Petticoats & Pistols » Women in History

Pearl Hart – The Arizona Bandit

Winnie Griggs — Mon, 21 May 2012 05:17:05 +0000

Hi! Winnie Griggs here. (pssst - look for giveaway info at the bottom of this post) I was thumbing through one of those 'infamous women of the old west' type books the other day and came across a listing for a woman named Pearl Hart. The heading of First Female Captured Stagecoach Robber caught my eye. And the more I read about this woman, the more fascinated I became with her story. I did some additional research and found a number of different, sometimes contradictory, accounts of her life. I’ll stitch together my favorites here. While there is very little know about her early life, we do know that she was born Pearl Taylor in 1871 and lived the early part of her life in Ontario, Canada. She was one of several children born into an upper middle-class, church going family. At age sixteen she was sent to a boarding school, but she had an adventurous spirit that couldn’t be contained. That, combined with her attractiveness and wit made her quite popular with the men of her acquaintance. While at school Pearl became infatuated with a young man named Hart and eloped at about age 17. Hart has variously been described as a rake, a drunk and a gambler. Far from this being the romantic adventure Pearl had hoped for, it turned out Hart was also abusive. She left him and then returned to him several times and it is reported they had two children together. During their last reconciliation, the couple worked odd jobs the Chicago World’s Fair. There Pearl saw Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show and developed a fascination for the cowboy life that would stay with her her entire life. She also visited the Women’s Pavilion where she heard speeches by prominent women’s activists such as Julia Ward Howe. Finally leaving Hart for good, Pearl placed the children in the care of her mother and took up with a man named Dan Bandman, a gambler and dance-hall musician. The two eventually moved to Colorado. Later, when Dan left to fight in the Spanish-American War, Pearl moved to Globe Arizona, a mining town. There are various reports that she may have worked as a cook, a singer, a laundress and/or opened a tent brothel. It is also said that she developed a fondness for cigar and liquor at this time. Pearl described her life at this time in these words: "I was only twenty-two years old. I was good-looking, desperate, discouraged, and ready for anything that might come. I do not care to dwell on this period of my life. It is sufficient to say that I went from one city to another..." Whatever her employment, Pearl’s finances hit bottom when the mine closed. Trying to find a way to earn money, she took up with a man named Joe Boot and together they tried to work an old mine claim he owned. But by 1899 the pair found themselves short on cash and decided to rob a stage, though it appears neither had done anything like this before. One account claims they took this desperate measure because Pearl had gotten word that her mother was ill and needed money, though there is little to substantiate this claim. Pearl cut her hair and dressed up like a man. Both armed with revolvers, they stopped a stage running between Florence and Globe at the Cane Springs Canyon watering point. They collected 1 from the three passengers on board. Pearl then reportedly took pity on them and gave them back each .00 so they could buy a meal at the next stop. But their lack of experience did them in. They did a poor job of covering their tracks and within six days the law had caught up with them. One account states that they were sleeping when the posses caught up with them and that while Joe surrendered quickly but Pearl tried, unsuccessfully, to fight her way out. Joe and Pearl were locked in the local jail. But the notoriety and attention Pearl received as a female bandit, coupled with the lack of proper facilities, caused the sheriff to throw up his hands and send her to the jail in Tucson. Pearl’s notoriety grew, and she did all she could to fuel it. Her story about her reason for the robbery (her ailing mother) gained her sympathy, and her avowal that she "would never consent to be tried under a law she or her sex had no voice in making, or to which a woman had no power under the law to give her consent" gained her a whole new level of attention. Never one to give up on her options, within a matter of days Pearl had charmed some of the men at the Tucson prison and managed to escape. Unfortunately for her, a New Mexico lawman recognized her and sent her back to the Tucson prison. Joe Boot was eventually sentenced to 30 years in jail and Pearl to five. Pearl was given the dubious honor of being the first woman incarcerated into the Yuma Territorial Prison. But neither Pearl nor Joe served their full terms. Joe, apparently due to a show of good behavior, was given trustee status. He walked off while working outside the gates less than two years into his term and was never heard from again. Pearl, on the other hand, gained her freedom legitimately, well, sort of. The warden of the jail where Pearl was imprisoned like all the attention she was attracting from the public and the media. He provided her with a roomy 8 x10 cell as well as a small yard which gave her a space to entertain reporters, photographers and other guests. Pearl, who was the only female incarcerated in the facility, was not above using her wiles to play guards and trustees off of each other to improve her situation. In December of 1902, Pearl received a pardon from the governor and was released free and clear. The official reason for the pardon remains unclear, but it was given on condition that she leave the Arizona territory. Pearl herself claimed that she had been invited to play the lead in a play her sister had penned based on her life and this had played into her release. However, a later rumor emerged that she had became pregnant. The governor, wanting to spare the Arizona Territory the embarrassment of explaining how this could possibly have happened while she was imprisoned, pardoned her and set her free. While there is no proof that Pearl ever bore a third child, this doesn’t mean the wily woman didn’t use this as a ploy to secure her freedom. There are varying accounts of what happened to Pearl after she was released. Some say she parlayed her notoriety into a show business career, billing herself as “The Arizona Bandit.” One account says she traveled for a while with Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show. A less colorful theory is that she married a rancher named Calvin Bywater and settled down into a quite but happier life. If that last is true, then perhaps Pearl got her “happily ever after” after all. Folks who knew Mrs. Bywater described her as “soft spoken, kind, and a good citizen in all respects.” Mrs. Calvin Bywater lived well into her 80s. As I said earlier, there are a number of different accounts of Pearl’s life and this is only one of them. Her exploits have been featured in theater, film and pulp fiction. There was even a musical called The Legend Of Pearl Hart. And while we may never know the full true story of her life, there is no doubt that she lived it on her own terms. And, as promised I'm doing a giveaway today. In honor of my upcoming June release, A Baby Between Them, I'm giving away an advanced copy to one person who leaves a comment today. Here's a little about this book: For two months, Nora Murphy has cared for the abandoned infant she found on their Boston-bound ship. Settled now in Faith Glen, Nora tells herself she’s happy. She has little Grace, and a good job as housekeeper to Sheriff Cameron Long. She doesn’t need anything more - not the big family she always wanted, or Cam’s love... A traumatic childhood closed Cam off to any dreams of family life. Yet somehow his lovely housekeeper and her child have opened his heart again. When the unthinkable occurs, it will take all their faith to reach a new future together. Now avaiable for pre-order HERE

