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Pioneers American Women
Sarah
Shelby
Was the daughter of Mrs. Bledsoe who was so famous among the
settlers of the first settlements of Tennessee. Sarah was quite
young when her parents moved from Virginia to eastern Tennessee.
Miss Bledsoe married in 1784, David Shelby. Mrs. Shelby's
husband was said to be the first merchant in Nashville, in 1790.
Mrs. Shelby suffered all the exposures and hardships incident to
the life of the early settlers in Tennessee.
Ruhama
Greene
Ruhama Greene was born in Jefferson County, Virginia, and
married Charles Builderback and they were among the first
settlers on the Ohio near Wheeling. In an attack made by the
Indians, in 1789, on this settlement, Mrs. Builderback and her
husband were taken prisoners. She remained a prisoner about nine
months, being condemned to the hardest labor in working for the
squaws and their brutal masters. She was finally released by the
commandant at Fort Washington, and restored to her family. After
her husband's death, she married a Mr. John Greene and removed
to a settlement near Lancaster, where the resided at the time of
her death in 1843.
Keturah Leitch
Taylor
Keturah Leitch Taylor, formerly Keturah Moss, was born September
11, 1773 in Goochland County, Virginia. She was the daughter of
Major Hugh Moss of the Revolutionary Army. Her father having
died in 1784, she, with two sisters, was brought to Kentucky by
her uncle, Rev. Augustine Eastin, their mother having married
again. While enroute to Kentucky, the train of settlers of which
they were a part, was attacked by Indians, and many were killed.
This was witnessed by Keturah Moss, then only a child of fifteen
years. Her early experiences and her courage make her one of the
cherished memories of Kentucky, and her descendants are among
the well-known names of that state.
Mary Hopkins Cabell
Breckenridge
Was born in February, 1768; and died at Lexington, Kentucky, in
1858; aged ninety years. Her husband, Hon. John Breckenridge,
was one of the noted men of Kentucky, and was appointed
Attorney-General of the United States at one time. She is spoken
of as a woman of great courage and remarkable character, and was
the "founding mother" of a worthy and distinguished family. One
of her daughters, Mary, married General David Castleman, of
Kentucky, and Letitia Preston married General P. B. Porter of
Niagara Falls. One of her descendants was General Peter A.
Porter, who fell in the assault on Coal Harbor. A
grand-daughter, Margaret E. Breckenridge, the daughter of Dr.
John Breckenridge, was known during the Civil War as the ''angel
of the hospitals." It is reported she once said, "Shall men die
by thousands for their country and no woman risk her life?"
Henrietta Hunt
Morgan
Daughter of Colonel John W. Hunt, and sister of Honorable
Francis Keys Hunt, of Kentucky, was born in Lexington, Kentucky,
in 1805 and died November 15, 1891. She married Governor Calvin
C. Morgan, and was the mother of two of Kentucky's famous men.
Colonel Calvin M. Morgan and General John Morgan. She had three
other sons and two daughters, one of whom was the wife of
General Basil W. Duke, and the other of General A. P. Hill.
Susan Lucy Barry
Taylor
Was born in Lexington, Kentucky, in 1807, and died at the old
family mansion at Newport, Kentucky, December 8, 1881. She was
among the first women who, even at the tender age of fifteen,
made an appeal in one of her essays at school for the higher
education of women. Her children were more or less famous in
their own state.
Mary Yellott
Johnston
Formerly Mary Yellott Dashiell, was born September 13, 1806, and
was a great-niece of the distinguished Governor Winder, of
Maryland. She was connected with several of our most
distinguished families, the Dashiells, Handys, Harrisons,
Hancocks, Bayards, Randolphs, Warder and Percys.
Margaret Wickliffe
Preston
Margaret Wickliffe Preston one of the first "granddames'' of the
olden times, was born in Lexington, Kentucky, in 1819, and was
the daughter of Robert Wickliffe, who gave his daughter every
advantage which wealth, social position, and education could
bring to her. Her husband was appointed minister to Spain, in
1858 and there she made a most favorable impression, by her
culture, refinement, and grace of manner. Her conversational
powers were always remarkable, and she was usually the center of
attraction wherever she appeared. Her daughter married General
Draper, of Massachusetts, who served in Congress and then as our
minister to Italy, and Mrs. Draper's home in Washington is one
of the social centers of today.
Anna
Innis
Mrs. Anna Innis was the widow of Hon. Henry Innis, and the
mother of Mrs. John J. Crittenton. She died at Frankfort,
Kentucky, May 12, 1951. Her early days, like those of most of
the women of her time, were spent in the wilder-ness but in the
society of such men as Clarke, Wayne, Shelby, Scott, Boone,
Henderson. Logan, Harte, Nicolas, Murray, Allen, Breckenridge
and die heroic spirits of the West
Sarah
Richardson
Another of Kentucky's eminent daughters, who was the mother of
General Leslie Combs was connected with some of the best
families of the early days, and came of good Quaker stock from
Maryland. The residence of Mrs. Combs was near Boonesborough.
