Here where I live, it used to be rural only now, the town has grown up around it. That’s a long way around what I wanted to say. My power is supplied by an electric co-op company and each month they put out a short little magazine that often has very interesting articles. This month, there was one about a pioneering woman doctor.
Dr. Grace Danforth was born in Wisconsin in 1849, but she spent most of her life in Williamson County, Texas. Prior to becoming a doctor, she taught school for many years. She was the first woman accepted into the Dallas Medical Association, and she was the first woman to practice medicine in the county. She was also the founding member of the Texas Equal Rights Association that is still operating today in an effort to be accepted into what was considered to be a man’s field.
Grace quickly jumped onboard the women’s suffragist movement and fought tirelessly for voting rights, so she didn’t just twiddle her thumbs, she wanted to make a difference. And she did so much work for the advancement of women’s causes.
In 1889, this woman of such a vigorous and active mind was practicing medicine in Granger, Texas, although how much business she got, it’s hard to know. She did deliver a lot of babies and the women liked her. But overall, there was severe prejudice against her that she never really overcame despite that her brother was also a doctor in Granger.
She suffered from terrible cluster headaches and the only thing available for pain at the time was laudanum. However, she didn’t like taking it so mostly she endured it without anything even though her pain must’ve been severe.
As most historical romance readers know, laudanum was opium and alcohol, and it carried a huge risk of becoming addictive. Laudanum never failed to make patients feel better—if it didn’t kill them.
On the night of her 46th birthday, Grace got a bad migraine and desperate to get rid of it, she took a large dose of laudanum that proved fatal. She’s buried in the Granger cemetery but her name lives on. The Daily Times Herald published a nice article about her and said, “She was one of the most remarkable women in Texas history.”
I hope you enjoyed learning about her. Name another profession that was hard for women to break into?
I’m working on a new book that I can’t wait to tell you about. It’s Cade’s Quest and it’ll release August 11th. My sister Jan has also finished a new one and we’re going to release our books on the same day as a “Sisters Write” sort of thing! I know you’re going to love this story. I’ll have more in the coming months. It’s already available for preorder HERE.
Here in the Texas Panhandle, we do love our cowboys. There's just something about a man in a Stetson and jeans that makes my heart beat faster. I'm not much of a cook but I love to do genealogy and I'm a bit of a rock hound. I'm also a NY Times & USA Today bestselling author of historical western romance. You can contact me through my website and I'd love to connect with you on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and more. HAPPY READING!
https://petticoatsandpistols.com/sweepstakesrules/
Since American women only got the right to vote in 1920, political positions weren’t accessible to women for any sort of office for quite some time.
Mary, that’s absolutely right. Women really have gotten the short end of the stick all through history. And we still are. I hope you have a lovely day.
I think politics or law enforcement would have been hard for women. Women were suppose to stay home and pop out babies. There were some women who were not cut from that cloth.
Ann, I wholeheartedly agree. Men have kept pushing us down and deciding what women can do and the sad thing is, they still are. I don’t think it’ll ever change. Love and hugs.
Good morning Linda! I enjoyed this story! Our hometown electric company has some good articles and recipes too! Their’s is called “Currents”. My husband’s company does too. I need to ask him for one! We are on Duke Energy and they don’t have articles at all.
To your question, I often wonder why a book doesn’t have a woman engineer. One who drives the trains. That would be cool! And I’ve not heard that mentioned either. Just a thought I would throw out there…hint, hint! Heh.
Always a pleasure hearing from you Linda! Best wishes on your book! I’ve saved it to my “book list”! God bless!
Tracy, you’re always such a bright spot. Hey, I’d love to see a woman train engineer. That’s an excellent suggestion. My little co-op magazine really has some interesting tidbits in it. Thank you for liking the cover of my new book that release in August. 🙂 🙂 Love and hugs.
Perhaps if she’d went to a less populated area, she might have been accepted better. I don’t think she’d ever been accepted totally as a doctor.