Nesting Instincts… by Tanya Hanson

Tanya Hanson — Wed, 16 May 2012 06:05:56 +0000

A few weeks ago, an article with enchanting pictures in the Los Angeles Times gave me the idea for this blog about “America’s Other Audubon.” Thanks to the Calendar section and Joy Kiser’s new book of the same name, I stumbled across an amazing woman, Genevieve Estelle Jones (1847-1879), who needed her own visit to Wildflower Junction. In the mid-18oo’s, this little girl nicknamed “Gennie” loved accompanying her father, Dr. Nelson Jones, in his buggy on his medical rounds throughout the countryside near their Circleville, Ohio home. Hence the beginning of a lifelong passion for the natural world. To help heal her heartbreak over a broken betrothal, Gennie travelled to Philadelphia for the Centennial Exhibition in 1876 and discovered John James Audubon’s watercolors of birds. Struck by the beauty of his masterpieces, she decided to illustrate and publish a companion book with pictures of nests and eggs, subjects Audubon did not include in his portfolios. Although her parents were initially alarmed at the expense of such an undertaking, they soon encouraged her to help distract her from her fragile emotions. Her brother Howard collected the specimens. Also a country doctor like his father, he wrote up the scientific field notes. Childhood friend Eliza Schultz helped Gennie sketch the eggs and nests. Through correspondence, they learned the lithography process and how to draw on both sides of 65-pound lithograph stones. Gennie’s father used his entire retirement savings to produce the books, selling subscriptions to museums, ornithology journals, a Harvard student named Theodore Roosevelt, and even President Rutherford B. Hayes. Dr. Jones’s plan was to produce 100 books sold by subscription in five parts. Colored books would cost .00. Black and white versions, .50. Part One was released in July 1879 to enthusiastic reviews by naturalists and ornithologists. Tragically, Gennie died only one month after the release at age 32, from a horrific three-week battle with typhoid. In memory of their beloved sister and daughter, her family continued working on the project. Seven years after her death, the complete “Illustrations of the Nests and Eggs of Birds of Ohio” was first published. It was definitely a labor of love. For better lighting, Dr. Nelson Jones added a two-room studio with skylight to their barn. Before Eliza left to study art in New York, she taught Gennie’s mother Virginia how to draw on the lithograph stones. More than ninety copies of every life-sized, black and white illustration had to be hand-colored. Two local young women hired to help used the same imported watercolors and paper that Audubon had used. More tragedy struck when Gennie’s brother and mother were also stricken with typhoid, leaving Howard Jones with a damaged heart and mother Virginia nearly blind. Only 26 intact copies of the original 90 books have been located. I love hearing the birds chirp and sing outside my writing room window. Not long ago, I found a giant American crow’s nest that had blown down from a big tree in our front yard. It sure wasn't as pretty as these beautiful Genevieve Jones illustrations from Princeton Architectural Press. Any bird watchers out there? Click on cover to purchase. I thank the following blog for information as well. http://www.sil.si.edu/ondisplay/nestsandeggs/essay.htm .

Jell-O: What’s not to love?

Cheryl St.John — Thu, 03 May 2012 05:41:52 +0000

Family dinners, pot lucks, buffets--they always feature at least one Jell-O salad. Something red with marshmallows and fruit -- or green with pineapple and whipped cream -- or at holidays -- a cranberry mold. Each of us remembers Jell-O from our earliest years.It’s just always been there. Open the little box, pour the granules into boiling water, and refrigerate. What could be easier?

Years ago I actually bought a fish bowl and created a seascape with blue gelatin and Gummy fish and Gummy worms.It was a laborious task, took a mountain of Jell-O, and the kids all thought it was pretty weird. Yeah, well, that’s me. Every once in a while I still poke holes in a cake and pour Jell-O over it. Chocolate cake with raspberry gelatin is my favorite. How about that time-consuming seven-layer Jell-O? One of my favorites is strawberry pretzel dessert.

My easy strawberry shortcake recipe goes like this: Bake an angel food cake from a mix. Slice strawberries, mix up a box of strawberry Jell-o, pour both over the cake and refrigerate. Smear with Cool Whip. You'd think I'd done something brilliant, because this is always a hit.

Am I making you hungry? Bringing back fond food memories?We take gelatin for granted, but our forefathers--or foremothers--went through a much more complicated process to do what we do in minutes.

Before the turn of the century gelatin was a functional food item rather than a treat. Since the days of ancient Greece, jellies and aspics had been used to bind, glaze, and also to preserve foods—like the canned hams we buy today.

To us gelatin is a dessert, but past cooks flavored their gelatins with vinegar, wine, almond extract, and other items to produce a tart product. The foods they glazed were more often meats than sweets.

