈≈≈

How about marriage by lot? In the eighteenth century, the Moravians of Lititz, Pennsylvania kept a list of marriageable men and women. Here’s how they arranged marriages, according to author Melanie Dobson:

“The Moravian elders would select a couple they thought should marry and then would present the potential wife’s name to the single man. If the man agreed with their choice, the elders put the decision before the lot . . . [by using papers inscribed with yes, no, or wait,] stuffed into a glass cylinder. They prayed and then drew an answer from the cylinder.

If the answer was no, the elders would select the name of another woman for the single man to marry, and they would continue the selection process until the papers concurred with their choice. Then the leaders would speak to the single woman about the marriage. Moravian women had the option to turn down the marriage, but they rarely did. In their minds, the lot determined God’s will for their life.”

Inspiration for my book

Another man I knew had been romancing a woman for a while when she kind of ghosted him. After not getting any replies to his emails and phone calls, he began to worry he’d never hear from her again. He had no idea whether she was just busy or had lost interest in the relationship.

He decided to get her attention and declare his love in a bold way by sending dozens of long-stemmed roses to her home—and to her mother. Soon after that, they became a couple.

I loved this story so much that I adapted it for Secrets to the Wind.

≈≈≈

And now for how I met Jon. I was home from the University of Toronto for the summer after a string of disappointing romances. My plan for that season was to give dating a rest, earn tuition money, and do volunteer work—nothing more.

That’s when one of Jon’s coworkers—my mother’s best friend—asked if he’d like to meet a girl she knew. He said yes and they arranged to introduce us at church.

I wasn’t optimistic. After all, how lame was it to have a blind date arranged by one’s mother, at church? To my surprise, however, I did enjoy talking with Jon after the service.

But when he suggested that we go somewhere together, my cautious self threw up a roadblock, remembering those previous relationships. “I’d like us to get to know each other first,” I said.

He wisely replied, “How can we get to know each other if we don’t go out?”

I agreed to go only on the condition that another couple go along.

For our second outing I again opted for safety in numbers, inviting Jon to go to a park with my parents. Finally, I consented to date him solo. (Such a patient man!) The night that he confided his most vulnerable story to me was when I began to fall in love.

≈≈≈

Sometimes relationships encounter obstacles and need to be shaken up. Other times trust is an issue. It may take someone older and wiser to see how well a particular pair would fit together.

Despite all the difficulties we may have finding our special someones, we eventually do. Do you have a meaningful courtship story of your own? If so, please share it in the comments below.

–

Quick announcement: Secrets to the Wind is now available in paperback. And when I release the third book in the Dauntless Series, you’ll be able to buy it in a boxed set or as a single book.

Have you read it yet? (You can order it here.) When you’ve finished it, please do me the favor of an honest review. It really helps.

 

 

 

 

 

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“Oops baby” book launch

You know how some children arrive unexpectedly? Well, that’s what happened to my book baby Secrets to the Wind. My finger slipped, and I accidentally launched the ebook this week, six weeks early. Its paperback twin will follow very shortly.

Yikes!

Actually, I guess I should call it a preemie because it’s here before its due date.

Regardless of its timing, I love it as only a mama can. But true to my maternal nature, I’m biased. So have a look at these testimonials instead.

Unfortunately, as the mother of a book preemie, I haven’t finished my preparations for my literary offspring’s important first month of life. That’s when Amazon and others decide its sales rank.

That’s why I need you, dear aunties and uncles! Your help in spreading the word will give me time to write a new short story that I know you’ll love. If you’re interested in joining my launch team, please fill out the application here.

I’m practically giving away this first book in the Dauntless Series at 99¢ (ebook). After a short time, it will increase to a more reasonable price.

My hope is that you’ll find it as irresistible as any human newborn.

Okay, enough baby metaphors… if you’ve enjoyed this blog, please follow this link to Secrets to the Wind on Amazon as soon as you can and read the novel quick like a bunny. Then give it a review on Amazon and/or Goodreads.

It’s my labor of love for you, and I can’t wait for you to see it. (Sorry – couldn’t resist that last metaphor! )

Now let’s talk about the book.

How can you tell a couple’s origin story without romance? That’s the dilemma I faced when starting my saga of the Anthony family in Leavenworth, Kansas. Secrets to the Wind is a love story, yes, but set in the larger context of the Civil War. In other words, historical fiction.

Love: together in the same direction

When I first learned of the unlikely marriage between the rough-and-ready Daniel Anthony and the privileged heiress Annie, I could not imagine what attracted them to each other. Many speculated that he married her for her money. But since Daniel was the brother of Susan B. Anthony, I can’t picture him getting away with using a woman like that, or even wanting to.

It had to be love. And maybe something more.