Karijean, maybe so. But Granger, TX is not a big town by any means and her doctor brother lived there. It doesn’t sound like he was any help at all. Maybe he saw her as competition. Thanks for coming. She was an interesting person. Love and hugs.
Besides those mentioned, I think construction is one area as is mining.
Debra, those are both good and both do not accept women that easily if at all. Men just get so upset and angry when a woman invades their space and I don’t think that’ll ever change.
Thank you for the blog about the woman doctor. I used to watch Dr Mike all the time with Jane Seymour. She was always struggling to get recognition. One field which was filled with women, usually, was as a schoolteacher, although men also served in this capacity often. The one thing about a woman teacher was that she seldom was able to be married, which I think was very drastic. She was not allowed to have a family life all.
Judy, I’m so glad you came by. I watched Dr. Mike too and she did have to struggle for the slightest bit of ground. It was so sad how they treated and restricted women teachers. It was totally different from the men. It’s a shame there is still no equality much. Women have been pushed down all through history and it’s still happening today. Have a beautiful day.
I love learning about strong, intelligent women making their mark on the world. Thanks for sharing Grace’s story with us, Linda! And I love your new cover. 🙂
Karen, I thought people would like to know about Grace Danforth. And I had the room so I threw my new cover on there. In Cade’s story, he had to seek the doctor in two different towns. Thank you for liking my cover. I do think Charlene did a great job. I tried several places for the cover but they were horrible. I don’t care what you say about Charlene, she is a very talented cover designer. Love you, Filly Sister. The best of luck with your new release. I just love that cover.
Great story, Linda! I used to read those magazines when my husband worked for Electric Co-ops! He was the CFO for years in those! They were fun magazines to read!
There were a lot of professions that were hard for women to break into, of course. Some have been mentioned here. My husband’s profession of accounting was one of them. I recently read a historical book about a woman who was good with “numbers” and “technical” things like engineering but had to hide her talents and pretend to be a man secretly because no one would accept her because she was a woman.
Miss you!
Hi Valri! It’s so good to hear from you. I miss you so much and our lunches together. I did not know your husband worked for Electric Co-ops. Wow! They do have interesting magazines. Women had had to “hide” their talents in so many fields. Men have pushed women into what they deem to be “accepted” work all through history and it continues to this day. Writing books was another one where women had to pretend to be a man to get them published. It’s really sad and I don’t see any changes happening. We have lost any ground we gained.
I’m so very sorry about losing your mom. I’m glad you listened to your gut and moved up there to be close by. How will your dad cope? Will he come to live with you? Blessings and love, dear friend.
Hello, my friend! Yes, my hubby worked for electric co-ops for 25 years before he retired! We moved to several different states but he always worked for them as a controller or CFO. He really enjoyed them.
Dad is doing quite well. He’ll continue to stay in his house in Utah. He likes it there and has fantastic neighbors and friends at church. My brother & his wife only live 2 miles away too so they keep an eye on him! We will visit often too. We are so glad we were inspired to move closer when we did!
I miss our lunches too!
Being an author. Women wrote under a man’s name a lot.
Barbara, that’s so true. Those early fiction writers had to take a man’s name and pretend to be one in order to publish their books. Very sad. History has taught us that women have always gotten the short end of the stick and social injustice still continues. Thanks for coming. Love and hugs.
From what I know it was hard for women to be lawyers.
Bridgette, it was really hard for women to be lawyers. They were basically barred from that profession. Women didn’t even have the right to vote during that time. Thanks for coming. Have a good day.
Good morning, thank you for sharing this awesome story with us. Your book sounds like a great read. Have a great day and a great week.
Alicia, thank you for coming. I’m so happy you enjoyed Grace’s story. She sure had to struggle. I think you might like my book. Blessings and love.
What a pioneer for women in medicine! Legal work as a lawyer, engineering, ranching, nearly every field had obstacles and glass ceilings to break.