As long ago as the Renaissance, chefs took pride in constructing elaborate gelatin molds, and no dinner party was complete without at least one jelly construction worthy of the best modern-day wedding cake baker. In the nineteenth century, the most popular mold designs were castles and fortresses complete with doors, windows, and crenellated turrets.

Before this century, the glue needed for gelatin, called collagen, had to be laboriously extracted from meat bones. In the Middle Ages, deer antlers were a popular source of the glue; and later, calves' feet and knuckles. Housewives in the nineteenth century used isinglass, made from the membranes of fish bladders.

Gelatin-making was a daylong affair, requiring the tedious scraping of hair from the feet, hours of boiling and simmering with egg whites to degrease and clarify the broth, and careful filtering through jelly bags or "filtering stools." The transparent finished product was then dried into sheets, leaves, or rounds.

In 1890, Charles B. Knox of Jamestown, New York was watching his wife make calves' foot jelly when he decided that a prepackaged, easy-to-use gelatin mix was just what the housewife needed. Knox set out to develop, manufacture, and distribute the granulated gelatin, while his wife invented recipes for the new kitchen staple.

In 1897, Pearl B. Wait, a NY carpenter and cough medicine manufacturer, developed a fruit-flavored gelatin. His wife, May Davis Wait, named his product Jell-O.Because of the development of the icebox at the end of the century, America was ready for gelatin desserts.

Wait's product found its way to few American tables before it was bought by the food tycoon Frank Woodward, who was already marketing a coffee and tea substitute named Grain-O.Within a few years the genius in packaging, mass marketing, and advertising turned Jell-O into a household word. The 10 cent carton advertised a delicious dessert that was delicate, delightful, and dainty, and the Jell-O trademark of a young girl with carton and kettle in hand soon appeared on store displays, dishes, spoons, and other promotional articles.

To show the housewife how versatile the product was, Woodward's company distributed free booklets with Jell-O recipes. One booklet alone ran to a printing of 15 million copies!

By 1925, Jell-O was a big-money industry. In that year Jell-O joined Postum to form General Foods, today one of the largest corporations in America.By the 1930's, Jell-O had become a way of life. No Sunday dinner was complete without a concoction known as Golden Glow salad, Jell-O laced with grated carrot and canned pineapple and served with gobs of mayonnaise.

Knox Gelatine tried to discourage the rush toward Jell-O with ads warning shoppers to spurn sissy-sweet salads that were 85 percent sugar. While Knox stressed the purity of their odorless, tasteless, sugarless gelatin, Jell-O highlighted their product's versatility.

As for the belief that gelatin is good for the hair and nails, the only claim made by either Jell-O or Knox is that their product may do some good for some people's hair and nails. Sugarfree gelatin is popular among dieters.

In the field of photography, gelatin was introduced in the late 1870s as a substitute for wet collodion. It was used to coat dry photographic plates, marking the beginning of modern photographic methods. Gelatin's use in the manufacture of medicinal capsules occurred in the twentieth century.

Golden Glow Salad

1 package (3 ounces) orange gelatin

1 cup boiling water

1 can (8 ounces) crushed pineapple

1 tablespoon lemon juice Cold water

1/4 teaspoon salt, optional

3/4 cup finely shredded carrots

In a bowl, dissolve gelatin in boiling water. Drain pineapple, reserving juice. Add lemon juice and enough cold water to pineapple juice to make 1 cup; add salt if desired. Stir into gelatin. Chill until slightly set. Stir in pineapple and carrots. Pour into an oiled 4-cup mold; cover and chill until firm. Unmold.

Yield: 6 servings.

<---- Hold everything: You can buy Jell-O on amazon .com.

In my search I discovered Jell-O shots, Jell-O wrestling, Jell-O spokesperson Bill Cosby, Jell-O Jiggler eggs (the kids stepped on one of these on my carpet one Easter – not good) and of course Jell-O molds.

What is your favorite gelatin memory?

Do you have a standby recipe?

If you want to share, post your favorite Jell-O recipe for us.

The Unsinkable Miss Brown

Winnie Griggs — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 08:22:57 +0000

Hi! Winnie Griggs here. A little over a week ago we marked the 100^th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic. It got me to thinking about its most famous tie to the American west, the “Unsinkable Molly Brown”. The only things I knew about her were fuzzily remembered scenes from the movie so I figured I’d do a little quick research to find out more. I learned she was born in Hannibal,Missouri on July 18, 1867 and christened Margaret Tobin. Her father was an Irish immigrant employed as a ditch-digger and the family was on the very low end of the social and financial spectrum. As a teenager she followed one of her brothers to Leadville, Colorado where he hoped to make his fortune in the silver mines there. She served as cook for her brother and found work as a seamstress in a local store. Eventually she met J.J.Brown, a mining superintendent and the two were soon an item. Of the courtship, one source credits Margaret as saying

“I wanted a rich man, but I loved Jim Brown. I thought about how I wanted comfort for my father and how I had determined to stay single until a man presented himself who could give to the tired old man the things I longed for him. Jim was as poor as we were, and had no better chance in life. I struggled hard with myself in those days. I loved Jim, but he was poor. Finally, I decided that I'd be better off with a poor man whom I loved than with a wealthy one whose money had attracted me. So I married Jim Brown.”

