Jeanne Gehret's Blog: http://SusanBAnthonyFamily.com/, page 6

All about Susan B. Anthony

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[image error]Jeanne Gehret is all about Susan B. Anthony. Ever since 1994, when she first served as a docent at the Susan B. Anthony House Museum, she has written books on Susan and portrayed her in costume. Since 2012, she has delved into a new area of research on Susan’s family, particularly her brother Daniel who emigrated to Kansas.

 

She is intrigued by the similarities and differences between Susan and this swashbuckling brother. That research has supplied her with many tidbits on 19th century culture and people of renown who knew the Anthony family. You can find many of them on this blog.

Book Signing by Susan B. Anthony Biographer–Tomorrow

Come meet this dedicated Anthony researcher and presenter at Simply New York on Culver Road, near Seabreeze, at 2 pm tomorrow (Saturday, March 24). This fascinating shop is one of those indispensable independent bookstores that truly supports authors and books. Not only that, it has a fascinating inventory of non-book items made in New York State, ranging from jewelry to paintings to specialized brushes in all sizes.

In addition to her children’s series on learning disabilities and ADHD, Jeanne will sign these two books:

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Books about Susan B. Anthony and her brother Daniel R. Anthony

 

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Visit Susan B. Re-enactor and biographer

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[image error]Jeanne Gehret will be signing books at one of her favorite bookstores this Saturday, 3/24/17. Come say hello at Simply New York on Culver Road and find out why she hasn’t been blogging much lately. (Hint: she loves being a Susan B. re-enactor! But there’s another reason, besides.) Click here to learn more about her presentations.

Happy women’s history month.

It’s great to see so much about wonderful women on Google and Facebook. But, as Susan herself would say, we still have a long way to go.

Click here for a description of these two books:

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Books about Susan B. Anthony and her brother Daniel R. Anthony

When and where:

Simply New York

4364 Culver Road

Irondequoit, NY 14622

2-4 pm, Saturday, March 24

Come met the author and hear some surprising stories about Susan B. and her family. Jeanne’s books make great gifts for anyone interested in Rochester, antislavery, woman suffrage, Martha’s Vineyard, the border war in Kansas, and even romance!

Jeanne will also have copies of her Coping Series (children’s books on dyslexia and ADD} for your favorite special needs child.

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Happy Birthday, Susan B. Anthony!

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On February 15 we celebrate Susan B. Anthony’s birthday in 1820 in Adams, Massachusetts. When she was a girl, there were only seven professions open to women. Wives had no say over their children’s welfare or their money, even if they earned it themselves, brought it into the marriage, or inherited it. They could be “disciplined” with anything smaller in diameter than a man’s thumb.

 

Far-Reaching Vision

Susan’s quest for women’s rights was inclusive, encompassing stronger liquor laws to protect women from domestic violence; female education for and entrance into many professions; and voting rights across the United States.

Political Influence

Indirectly or directly, her campaigns helped to bring about reforms outlined in five constitutional amendments:

 13th—freeing African-American slaves
 14th—extending citizenship to former slaves
15th—extending the vote to African-American men
16th—outlawing liquor consumption
19th—extending the vote to American women

I have profiled Susan in an easy-reading biography, Susan B. Anthony And Justice For All. After portraying her for many years, I became interested in her activist family and wrote the first in my saga about the Anthonys—The Truth About Daniel. Learn more about both books here.

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Progress Report on the Dauntless Series

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[image error]After the holidays I got bitten by the decluttering bug, resulting in a massive cleanup effort in my office. Removal of some furniture gave me a new view of my beloved books, plus some favorite objects in purple, the color of suffrage.

My Favorite Thing

But I awarded pride of place (the spot above my desk) to my timeline, which records important events in the Anthony family from 1783 to 1950. The first date marks the birth of Lucy Anthony (Susan and D.R.’s mother), while the last reflects the death of D.R.’s daughter Maude.

In between lie other births and deaths, important Civil War battles, dates of significant technological advances (completion of the Transcontinental Railroad in 1869), and events of great personal consequence to the Anthonys. These include the evening when D.R. was shot in the neck and the day Susan was arrested for voting.

Displaying my timeline gives me fresh inspiration every time I walk in the room, making it easier to write. (Less hunting for facts.) Here’s what this handy reference looks like.

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For the second novel in my series, I marked off an eight-year period ending in 1872. Wishful thinking! I’ve discovered way too much material to compress into one book! So I guess we’ll have more than a trilogy in the Dauntless Series. (Is there a special term for a series of four or five books?)

What’s happening with Book Two in the Dauntless Series?

Readers are asking for a progress report on my Anthony saga. I’m happy to respond that the rough draft is about one-third complete. In the meantime, I’ll be sharing plenty of fascinating tidbits ranging from christening gowns to newspaper tycoons to feuds among Leavenworth’s editors.