Antoine de St. Exupery, author of The Little Prince, famously said, “Love does not consist in gazing at each other but in looking outward together in the same direction.” This quote has stayed with me ever since I saw it scrawled on the wall of a tunnel between college buildings. It appeared when I was beginning to realize that a fun, good-looking man would not be enough to hold my heart for long. That lonely time refined my desire for the man I eventually married, one who gazed toward a direction that I wanted to go. Forever, and preferably with him.

Jon and I have two beloved children, a son-in-law whom we greatly admire, and two adored grandchildren. But our joint gaze outward has grown our family beyond these five people to encompass a church family and friends from other cultures. It also includes at least ten gardens that we have created from scratch or restored. Sometimes we just hold hands and greet the trees we’ve planted. And alway, always, we give thanks for those we love.

A season of endurance

In 1863, the year before Annie and Daniel married, the North was living a season of endurance. They continued their commitment to abolition, which kicked into high gear when the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 made it dangerous to help people fleeing slavery.

To sum it up, I think that the couple’s shared vision of human rights is what drew Annie and Daniel together–a much stronger bond than mere chemistry, although they likely had that, too.

I’ll be interested to hear what you make of my interpretation of their story. Read the book and see if you agree!

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Secrets to the Wind cover

I’m excited to pull back the veil on the cover to my upcoming novel Secrets to the Wind. It’s coming out October 25, just eleven weeks from now. Oh, mercy me!

Secrets to the Wind is the 1863 courtship story of Susan B. Anthony’s brother Daniel and his Annie. Like Susan, they find that their antislavery stance seriously complicates their personal lives—and their blossoming relationship. It’s set in Martha’s Vineyard and Bleeding Kansas during the Civil War and is Book One in my Dauntless Series.

Today, I’d like to tell you a little about the adventures of making the cover itself.

What was left out

This cover went through many versions. Originally I wanted footprints going into the water, and spent a delightful hour in Florida in January running in and out of the ocean to get photos. Alas, none worked. And as it turned out, I didn’t really need them after all. So we left them out.

The perfect image

Finding an image of a Victorian woman was very challenging, and I just love this lady in the red dress! But guess what…as I was researching another author, I discovered that her book used the same image. I couldn’t believe it and quickly apologized. The author was most gracious. We agreed that it would be fun to do a short story together someday featuring the red dress. Next month I’ll give you a review of her book.

The title

The hardest part about the cover was coming up with the title. That took weeks and weeks of trial and error, trying to make sure no one else had that title, struggling to distill 90,000 words into four–argh! It’s easier and more satisfying to research and write forty chapters, trust me.

Secrets to the Wind replaces my earlier book in this series, The Truth About Daniel. If you’re curious why I totally redid the first book in my Dauntless Series, read about it here.

Two more things as I gear up for releasing Secrets to the Wind:

I’m looking for a few good people to be on my launch team. You would work closely with me for a few months to get the word out there. I’ll supply you with images and mini-articles to share with your friends who like novels that are historical, women’s fiction, and Victorian. Read more about it here .Now that Secrets is approaching its debut, I’m ready to give presentations again. I love giving talks, so please invite me to meet your community and writing groups and recommend me to others.

Click Here to Get These Free Historical Stories

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How Susan upstaged the Declaration of Independence

Susan B. Anthony upstaged the reading of the Declaration of Independence when the U.S. celebrated its centennial in 1876. Her brother, Daniel Read Anthony, helped her accomplish this dramatic act that set Philadelphia buzzing.

Long before plans were finalized for the U.S. Centennial in July 1876, suffragists requested permission to present a women’s Declaration of Rights at the celebration. First, they were stonewalled. After they asked repeatedly, they received a blatant refusal. Indignant, they devised another way to receive recognition for women’s achievements. Here’s what they did.

Preparing to upstage the Declaration

In May, the National Woman Suffrage Association established Centennial Headquarters in Philadelphia. That began their preparations by drafting and printing thousands of copies of a handsomely embossed document called the “Declaration of Rights of the Women of the United States.”

Susan’s brother Daniel, who owned a newspaper in Leavenworth, Kansas, obtained for her a press pass. That allowed her to observe the proceedings but not contribute her ideas, a fate common to many early reformers. Thus, she and four friends received a close-up view of the Fourth of July proceedings from among foreign dignitaries on the stage. Just after the reading of the nation’s Declaration of Independence, Susan and her cohort startled presider Vice-President Thomas Ferry by rising and presenting him with their own Declaration.

The moment before Susan B. Anthony upstaged the reading of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1876. (Library of Congress)

A new declaration

As Ferry watched, dumbfounded, Susan read the document aloud to “a listening, applauding crowd.” Then the women descended the stage and began distributing their documents into the eager hands of the audience, eventually proceeding to an empty platform nearby. There, they again scattered many printed copies. An hour later, they convened their own gathering where an expectant audience waited to thank them for what they had just done.