They were wed in 1886. They had a son, Lawrence, in 1887 and their daughter Catherine made her appearance two years later. In the early years, Margaret and J.J. struggled financially. But J.J.’s instrumental involvement in a silver strike in his employer’s mine changed all of that and the Browns became very wealthy indeed. The family eventually moved to Denver where Margaret, in a nod to the societal conventions, familiarized herself with the arts and became fluent in several foreign languages. Alas, their love match did not last forever. In 1909, after 23 years of marriage, J.J. and Margaret separated, though they never divorced and it appears they remained amicable for the remainder of their days. As part of the separation agreement, Margaret received a very generous settlement and allowance, which allowed her to continue her travels and social work. Which brings us to her being aboard the ill-fated Titanic. Margaret was one of the lucky ones who made it aboard a lifeboat. It is said she helped in the evacuation and that she took up an oar herself to help row the boat away from the wreckage. She also strongly urged the crewman in charge of the lifeboat to go back to try to see if more people could be saved. Her exhortations were met with strong opposition due to fears that the boat would be swamped by desperate swimmers. Reports vary as to whether they did in fact eventually go back and whether or not anyone was rescued. What’s not in doubt, however, is that when the survivors were rescued by the crew of the Carpathia, she worked tirelessly to help provide physical and emotional comfort to the other survivors. By the time the ship reached New York, Margaret had established the Survivor’s Committee and raised nearly ,000 for those survivors who lost everything. She helped erect the Titanic Memorial in Washington D.C but to her annoyance found that as a woman she was barred from participation in the Titanic hearings. Margaret was also a philanthropist and activist in other areas. Some of her more notable contributions:

Helped establish the Colorado chapter of the National American Woman Suffrage Association
She worked in soup kitchens to help the families of miners
Was a charter member of the Denver Woman’s Club
Assisted in the fund raising for Denver’s Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception
Worked with a judge to come to the aid of indigent children and to establish the nation’s first juvenile court - this helped form the basis of the current day U.S juvenile court system
She twice ran for the U.S Senate
During WW I she worked with the American Committee for Devastated France, helping to establish a relief station for soldiers. She was later awarded the French Legion Of Honor.

Oh, and one last interesting fact that I learned - during her lifetime she was called Margaret, Margie and Maggie, but never Molly!

Harriet Quimby Solo Act…and win some books ~Tanya Hanson

Winnie Griggs — Mon, 21 May 2012 05:17:05 +0000

Nesting Instincts… by Tanya Hanson

Tanya Hanson — Wed, 16 May 2012 06:05:56 +0000

Jell-O: What’s not to love?

Cheryl St.John — Thu, 03 May 2012 05:41:52 +0000

Am I making you hungry? Bringing back fond food memories?We take gelatin for granted, but our forefathers--or foremothers--went through a much more complicated process to do what we do in minutes.

To show the housewife how versatile the product was, Woodward's company distributed free booklets with Jell-O recipes. One booklet alone ran to a printing of 15 million copies!

Golden Glow Salad

1 package (3 ounces) orange gelatin

1 cup boiling water

1 can (8 ounces) crushed pineapple

1 tablespoon lemon juice Cold water

1/4 teaspoon salt, optional

3/4 cup finely shredded carrots

Yield: 6 servings.

<---- Hold everything: You can buy Jell-O on amazon .com.

What is your favorite gelatin memory?

Do you have a standby recipe?

If you want to share, post your favorite Jell-O recipe for us.

The Unsinkable Miss Brown

Winnie Griggs — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 08:22:57 +0000

Helped establish the Colorado chapter of the National American Woman Suffrage Association
She worked in soup kitchens to help the families of miners
Was a charter member of the Denver Woman’s Club
Assisted in the fund raising for Denver’s Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception
Worked with a judge to come to the aid of indigent children and to establish the nation’s first juvenile court - this helped form the basis of the current day U.S juvenile court system
She twice ran for the U.S Senate
During WW I she worked with the American Committee for Devastated France, helping to establish a relief station for soldiers. She was later awarded the French Legion Of Honor.

Oh, and one last interesting fact that I learned - during her lifetime she was called Margaret, Margie and Maggie, but never Molly!

