The New and Improved "They Persisted"
Hello All! Thanks for checking in. Hope you are all doing well.
What a beautiful, transitional morning we are having here is SW Colorado! Earlier it was raining, then the sun came out, (of course I looked for rainbows) and now it is snowing. I loved being out in the wind as it carried little snow pellets to caress my cheeks. Got some of the remaining garden chores completed before it got too messy out there. Wow. Getting colder and we are about to have a taste of winter. Bring it on!!
This is a good time to hunker down by the computer and get some inside work done. Fuzzy slippers and sweatshirt on, candle lit, cup of coffee at the ready. Here is the latest news: The proofs for the new and improved They Persisted will arrive next week. I can not tell you in words just how very excited I am. I am smiling and squealing a lot, though. A fantastic editor sure makes all the difference in the world. Laura J Martin, you are the bomb! I so appreciate you. Feeling very grateful and excited. Today, I want to share a few more of the women from the book, in anticipation of their arrival in print again, in just a few weeks.
Idawaley “Ida” Zorada Lewis, Keeper of the Light
Ida lived with her family at Lime Rock Lighthouse, 300 yards off the coast of Newport, RI and it was always completely inaccessible by land
Her father was the Light Keeper but became ill and she and her mother, assumed all the duties of Light Keeper
At 12, she became famous for daring rescues at sea, continuing throughout her life numbering around 36, or more
By 16 Ida had assumed full duties as the Light Keeper, running the lighthouse with no recompense
She was visited at the light by William Tecumseh Sherman, Admiral George Dewey (she named her little dog after Dewey), Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and President Theodore Roosevelt
Ida is one of the most famous persons to serve in the US Coast Guard (as Light Keeper) eventually earning $750 per year
Ida’s brother, Rudolph, bragged: “Ida knows how to handle a boat. She can hold one to windward in a gale better than any man I ever saw wet an oar. Yes, and do it too, when the sea is breaking over her.
Mary Fields, Former Slave, Pioneer, Stage Coach Driver, USPS Mail Carrier, Certified Badass
Mary was born a slave, but was afforded the same opportunities as the Master’s children, becoming the best and lifelong friend of the daughter, Sarah
When freed, Mary went to Mississippi to work on the steamboat, the Robert E. Lee
Sarah became a nun and Mary joined her at the convent as forewoman of St. Peter’s Mission
Mary was well suited for the work at 6 feet tall and over 200 pounds, wearing trousers under her skirt, an apron, wool cap, and sturdy boots. Her apron was perfect to hide the five shot Smith and Wesson .38, strapped around her waist
At 60 Mary drove a stagecoach delivering mail, breaking all barriers in the Wild West
She became known as “Stagecoach Mary,” the only woman allowed to drink in the saloon by proclamation of the mayor
This is how one historian described Mary Fields: “With a jug of whiskey by her foot, a pistol under her apron and a shotgun by her side, the was ready to take on any aggressor.” Oh, but there is so much more!
Sarah Breedlove Walker - Madam CJ Walker, Philanthropist, Inventor, Entrepreneur, Businesswoman
Sarah was the daughter of slaves
After using commercial hair products, Sarah found them lacking, and she created her own
Sarah’s products became wildly successful, and she established Lelia College (named after her daughter) for training “Hair Culturists”
Madam CJ Walker not only taught other women of color to become successful in their own businesses, she empowered them to that end
Madam CJ Walker became extremely wealthy
She was a very generous philanthropist, funding many, many organizations and causes
Madam CJ Walker said, “I am a woman who came from the cotton fields of the South. From there I was promoted to washtub and kitchen cook, and then I promoted myself to the business of manufacturing."