Other sources document the presence of Daniel and Annie Anthony at the centennial celebration that July. Can you imagine them holding their breaths as they watched Susan’s daring act? And how they must have cheered the onlookers’ enthusiastic reception of her revolutionary document!

Daniel’s donation of the press pass to Susan may have cost him some approval from fellow journalists. However, he seldom deviated from what he deemed to be right. In this trait, he and Susan were of the same mind. Thus, his small act of support that July helped to insert the “Declaration of Rights of the Women of the United States” into the official record of our national Centennial celebration.

Sources:

Today in Feminist History: Suffragists Protest on Independence Day – Ms. Magazine (msmagazine.com)

Kathleen Barry, Susan B. Anthony, a Biography. New York: New York University Press, 1988 p. 269

Jeanne Gehret, Susan B. Anthony and Justice for All, Suffrage Centennial Edition 2017. Fairport, NY: Verbal Images Press, 2017. Contains a beautiful illustration of this event.

Free stories for you!

Dear Readers,

I’ve partnered with several other historical fiction authors to bring you some free stories this summer.

These two historical fiction collections feature stories that promise to be clean with no graphic violence.

If you find something you like, drop me a line!

Searching for your next favorite story? Check these out.

Or… maybe you’ll find a book you’ll like here.

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The Irish in Kansas: Tracing Ancestral Roots and Exploring the Wild Atlantic Way

The Cliffs of Moher on Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Way

On a recent trip to Ireland, I traced my ancestral roots and came to understand the presence of the Irish in Kansas.

The breathtaking west coast of Ireland, aptly nicknamed the Wild Atlantic Way, was the main draw for Jon, our son Dan, and me. But as our travel time drew closer, a crazy hope arose in us to find my Irish ancestors, if possible. And along the way, through our explorations at the Cobh Heritage Center, I began to formulate a question that my readers will be sure to pose when they reach Book Three in my series. Happily, we were able to accomplish all these goals in a trip so satisfying that we’re already planning our return.

Irish in Kansas?

Here’s a puzzle that relates to the Anthony story and to mine, as well. We know that most of 4.5 million Irish immigrants who came here between 1820 and 1930 first set foot along the eastern seaboard of the United States. Although some in the early waves of resettlement had money, most did not.

Even so, they spread fairly equally around our country, and the Midwest attracted almost as many as our northeast coast. After all, I get my Irish blood from my father, whose family was from Illinois. So why, and how, did so many move into the U.S. heartland?

What do you think?

If you guessed the U.S. landgrab, you’d be right. Remember the Louisiana Purchase of 1803? As former Native American territories became available for “development” (I am acutely aware of how the Natives were dispossessed), droves of white easterners moved west to claim the “new” lands.

To make matters even better for the whites, in 1862 Abraham Lincoln signed the Homestead Act, giving citizens and immigrants up to 160 acres of public land. For those who could meet certain conditions, it was a great deal. Daniel and Merritt Anthony, who emigrated to Kansas during the 1850s, claimed land for themselves plus their sisters Susan and Mary under this Act. This law encouraged many Irish to cross the Atlantic and keep moving inland.

Servants

Like many middle-class people of the late 19th century, Daniel and Annie Anthony had household help. Coming from the upper crust of Martha’s Vineyard, Annie would likely have been used to that. She and Daniel even designed their new home in Leavenworth with the kitchen in the basement (no doubt linked by dumbwaiter to the dining room). This smart move made it more convenient and cooler for household help to work during stifling Kansas summers.

When Susan first visited her brother’s new home after the Civil War, her diary noted the presence of an African-American woman and her two children living with the Anthonys. Referencing a character in the 19th-century bestseller Uncle Tom’s Cabin, Susan referred to the woman as “a real Aunt Chloe,” and I found the little family in residence on the next census. Those servants figure prominently in Book Two.

Click here to view a previous article I wrote about other people of color in Leavenworth

Daniel and Annie may have been among the first to hire refugees from Missouri plantations after the Emancipation Proclamation conferred freedom on African Americans.

However, by the time of the next census, the Black servants had apparently moved on. Two Irish women, one in her twenties and one still a teenager, had taken their place.

How did they get there, assuming they were poor?

Raising an Irish coffee with Jon and Dan

The Final Piece of My Puzzle

As we learned at the Cobh Heritage Center, most of the Irish immigrants were under thirty. Many single Irish women found work in the United States as household help and especially as nannies. Here’s why: Americans figured these young women were from large families and knew how to raise children. So it looks to me like once the Anthonys’ African American household got on their feet, Daniel and Annie looked for another group of people sorely in need of employment. They may have even sent to New York or Boston for young Irish maids.