She endured hardships that the women of those times and
localities were called upon to endure with much courage.
Elizabeth
Tappen
Was the second daughter of Alexander and Elizabeth Harper, and
was born February 24, 1784, in Harpersfield, New York. She was
fifteen years of age when her parents removed to Ohio, and later
became one of the teachers in the school which was opened in the
Western Reserve. In 1803, Abraham Tappen was appointed to take
charge of this school, and alternately he and Miss Harper
taught, which was the beginning of their friendship and resulted
in their marriage in 1806. Tappen was employed later as a
surveyor and took part in the equalizing of the claims of
landholders. They became prominent citizens and Mr. Tappen
after-wards became a judge. The little village of Unionville is
believed to be built on the site of their first home.
Charlotte
Clark
Her husband was a commissary officer with the troops who were
with Colonel Leavenworth on the upper Mississippi. The daughter
of Mrs. Clark was Mrs. Van. Cleve of Ann Arbor, Michigan, and
was born while the troops were stationed at Prairie Du Chien.
They later resided at Fort Snelling. Mrs. Clark was described as
a very handsome woman with unusual intelligence and great charm
in conversation. Her son, Malcolm Clark, was a trader among the
Indians near Fort Benton in Oregon, and married one of the women
of the Black Foot Tribe. His two daughters were educated at Ann
Arbor. One of Mrs. Clark's daughters, Charlotte Clark, was Mrs.
Gear, the wife of Hezekiah Gear, one of the early pioneers of
Illinois, and resided at Galena.
Sarah
Bryan
Was conspicuous among the early settlers of Michigan as the wife
of John Bryan.
Sylvia
Chapin
The wife of Syrena Chapin was considered one of the oldest
settlers and pioneers of Buffalo, where Dr. Chapin came with his
family in 1805. Her husband was a man very much beloved by the
citizens of Buffalo.
Mrs.
Anderson
One of the early settlers of Plymouth, Wayne County, Michigan.
Eliza
Bull
Eliza Bull, afterwards Mrs. Sinclair, was also an early pioneer
of Michigan.
Mary Ann
Rumsey
One of the early residents of Ann Arbor, Michigan, the county
seat of Washtenaw County. This Indian name signified grand or
beautiful, and the Grand River takes its name from this word.
The name Ann Arbor was given to this little village by John
Allen and Walter Rumsey who came to the settlement in February,
1824, from New York State. Mary Ann Rumsey, the wife of Walter
Rumsey, was quite a remarkable character and many interesting
stones are told of her own life in these early days. Mr. Rumsey
died at Ann Arbor, and his wife afterwards married Mr. Van
Fossen, and removed to Indiana. There was another woman who bore
the name of Ann quite distinguished in this little settlement to
which she came in 1824 with the parents of her husband, James
Turner Allen, from Virginia. The local tradition is that to
these two women, Ann Allen and Ann Ramsey, the town of Ann Arbor
is indebted for the addition of Ann to its name. After the death
of Mr. Allen his widow returned to Virginia. Mrs. Allen's maiden
name was Barry. Her husband's name was Dr. McCue, a Virginian.
Betty
O'Flanagan
Among the remarkable characters of the early days of Detroit
there is mention made of one very unique person, Betty
O'Flanagan, who is said to have been one of the followers of
Wayne's army. When listening to her reminiscences she often told
the young people that she would have been better off had "Mad
Anthony" lived.
Harriet L.
Noble
Quite a wave of excitement spread over western New York in 1824,
over the opportunities offered in the new country known as
Michigan. Among those seized with the mania was Nathaniel Noble
and in January of that year he with his brother and family set
out for their new home, joining in Ann Arbor their former
friends, John Allen and Walter Rumsey. The deprivations and
hardships of the journey are only a repetition of those which we
have already given. The town of Dixborough was laid out by Mr.
Dix of Massachusetts. Miss Frances Trask was a cousin of Mrs.
Dix, and was one of the remarkable characters of this day. She
was a noted belle and coquette of the community, possessing fine
qualities of heart and real worth; her eccentricities and
unfeminine defiance of general opinion often caused great talk
and comment among her neighbors. She was a general favorite
owing to her wit, force, and happy disposition, among the men
and many amusing stories are told of her ready repartee. She was
at one time engaged to Sherman Dix, a relative of her
brother-in-law, but married a Mr. Thompson, being left quite
early a widow. Her nephew by marriage was at one time the
Secretary of State in Texas.
Mrs. Hector
Scott
Mrs. Hector Scott is worthy of mention among the early settlers
of Michigan. She was the daughter of Luther Martin, the attorney
who so successfully defended Aaron Burr. One of the famous
beauties of that time was a Mrs. Talbot, who was the daughter of
Commodore Truxton.
Mrs.
Moseley
Mrs. Moseley is also deserving of mention. She was the daughter
of the Missionary Bingham, and was said to be the first white
child born in the Sandwich Islands.
Women of
America
Source: The Part Taken by Women in
American History, By Mrs. John A. Logan, Published by The Perry-Nalle
Publishing Company, Wilmington, Delaware, 1912.
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