Harriet Quimby Solo Act…and win some books ~Tanya Hanson

Winnie Griggs — Mon, 21 May 2012 05:17:05 +0000

Hi! Winnie Griggs here. (pssst - look for giveaway info at the bottom of this post) I was thumbing through one of those 'infamous women of the old west' type books the other day and came across a listing for a woman named Pearl Hart. The heading of First Female Captured Stagecoach Robber caught my eye. And the more I read about this woman, the more fascinated I became with her story. I did some additional research and found a number of different, sometimes contradictory, accounts of her life. I’ll stitch together my favorites here. While there is very little know about her early life, we do know that she was born Pearl Taylor in 1871 and lived the early part of her life in Ontario, Canada. She was one of several children born into an upper middle-class, church going family. At age sixteen she was sent to a boarding school, but she had an adventurous spirit that couldn’t be contained. That, combined with her attractiveness and wit made her quite popular with the men of her acquaintance. While at school Pearl became infatuated with a young man named Hart and eloped at about age 17. Hart has variously been described as a rake, a drunk and a gambler. Far from this being the romantic adventure Pearl had hoped for, it turned out Hart was also abusive. She left him and then returned to him several times and it is reported they had two children together. During their last reconciliation, the couple worked odd jobs the Chicago World’s Fair. There Pearl saw Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show and developed a fascination for the cowboy life that would stay with her her entire life. She also visited the Women’s Pavilion where she heard speeches by prominent women’s activists such as Julia Ward Howe. Finally leaving Hart for good, Pearl placed the children in the care of her mother and took up with a man named Dan Bandman, a gambler and dance-hall musician. The two eventually moved to Colorado. Later, when Dan left to fight in the Spanish-American War, Pearl moved to Globe Arizona, a mining town. There are various reports that she may have worked as a cook, a singer, a laundress and/or opened a tent brothel. It is also said that she developed a fondness for cigar and liquor at this time. Pearl described her life at this time in these words: "I was only twenty-two years old. I was good-looking, desperate, discouraged, and ready for anything that might come. I do not care to dwell on this period of my life. It is sufficient to say that I went from one city to another..." Whatever her employment, Pearl’s finances hit bottom when the mine closed. Trying to find a way to earn money, she took up with a man named Joe Boot and together they tried to work an old mine claim he owned. But by 1899 the pair found themselves short on cash and decided to rob a stage, though it appears neither had done anything like this before. One account claims they took this desperate measure because Pearl had gotten word that her mother was ill and needed money, though there is little to substantiate this claim. Pearl cut her hair and dressed up like a man. Both armed with revolvers, they stopped a stage running between Florence and Globe at the Cane Springs Canyon watering point. They collected $421 from the three passengers on board. Pearl then reportedly took pity on them and gave them back each $1.00 so they could buy a meal at the next stop. But their lack of experience did them in. They did a poor job of covering their tracks and within six days the law had caught up with them. One account states that they were sleeping when the posses caught up with them and that while Joe surrendered quickly but Pearl tried, unsuccessfully, to fight her way out. Joe and Pearl were locked in the local jail. But the notoriety and attention Pearl received as a female bandit, coupled with the lack of proper facilities, caused the sheriff to throw up his hands and send her to the jail in Tucson. Pearl’s notoriety grew, and she did all she could to fuel it. Her story about her reason for the robbery (her ailing mother) gained her sympathy, and her avowal that she "would never consent to be tried under a law she or her sex had no voice in making, or to which a woman had no power under the law to give her consent" gained her a whole new level of attention. Never one to give up on her options, within a matter of days Pearl had charmed some of the men at the Tucson prison and managed to escape. Unfortunately for her, a New Mexico lawman recognized her and sent her back to the Tucson prison. Joe Boot was eventually sentenced to 30 years in jail and Pearl to five. Pearl was given the dubious honor of being the first woman incarcerated into the Yuma Territorial Prison. But neither Pearl nor Joe served their full terms. Joe, apparently due to a show of good behavior, was given trustee status. He walked off while working outside the gates less than two years into his term and was never heard from again. Pearl, on the other hand, gained her freedom legitimately, well, sort of. The warden of the jail where Pearl was imprisoned like all the attention she was attracting from the public and the media. He provided her with a roomy 8 x10 cell as well as a small yard which gave her a space to entertain reporters, photographers and other guests. Pearl, who was the only female incarcerated in the facility, was not above using her wiles to play guards and trustees off of each other to improve her situation. In December of 1902, Pearl received a pardon from the governor and was released free and clear. The official reason for the pardon remains unclear, but it was given on condition that she leave the Arizona territory. Pearl herself claimed that she had been invited to play the lead in a play her sister had penned based on her life and this had played into her release. However, a later rumor emerged that she had became pregnant. The governor, wanting to spare the Arizona Territory the embarrassment of explaining how this could possibly have happened while she was imprisoned, pardoned her and set her free. While there is no proof that Pearl ever bore a third child, this doesn’t mean the wily woman didn’t use this as a ploy to secure her freedom. There are varying accounts of what happened to Pearl after she was released. Some say she parlayed her notoriety into a show business career, billing herself as “The Arizona Bandit.” One account says she traveled for a while with Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show. A less colorful theory is that she married a rancher named Calvin Bywater and settled down into a quite but happier life. If that last is true, then perhaps Pearl got her “happily ever after” after all. Folks who knew Mrs. Bywater described her as “soft spoken, kind, and a good citizen in all respects.” Mrs. Calvin Bywater lived well into her 80s. As I said earlier, there are a number of different accounts of Pearl’s life and this is only one of them. Her exploits have been featured in theater, film and pulp fiction. There was even a musical called The Legend Of Pearl Hart. And while we may never know the full true story of her life, there is no doubt that she lived it on her own terms. And, as promised I'm doing a giveaway today. In honor of my upcoming June release, A Baby Between Them, I'm giving away an advanced copy to one person who leaves a comment today. Here's a little about this book: For two months, Nora Murphy has cared for the abandoned infant she found on their Boston-bound ship. Settled now in Faith Glen, Nora tells herself she’s happy. She has little Grace, and a good job as housekeeper to Sheriff Cameron Long. She doesn’t need anything more - not the big family she always wanted, or Cam’s love... A traumatic childhood closed Cam off to any dreams of family life. Yet somehow his lovely housekeeper and her child have opened his heart again. When the unthinkable occurs, it will take all their faith to reach a new future together. Now avaiable for pre-order HERE

Petticoats & Pistols » Women in History

Winnie Griggs — Mon, 21 May 2012 05:17:05 +0000

Nesting Instincts… by Tanya Hanson

Tanya Hanson — Wed, 16 May 2012 06:05:56 +0000

Jell-O: What’s not to love?

Cheryl St.John — Thu, 03 May 2012 05:41:52 +0000

Am I making you hungry? Bringing back fond food memories?We take gelatin for granted, but our forefathers--or foremothers--went through a much more complicated process to do what we do in minutes.

To show the housewife how versatile the product was, Woodward's company distributed free booklets with Jell-O recipes. One booklet alone ran to a printing of 15 million copies!

Golden Glow Salad

1 package (3 ounces) orange gelatin

1 cup boiling water

1 can (8 ounces) crushed pineapple

1 tablespoon lemon juice Cold water

1/4 teaspoon salt, optional

3/4 cup finely shredded carrots

Yield: 6 servings.