Who knows…the Anthonys’ Irish servants may take on an important role in Book Three.

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Are motherhood and feminism poles apart?

Motherhood and feminism have, at times, seemed poles apart. Today’s blog reflects those tensions.

Even though life with my own brood has never been better, this is not a hearts-and-flowers reflection on motherhood. It’s more like the blood-and-guts approach characterized by this quote from Debra Ginsberg:

“The human heart was not designed to beat outside the human body and yet, each child represent[s] just that – a parent’s heart bared, beating forever outside its chest.”- Excerpt from Raising Blaze, by Debra Ginsberg

If motherhood demands so much of us, is it worth it?

That’s the question I asked myself as a young woman contemplating marriage and motherhood. Recognizing early my deeply empathic nature, I feared losing myself in others. Marriage to a man who cherishes my quirkiness provided early reassurance.

But with children, it was a different matter. They naturally prioritize their own needs, positioning their parents in a secondary role. I tended to take on their concerns so completely that I forgot my own. Thus, my experience with motherhood became a delicate balance between nurturing my identity and embracing my inner Mama Bear.

I tread carefully with my offspring, wary of becoming overly involved and then resentful, a struggle common among mothers. This journey of embracing passion while respecting boundaries has helped me grow immensely.

Motherhood has taught me some valuable lessons:Recognizing others’ capacity to assist my children.Mastering the art of involvement and withdrawal.Remembering that the world needs my “non-mothering” gifts, too.Seeking divine guidance when I feel inadequate.

In the words of Dr. Seuss, sometimes my mothering challenges arose because my head wasn’t screwed on just right, or my shoes were too tight, or – the most likely reason of all – my heart was two sizes too small. Motherhood has given me immense opportunities to grow through loving. And that reason alone -independent of the love that I receive from my wonderful children – makes motherhood worth it.

Motherhood can enlarge women’s capacity to love beyond our own families. That’s what I find in this quote from Charlotte Gray, a film about a woman in the French Resistance:

“Becoming a mother makes you the mother of all children. From now on each wounded, abandoned, frightened child is yours. You live in the suffering mothers of every race and creed and weep with them. You long to comfort all who are desolate.”

Contemplating my character Annie Osborn Anthony, I wonder about the imprints that motherhood left on her soul. Facing the loss of three children, did her heart scar irreparably? Did those losses – two of them in the same year – make her cling more tightly to the two survivors? Did her later advocacy for women’s suffrage arise from a profound connection to all mothers?

In my own life and Annie’s historical journey, I’ve seen how intense love and profound suffering catalyze growth, revealing motherhood’s transformative power. To me, that’s a story worth telling.

What Does it Mean to Mother?

For Susan B. Anthony, this question had a straightforward answer. Her mother, Lucy Anthony, not only gave birth to her and raised her. She also instilled in Susan the traditional roles expected of Victorian women. These included domestic proficiency and moral obligations aimed at maintaining the family and society’s fabric. (Susan’s father also played a significant role in her upbringing, but that’s a tale for another time.)

Susan B. Anthony Birthplace Museum
in Adams, Massachusetts

Susan was born in Adams, Massachusetts, in a home now transformed into a museum. There she assisted her mother in preparing meals for the family and packing lunch pails for eleven millworkers who lodged with the Anthonys. The museum showcases Susan’s domestic talents through a replica of the LeMoyne Star quilt she crafted, likely under Lucy’s guidance.

In addition, Lucy exemplified for Susan how to extend compassion to those less fortunate. Susan remembered with chagrin how her mother gave away her daughters’ new dresses to a needy family, believing her own daughters could make do with their old ones.

In contrast to Susan, Annie Osborn Anthony had a different experience of motherhood. Her biological mother, Eliza, passed away when Annie was merely ten years old. Shortly after, her father remarried, and Annie was raised by her stepmother until she reached the age of nineteen. However, it appears Annie received minimal guidance before leaving home.

When Susan visited Annie and her husband Daniel in Leavenworth, Kansas, six months after their marriage, Annie was expecting their first child. Susan assisted her in sewing the intricate garments required for a well-to-do baby’s layette. Annie’s daughter, Maude, later remarked that “Aunt Susan taught Mother everything she knew about household skills.”

Susan was twenty-four years older than Annie, who was born in 1844. Despite never marrying or settling down for extended periods, Susan bridged crucial maternal gaps left by Annie’s birth and stepmothers. She nurtured Annie, and in return, Annie reciprocated with warmth and hospitality whenever Susan campaigned in Kansas.

For that reason, on Mother’s Day I salute Susan as well as every other woman who nurtures, guides, heals, teaches, comforts, and motivates others to not just survive but to thrive and grow.

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