Want to help with research?

If you can recommend a website about upper-class women’s education in 19th century America, I’d love to have a link. Not 18th century or middle-class, and not in England. To reach me, scroll down to the very bottom of this page and “Leave a Reply.” Thanks!

 

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Step into Susan B. Anthony’s shoes

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[image error]Happy New Year! This holiday I had the opportunity to step into Susan B. Anthony’s shoes and those of Annie, her sister-in-law, as I spent many hours sewing by

both hand and machine. Three things resulted. First, I created a beautiful dress.Besides that, I strained both my eyes and my shoulders hunched over my project. And through that process, I got a sense of what it was like for 19th century women who spent so much time creating and laundering clothing.

I wore the dress to the Turning of the Year Ball of the English Country Dancers* of Rochester. The dress was finished only 30 minutes before the dance! Here I am wearing it that night, happy to be finished and enjoying every minute of wearing my own creation.

 

The challenges of good stitchery

All this sewing makes me grateful for my sewing machine, a great labor-saving device. Although British homemakers were using them in the 1860s, I’m not clear yet on when they reached the U.S.

Susan B. Anthony’s shoes took her to Leavenworth, KS in January 1865 to visit her  brother Daniel, married to Annie for one year. By ’65, Annie was four months pregnant. In her diary Susan notes that they tried to hire a woman to sew the baby’s layette but no one could do fine enough work.

Consequently, Annie and Susan did it themselves, with Susan teaching Annie. Annie, who came from a privileged background with maids, had no homemaking skills when she married Daniel. Susan, however, was a skilled needlewoman, having crafted a difficult quilt when she was only 15.

In her 40s, Susan probably had trouble seeing close-up work (as I do) and delegated as much as possible to Annie. As I sat and stitched, I imagined Susan’s diplomatic instructions and Annie’s frustration at having to learn as an adult a skill that most girls learned at their mother’s knee.

Sewing, in my experience, is an exercise in patience and humility. I hope Annie did not have to rip out her work as often as I do. It is, however, a perfect way to while away a cold snowy day–especially if you have a friend to sew with.

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*Don’t confuse this dress with something Annie or Susan would have worn. English Country dancing ceased to be popular about a generation before Annie, so her gowns would have been much more complicated. But this one was hard enough for me!

 

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Book signing today

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[image error]Join me for a book signing today at Lift Bridge Book Shop in Brockport, 12-2 pm. I’ll have some interesting materials you probably have not seen before.

Lift Bridge is one of the independent bookstores who do so much to bring locally-written books to the public, in addition to the customary bestsellers.

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For my next novel

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[image error]Here are some of the books I’m reading for my next novel in my Dauntless Series. They focus on contemporaries of Susan B. Anthony’s brother Daniel Read Anthony, who lived and fought on the Missouri-Kansas border before the Civil War and in its early days. Annie Osborn of Martha’s Vineyard moved to Leavenworth, KS after she married him in 1864.

Favorite go-to books

Civil War on the Missouri-Kansas Border gives me a Missourian’s view on the Jayhawkers’ activities during the border wars on this state line preceding the Civil Wars. This author frequently mentions D.R. Anthony as part of ruthless wartime “depradations.” That’s what the 19th century liked to call atrocities against innocent civilians. This anti-D.R. view provides balance because I have many pro-Kansas accounts that paint Anthony as a hero.

I’m just starting The Homefront in Civil War Missouri. From this book I’ve already valuable information about what it was like to be a civilian in Missouri during those years. I was intrigued that the (Missouri) bushwhackers, opponents of the Jayhawkers, purposely chose to wage their war in their kinfolk’s towns rather than take it out to remote areas where civilians would not be affected.

The 116 is one of my favorite go-to resources. Decidedly pro-Kansas, it tells the fascinating story of how D.R., his opponent Tom Ewing, and many other Kansans camped on the floor of the White House for about a week. At the start of the Civil War, President Lincoln called upon them to protect him from abduction. Ewing later became one of Anthony’s arch enemies.

Women’s Diaries on the Westward Journey tells of otherwise unsung heroines (one of my favorite subjects). These stalwart women endured unbelievable dangers and deprivations while settling the West in wagon trains. Many marked their days by listing how many graves they passed each day while walking across the country beside oxen. Cholera caused many of these deaths.

Others gave birth on the trail and were back on the treck the next day due to the urgent need to arrive before winter set in. Although none of the major characters in my Dauntless Series will have arrived in Leavenworth, KS by wagon train, there’s nothing to prevent me from having Annie befriend one of the women who made this harrowing journey.