<---- Hold everything: You can buy Jell-O on amazon .com.

What is your favorite gelatin memory?

Do you have a standby recipe?

If you want to share, post your favorite Jell-O recipe for us.

The Unsinkable Miss Brown

Winnie Griggs — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 08:22:57 +0000

Helped establish the Colorado chapter of the National American Woman Suffrage Association
She worked in soup kitchens to help the families of miners
Was a charter member of the Denver Woman’s Club
Assisted in the fund raising for Denver’s Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception
Worked with a judge to come to the aid of indigent children and to establish the nation’s first juvenile court - this helped form the basis of the current day U.S juvenile court system
She twice ran for the U.S Senate
During WW I she worked with the American Committee for Devastated France, helping to establish a relief station for soldiers. She was later awarded the French Legion Of Honor.

Oh, and one last interesting fact that I learned - during her lifetime she was called Margaret, Margie and Maggie, but never Molly!

Harriet Quimby Solo Act…and win some books ~Tanya Hanson

Tanya Hanson — Wed, 16 May 2012 06:05:56 +0000

A few weeks ago, an article with enchanting pictures in the Los Angeles Times gave me the idea for this blog about “America’s Other Audubon.” Thanks to the Calendar section and Joy Kiser’s new book of the same name, I stumbled across an amazing woman, Genevieve Estelle Jones (1847-1879), who needed her own visit to Wildflower Junction. In the mid-18oo’s, this little girl nicknamed “Gennie” loved accompanying her father, Dr. Nelson Jones, in his buggy on his medical rounds throughout the countryside near their Circleville, Ohio home. Hence the beginning of a lifelong passion for the natural world. To help heal her heartbreak over a broken betrothal, Gennie travelled to Philadelphia for the Centennial Exhibition in 1876 and discovered John James Audubon’s watercolors of birds. Struck by the beauty of his masterpieces, she decided to illustrate and publish a companion book with pictures of nests and eggs, subjects Audubon did not include in his portfolios. Although her parents were initially alarmed at the expense of such an undertaking, they soon encouraged her to help distract her from her fragile emotions. Her brother Howard collected the specimens. Also a country doctor like his father, he wrote up the scientific field notes. Childhood friend Eliza Schultz helped Gennie sketch the eggs and nests. Through correspondence, they learned the lithography process and how to draw on both sides of 65-pound lithograph stones. Gennie’s father used his entire retirement savings to produce the books, selling subscriptions to museums, ornithology journals, a Harvard student named Theodore Roosevelt, and even President Rutherford B. Hayes. Dr. Jones’s plan was to produce 100 books sold by subscription in five parts. Colored books would cost $5.00. Black and white versions, $2.50. Part One was released in July 1879 to enthusiastic reviews by naturalists and ornithologists. Tragically, Gennie died only one month after the release at age 32, from a horrific three-week battle with typhoid. In memory of their beloved sister and daughter, her family continued working on the project. Seven years after her death, the complete “Illustrations of the Nests and Eggs of Birds of Ohio” was first published. It was definitely a labor of love. For better lighting, Dr. Nelson Jones added a two-room studio with skylight to their barn. Before Eliza left to study art in New York, she taught Gennie’s mother Virginia how to draw on the lithograph stones. More than ninety copies of every life-sized, black and white illustration had to be hand-colored. Two local young women hired to help used the same imported watercolors and paper that Audubon had used. More tragedy struck when Gennie’s brother and mother were also stricken with typhoid, leaving Howard Jones with a damaged heart and mother Virginia nearly blind. Only 26 intact copies of the original 90 books have been located. I love hearing the birds chirp and sing outside my writing room window. Not long ago, I found a giant American crow’s nest that had blown down from a big tree in our front yard. It sure wasn't as pretty as these beautiful Genevieve Jones illustrations from Princeton Architectural Press. Any bird watchers out there? Click on cover to purchase. I thank the following blog for information as well. http://www.sil.si.edu/ondisplay/nestsandeggs/essay.htm .

Petticoats & Pistols » Women in History

Winnie Griggs — Mon, 21 May 2012 05:17:05 +0000

Nesting Instincts… by Tanya Hanson

Tanya Hanson — Wed, 16 May 2012 06:05:56 +0000

Jell-O: What’s not to love?

Cheryl St.John — Thu, 03 May 2012 05:41:52 +0000

Am I making you hungry? Bringing back fond food memories?We take gelatin for granted, but our forefathers--or foremothers--went through a much more complicated process to do what we do in minutes.

To show the housewife how versatile the product was, Woodward's company distributed free booklets with Jell-O recipes. One booklet alone ran to a printing of 15 million copies!

Golden Glow Salad

1 package (3 ounces) orange gelatin

1 cup boiling water

1 can (8 ounces) crushed pineapple

1 tablespoon lemon juice Cold water

1/4 teaspoon salt, optional

3/4 cup finely shredded carrots

Yield: 6 servings.

<---- Hold everything: You can buy Jell-O on amazon .com.

What is your favorite gelatin memory?

Do you have a standby recipe?

If you want to share, post your favorite Jell-O recipe for us.

The Unsinkable Miss Brown

Winnie Griggs — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 08:22:57 +0000

Helped establish the Colorado chapter of the National American Woman Suffrage Association
She worked in soup kitchens to help the families of miners
Was a charter member of the Denver Woman’s Club
Assisted in the fund raising for Denver’s Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception
Worked with a judge to come to the aid of indigent children and to establish the nation’s first juvenile court - this helped form the basis of the current day U.S juvenile court system
She twice ran for the U.S Senate
During WW I she worked with the American Committee for Devastated France, helping to establish a relief station for soldiers. She was later awarded the French Legion Of Honor.

