Georgia Women This page intentionally left blank Women their lives and times

Volume 1

edited by Ann Short Chirhart and Betty Wood

The University of Georgia Press Athens and London © 2009 by the University of Georgia Press Athens, Georgia 30602 www .ugapress .org All rights reserved Set in Minion by Graphic Composition, Inc. Printed and bound by Th omson-Shore The paper in this book meets the guidelines for permanence and durability of the Committee on Production Guidelines for Book Longevity of the Council on Library Resources. Printed in the United States of America 09 10 11 12 13 p 5 4 3 2 1 Library of Congress Cataloging- in-Publication Data Georgia women : their lives and times / edited by Ann Short Chirhart and Betty Wood. v. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. Contents: Introduction / Ann Short Chirhart with Betty Wood— (ca. 1700–1765) : maligned mediator or mischievous malefactor / Julie Anne Sweet— (ca. 1735– ca. 1830) : “Too good not to tell again” / John Thomas Scott—Elizabeth Lichtenstein Johnston (1764– 1848) : “Shot round the world but not heard” / Ben Marsh—Ellen Craft (ca. 1826–1891) : the fugitive who fl ed as a planter / Barbara McCaskill—Fanny Kemble (1809–1893) and Frances Butler Leigh (1838–1910) : becoming Georgian / Daniel Kilbride—Susie King Taylor (1848–1912) : “I gave my services willingly” / Catherine Clinton— (1840–1931) : “I will have to say Damn! yet, before I am done with them” / Christopher J. Olsen—Amanda America Dickson (1849–1893) : a wealthy lady of color in nineteenth- century Georgia / Kent Anderson Leslie—Mary Gay (1829–1918) : sin, self, and survival in the post–Civil War South / Michele Gillespie— (1835–1930) : the problem of protection in the new South / LeeAnn Whites—Mary Latimer McLendon (1840–1921) : “Mother of suff rage work in Georgia” / Stacey Horstmann Gatti—Mildred Lewis Rutherford (1851– 1928) : the redefi nition of new South White womanhood / Sarah Case—Nellie Peters Black (1851–1919) : Georgia’s Pioneer Club woman / Carey Olmstead Shellman— (1855–1933) and (1866–1942) : lighting fi res of knowledge / Jennifer Lund Smith—Corra Harris (1869–1935) : the storyteller as folk preacher / Donald Mathews— (1860–1927) : late- blooming daisy / Anastatia Hodgens Sims. isbn- 13: 978- 0- 8203- 3336- 6 (hardcover : alk. paper) isbn- 10: 0- 8203- 3336- 0 (hardcover : alk. paper) isbn- 13: 978- 0- 8203- 3337- 3 (pbk. : alk. paper) isbn- 10: 0-8203- 3337- 9 (pbk. : alk. paper) 1. Women—Georgia—Biography. 2. Women—Georgia—History. 3. Georgia—Biography. I. Chirhart, Ann Short. II. Wood, Betty. ct3262.g4 g46 2009 975.8092'2—dc22 [b] 2009008552 British Library Cataloging- in-Publication Data available Contents

Acknowledgments ix

Introduction Ann Short Chirhart with Betty Wood 1

Mary Musgrove (ca. 1700– 1765) Maligned Mediator or Mischievous Malefactor? Julie Anne Sweet 11

Nancy Hart (ca. 1735– ca. 1830) “Too Good Not to Tell Again” John Thomas Scott 33

Elizabeth Lichtenstein Johnston (1764– 1848) “Shot Round the World but Not Heard” Ben Marsh 58

Ellen Craft (ca. 1826– 1891) The Fugitive Who Fled as a Planter Barbara McCaskill 82

Fanny Kemble (1809– 1893) and Frances Butler Leigh (1838– 1910) Becoming Georgian Daniel Kilbride 106

Susie King Taylor (1848– 1912) “I Gave My Services Willingly” Catherine Clinton 130 vi Contents

Eliza Frances Andrews (1840– 1931) “I Will Have to Say ‘Damn!’ Yet, Before I Am Done with Them” Christopher J. Olsen 147

Amanda America Dickson (1849– 1893) A Wealthy Lady of Color in Nineteenth- Century Georgia Kent Anderson Leslie 173

Mary Gay (1829– 1918) Sin, Self, and Survival in the Post– Civil War South Michele Gillespie 199

Rebecca Latimer Felton (1835– 1930) The Problem of Protection in the New South LeeAnn Whites 224

Mary Latimer McLendon (1840– 1921) “Mother of Suff rage Work in Georgia” Stacey Horstmann Gatti 245

Mildred Lewis Rutherford (1851– 1928) The Redefi nition of New South White Womanhood Sarah Case 272

Nellie Peters Black (1851– 1919) Georgia’s Pioneer Club Woman Carey Olmstead Shellman 297

Lucy Craft Laney (1855– 1933) and Martha Berry (1866– 1942) Lighting Fires of Knowledge Jennifer Lund Smith 318

Corra Harris (1869– 1935) The Storyteller as Folk Preacher Donald Mathews 341

Juliette Gordon Low (1860– 1927) Late-Blooming Daisy Anastatia Hodgens Sims 370 Contents vii

Selected Bibliography 391 List of Contributors 399 Index 403 This page intentionally left blank Acknowledgments

As in any collection of essays, this book owes its achievements to the scholars who contributed their research. We would like to thank all of them for their patience and substantial work. At an early stage, Sarah Gardner provided some assistance. Betty Wood graciously agreed to serve as coeditor at a vital time. Indiana State University provided funding to Ann Short Chirhart through an Indiana State University Research Grant that allowed her to complete portions of the editing. From the beginning of this collection, John Inscoe, with his love of Georgia history, provided valuable assistance. We would like to express our deep appreciation to Nancy Grayson of the University of Georgia Press for all the support she has given to this project. She ushered the completion of this book in more ways than we can enumerate. Special thanks to the Girl Scouts of the usa for research assistance and permis- sion to use materials located at the Juliette Gordon Low Birthplace in Savannah, Georgia, and the National Historic Preservation Center, gsusa Headquarters in . The Journal of Southern History and the University of Georgia Press kindly permitted reprints of portions of works published by Sarah Case, Cath- erine Clinton, Kent Anderson Leslie, and Barbara McCaskill. LeeAnn Whites’s article, “Rebecca Latimer Felton: The Problem of Protection in the New South,” from Visible Women: New Essays on American Activism copyright 1993 from the Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois, is used with permission of the University of Illinois Press. Finally, we would like to thank George, Emma, Ruthie, and, as always, to Ken Chirhart who always believed in the success of this collection.

Ann Short Chirhart and Betty Wood

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