My next novel, which is about 1/3 done, focuses on Annie’s first two years in Leavenworth, a time of incredible upheaval.

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Book Signing Tomorrow

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[image error]Simply New York Store will hold a book signing tomorrow (Sunday, Dec 3) by Jeanne Gehret at their store near Seabreeze. Come met Jeanne and hear some surprising stories about Susan B. and her family. Ask Jeanne about her costumed portrayals of Miss Anthony, too.

Jeanne’s books make great gifts for anyone interested in Rochester, antislavery, woman suffrage, Martha’s Vineyard, the border war in Kansas, and even romance!

Click here for a description of these two books:

The Truth About Daniel
Susan B. Anthony And Justice For All

Jeanne will also have copies of her Coping Series (children’s books on dyslexia and ADD} for your favorite special needs child.

Simply New York carries only items made in NY State, including food items, jewelry, books, and fascinating gadgets. Jeanne’s books were not only  written in New York, and they also feature famous people who lived here!

Book Signing Sunday, Dec. 3, 1-3 pm

Simply New York, 4364 Culver Road, Rochester

 

 

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Nov. 26, 1862 Death of Susan B. Anthony’s father

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[image error]One day in early November 1862, Susan B. Anthony and her father Daniel were reading and discussing antislavery newspapers when he suddenly began suffering acute pain in his stomach.  He suffered greatly and died two weeks later on November 25 at the age of 68 of heart disease. Her authorized biography says that previously he had not been ill for 40 years.

Susan’s biography relates the family’s devastation at this sudden loss:

…From childhood his sons and daughters had carried to him every grief and perplexity.…He was far ahead of his time in his recognition of the rights of women….He was a broad, great-hearted man, always mindful of the rights of others, always standing for liberty to every human being.At his funeral services Frederick Douglass and several prominent abolitionists paid affectionate tribute, expressing ‘a profound reverence for Mr. Anthony’s character as a man, a friend and a citizen.’ (Harper, 223)

For Susan, he had provided inspiration, counsel and consolation, as well as financial aid.

Financial losses prompt move

Daniel ran cotton mills, a general store and post office in western Massachusetts and eastern New York State until the country’s financial collapse bankrupted him. Eventually the family moved to Rochester, NY where he took up farming. However, this too proved unprofitable so he went into the insurance business, settling into a building across the street from Frederick Douglass’s publishing office for The North Star. Douglass and a group of Quaker antislavery folk frequently dined at the Anthony home.

Effect on his children

Through his strong beliefs, Susan B. Anthony’s father inspired her involvement in her three areas of reform work–temperance, abolition, and woman suffrage. After finding a fellow townsman dead drunk (literally) in the snow, Daniel swore off alcohol.

While raising his children as Quaker, he protested against a government that waged war and abhorred slavery. He and his wife attended the women’s rights convention in 1848 in Rochester, several years before Susan got involved.

Daniel Anthony’s strong convictions found a different expression in his sons. Older son D.R. and his brother Merritt so strongly opposed slavery that Merritt supported John Brown in Kansas. Both brothers joined the Union Army in the Midwest.

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Air and water bad for your health?

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In the 19th century, before modern medicine, you could easily die from what you inhaled or drank. This was particularly true if you were a baby. That is because they did not yet understand the nature of infectious disease or have the means to prevent it.

I was always puzzled when I read that the average lifespan for Americans in the 1800s was about 45. After all, all of Susan B. Anthony’s siblings and most of her friends lived well beyond what we consider middle age. Finally, I asked my friend Terry Lehr for help. She is a former nurse and author of an upcoming book on the flu epidemic of 1918. Terry explained that it was extremely common for children to die before they were five years old, and this brought down the average age considerably. (Click here for an overview of 19th century medicine that focuses on the highly-contagious puerperal fever.)

Infectious Diseases Varied By Season

Cold weather brought respiratory diseases spread through the air, especially pneumonia, influenza, and diphtheria, which was called “the strangling disease” because sufferers frequently developed a membrane in their throats that cut off their airways.

Warm weather, while easier on the lungs, was harder on the digestive tract. Illnesses–especially cholera, but also typhoid fever and dysentery–could reach epidemic proportions, killing thousands of Americans during  bad seasons and causing others to evacuate affected towns. Rivers, streams, and ground water, polluted with feces, carried the illness across the continent. Closer to home, babies were particularly susceptible to germs in spoiled milk because it was a disproportionate percentage of their entire diet.

What does this have to do with this website on the Anthony kin? Because as I’ve been visiting Anthony grave sites and reading letters and diaries, I keep coming across sad remembrances of family members who succumbed to such diseases. At least one of those deaths will darken the pages of the sequel of The Truth About Daniel.

Photo of the Anthony burial plot in Rochester by Jeanne Gehret.

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