Oh, and one last interesting fact that I learned - during her lifetime she was called Margaret, Margie and Maggie, but never Molly!

Harriet Quimby Solo Act…and win some books ~Tanya Hanson

Cheryl St.John — Thu, 03 May 2012 05:41:52 +0000

Am I making you hungry? Bringing back fond food memories?We take gelatin for granted, but our forefathers--or foremothers--went through a much more complicated process to do what we do in minutes.

To show the housewife how versatile the product was, Woodward's company distributed free booklets with Jell-O recipes. One booklet alone ran to a printing of 15 million copies!

Golden Glow Salad

1 package (3 ounces) orange gelatin

1 cup boiling water

1 can (8 ounces) crushed pineapple

1 tablespoon lemon juice Cold water

1/4 teaspoon salt, optional

3/4 cup finely shredded carrots

Yield: 6 servings.

<---- Hold everything: You can buy Jell-O on amazon .com.

What is your favorite gelatin memory?

Do you have a standby recipe?

If you want to share, post your favorite Jell-O recipe for us.

Petticoats & Pistols » Women in History

Winnie Griggs — Mon, 21 May 2012 05:17:05 +0000

Nesting Instincts… by Tanya Hanson

Tanya Hanson — Wed, 16 May 2012 06:05:56 +0000

Jell-O: What’s not to love?

Cheryl St.John — Thu, 03 May 2012 05:41:52 +0000

Am I making you hungry? Bringing back fond food memories?We take gelatin for granted, but our forefathers--or foremothers--went through a much more complicated process to do what we do in minutes.

To show the housewife how versatile the product was, Woodward's company distributed free booklets with Jell-O recipes. One booklet alone ran to a printing of 15 million copies!

Golden Glow Salad

1 package (3 ounces) orange gelatin

1 cup boiling water

1 can (8 ounces) crushed pineapple

1 tablespoon lemon juice Cold water

1/4 teaspoon salt, optional

3/4 cup finely shredded carrots

Yield: 6 servings.

<---- Hold everything: You can buy Jell-O on amazon .com.

What is your favorite gelatin memory?

Do you have a standby recipe?

If you want to share, post your favorite Jell-O recipe for us.

The Unsinkable Miss Brown

Winnie Griggs — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 08:22:57 +0000

Helped establish the Colorado chapter of the National American Woman Suffrage Association
She worked in soup kitchens to help the families of miners
Was a charter member of the Denver Woman’s Club
Assisted in the fund raising for Denver’s Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception
Worked with a judge to come to the aid of indigent children and to establish the nation’s first juvenile court - this helped form the basis of the current day U.S juvenile court system
She twice ran for the U.S Senate
During WW I she worked with the American Committee for Devastated France, helping to establish a relief station for soldiers. She was later awarded the French Legion Of Honor.

Oh, and one last interesting fact that I learned - during her lifetime she was called Margaret, Margie and Maggie, but never Molly!

Harriet Quimby Solo Act…and win some books ~Tanya Hanson

Winnie Griggs — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 08:22:57 +0000

They were wed in 1886. They had a son, Lawrence, in 1887 and their daughter Catherine made her appearance two years later. In the early years, Margaret and J.J. struggled financially. But J.J.’s instrumental involvement in a silver strike in his employer’s mine changed all of that and the Browns became very wealthy indeed. The family eventually moved to Denver where Margaret, in a nod to the societal conventions, familiarized herself with the arts and became fluent in several foreign languages. Alas, their love match did not last forever. In 1909, after 23 years of marriage, J.J. and Margaret separated, though they never divorced and it appears they remained amicable for the remainder of their days. As part of the separation agreement, Margaret received a very generous settlement and allowance, which allowed her to continue her travels and social work. Which brings us to her being aboard the ill-fated Titanic. Margaret was one of the lucky ones who made it aboard a lifeboat. It is said she helped in the evacuation and that she took up an oar herself to help row the boat away from the wreckage. She also strongly urged the crewman in charge of the lifeboat to go back to try to see if more people could be saved. Her exhortations were met with strong opposition due to fears that the boat would be swamped by desperate swimmers. Reports vary as to whether they did in fact eventually go back and whether or not anyone was rescued. What’s not in doubt, however, is that when the survivors were rescued by the crew of the Carpathia, she worked tirelessly to help provide physical and emotional comfort to the other survivors. By the time the ship reached New York, Margaret had established the Survivor’s Committee and raised nearly $10,000 for those survivors who lost everything. She helped erect the Titanic Memorial in Washington D.C but to her annoyance found that as a woman she was barred from participation in the Titanic hearings. Margaret was also a philanthropist and activist in other areas. Some of her more notable contributions:

Helped establish the Colorado chapter of the National American Woman Suffrage Association
She worked in soup kitchens to help the families of miners
Was a charter member of the Denver Woman’s Club
Assisted in the fund raising for Denver’s Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception
Worked with a judge to come to the aid of indigent children and to establish the nation’s first juvenile court - this helped form the basis of the current day U.S juvenile court system
She twice ran for the U.S Senate
During WW I she worked with the American Committee for Devastated France, helping to establish a relief station for soldiers. She was later awarded the French Legion Of Honor.

Oh, and one last interesting fact that I learned - during her lifetime she was called Margaret, Margie and Maggie, but never Molly!

Petticoats & Pistols » Women in History

Winnie Griggs — Mon, 21 May 2012 05:17:05 +0000

Nesting Instincts… by Tanya Hanson

Tanya Hanson — Wed, 16 May 2012 06:05:56 +0000

Jell-O: What’s not to love?

Cheryl St.John — Thu, 03 May 2012 05:41:52 +0000

Am I making you hungry? Bringing back fond food memories?We take gelatin for granted, but our forefathers--or foremothers--went through a much more complicated process to do what we do in minutes.

To show the housewife how versatile the product was, Woodward's company distributed free booklets with Jell-O recipes. One booklet alone ran to a printing of 15 million copies!

Golden Glow Salad

1 package (3 ounces) orange gelatin

1 cup boiling water

1 can (8 ounces) crushed pineapple

1 tablespoon lemon juice Cold water

1/4 teaspoon salt, optional

3/4 cup finely shredded carrots

Yield: 6 servings.

<---- Hold everything: You can buy Jell-O on amazon .com.

What is your favorite gelatin memory?

Do you have a standby recipe?

If you want to share, post your favorite Jell-O recipe for us.

The Unsinkable Miss Brown

Winnie Griggs — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 08:22:57 +0000

Helped establish the Colorado chapter of the National American Woman Suffrage Association
She worked in soup kitchens to help the families of miners
Was a charter member of the Denver Woman’s Club
Assisted in the fund raising for Denver’s Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception
Worked with a judge to come to the aid of indigent children and to establish the nation’s first juvenile court - this helped form the basis of the current day U.S juvenile court system
She twice ran for the U.S Senate
During WW I she worked with the American Committee for Devastated France, helping to establish a relief station for soldiers. She was later awarded the French Legion Of Honor.

Oh, and one last interesting fact that I learned - during her lifetime she was called Margaret, Margie and Maggie, but never Molly!

Harriet Quimby Solo Act…and win some books ~Tanya Hanson

Tanya Hanson — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 06:08:59 +0000

On April 16, 1912, American aviator Harriet Quimby became the first woman to fly across the English Channel....traveling from Dover to France in only 59 minutes. She was also the first woman ever licensed as a pilot in the United States. Sadly, her great accomplishment was swallowed by the horrifying news flashing around the world: Titanic Sinks. Known as America’s First Lady of the Air, Harriet was a Michigan farm girl born May 11, 1875. With her family, she moved to California when she was twelve. In later years, she gave May 1, 1884, as her birthdate, her birthplace as Arroyo Grande, California, and claimed her parents were wealthy. Becoming a New York journalist and a screenwriter for pioneer filmmaker D.Q. Griffith, for whom she wrote seven screenplays, Harriet was also a drama critic and photojournalist. She traveled on assignment to Europe, Mexico, Cuba, and Egypt for Leslie’s Illustrated Weekly, a popular women’s journal. Among her other writing duties were advice columns and car repair tips. She was truly the independent career woman who drove her own car, even smoked the very unladylike cigarette. In October 1910, she went to France to cover a story on an aviation tournament and caught the flying bug. She took lessons with a friend and continued instruction even after he died in a flying accident. By then, the press had caught interest in her and considered her foray into aviation newsworthy enough to cover it. The second woman in the world to be licensed as a pilot (the first was Frenchwoman Baroness de Roche), Harriet was the first American to do so, having passed her pilot’s test on August 1, 1911. She was awarded license #37 from the Aero Club of America, an adjunct of the International Aeronautic Federation which granted international pilots’ licenses. Immediately after receiving her license, Harriet began exhibition flying and toured throughout the country and Mexico. Although a woman prior to Harriet had crossed the English Channel in a plane, she was just a passenger, and Harriet ached to be the first female to pilot the route. In March 1912, she secretly sailed to England and borrowed a 50 HP monoplane from Louis Bleriot, who in 1909, had been the first person ever to fly across the English Channel. On April 16, Harriet flew his identical route but in reverse. When she left Dover at dawn, overcast skies forced her to rely solely on her compass for position. About an hour later, she landed near Calais, France, thirty miles from her planned landing spot. Of course, news of her achievement was sparsely covered with good reason, the Titanic tragedy. But Harriet’s spirit sailed on but only for three short months. On July 1, 1912, she participated in the Third Annual Boston Aviation Meet over Boston Harbor. With event organizer William Willard as her passenger, Harriett circled Boston Lighthouse. To the horrified spectators below, the two-seater plane, flying at 1,500 hundred feet, suddenly lurched. Willard fell out and plunged to his death. Moments later, Harriet fell out of the plane and was killed as well. The plane glided to a landing in the mud flats below. Theories on the accident abounded. Some claimed cables tangled in the plane. Some posited that Willard shifted his weight, causing imbalance. Nonetheless, neither appeared to be wearing their seat belts. Harriet was buried first at Woodlawn Cemetery in New York, finally resting at Kenisco Cemetery, Valhalla New York. Her career was short --only 11 months, but she was a role model for generations and inspired Amelia Earhart. In 1991, she was featured on a fifty-cent air mail stamp. Although my next release, Soul Food, has nothing to do with an aviation pioneer, I am giving away (pdf) copies of the first two books in the series today. Hearts Crossing Ranch and Redeeming Daisy. Hopefully to inspire you to want to read book five. If you already own or have read either story, I will send you Books Three and Four, Sanctuary and Right to Bragg. Any kind of mix and match. So please leave a comment. Now, for today’s big question: Have you ever flown a plane? Hang-glided? Hot air ballooned? BASE-jumped? Zip-lined? Ridden in a helicopter or private jet? Anything other than commercial air-travel that takes you off terra firma? As for me, you may recall I’m terrified of down escalators...