Denise, that’s so true. Women have long been pushed down in almost every profession. And the sad thing is that this is still happening. Women have fought really hard for such a long time and we’re still having to fight for everything. I’m glad you enjoyed Grace’s story. Love and hugs.
Love the cover of your new book. We, too, have a magazine with good articles from our electric co-op. What an interesting woman Grace Danforth was. Thank you for sharing her story.
My granddaughter, a civil engineer, is learning how hard it is to be in a male dominated profession. She does have a lot of support from her male bosses, however.
Alice, I love your sweet words. Thank you for liking my cover. Oh my goodness! Your granddaughter must be fearless! A civil engineer sounds incredibly hard. I do hope she succeeds and I’m glad she doesn’t face the prejudice that’s so common. Thank you for coming.
Linda- I loved your blog, what an incredible article.
I think ladies trying to become a lawyer would be difficult back then.
Running a ranch also would be hard for women, due to men not thinking we are tough enough.
I cannot wait until your new book. I’m going to re-read your newest and the Christmas one again while I’m down recovering. I know my pain before surgery had me pulled under a fog, I’m excited to reread them.
Love you my sweet sister friend.
Miss Tonya, it’s so very nice to see your comment. I’m really happy you’re doing well and was able to go home. Women running a ranch would be difficult because she wouldn’t have the physical strength the job demands. She would sure breeze through the other though. 🙂 Follow doctor’s orders and keep doing well and you’ll be on your feet in no time. Love you always, Sister Friend.
Very interesting. I have no clue how I’d survive without my migraine meds!
Carrie, I’ve never had migraines but I hear it’s really bad. My aunt had them a lot and would have to go to bed. I don’t understand how one person gets them and others don’t. Grace must’ve been desperate to resort to taking laudanum. Thanks for coming.
I enjoyed reading your blog today, Linda. And to say I can’t wait to read another Broday book, is an understatement! Your blog reminded me of Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman on television. I’m glad Dr Danfort’s memory is still retained in the hearts of Texans who appreciated her expertise and celebrate her memory yet today. Take care my friend!
Kathy, it’s so wonderful to see your comment. I’m happy you liked my post about Grace. She was exceptional. I really think you’ll love my new book. Cade McIntyre will tug at your heart. Love you always.
What a sad ending to this wonderful woman’s life, and at such a young age. You just wonder what else she might have accomplished if she wasn’t afflicted with those awful headaches. It must have been unbearable for her to have taken such a dose of laudanum after being so careful about taking it up to that point. What inroads she made for women, though, in her few short years.
I’m anxious to read your new book, LInda! I think it’s so cool that you and Jan are releasing books on that same day!
Hugs, my friend!
Miss Cheryl, how wonderful to see your comment. I agree with all that you said about Dr. Grace. She just had a sad life even though she broke through barriers. With those headaches, she just couldn’t manage that last hurdle.
Thank you for your comments about the new book. Jan and I are so excited that we can share this book launch. We’ve always wanted to and now it’s happening. Hope it carries enormous benefits. Love you, Filly Sister. (Even if you are an Okie!)
Wow!! Female construction workers, female mechanics, and female heavy equipment operators. Also, female semi drivers. All of these, though still few, I’ve seen and heard about! Love the cover of the new book!
Trudy, thank you for coming over. Yep, all of those are seeing a few women takers. I hope the men are making it easier for them to earn a living than they used to. Thank you liking my cover. I think this book should do well. Thank you for coming to read my post.
This sounds like it will be another good book and series. I always look forward to them.
Thank you for sharing the information on Dr. Grace Danforth.How sad she died so young. The area lost a valuable asset with her passing. Sadly, even today such prejudice isn’t completely gone. One has to wonder if her headaches were a sign of something more serious like a tumor. There would have been no way to find out at the time, and I doubt they did an autopsy. Either way she was gone and the women lost someone that understood them and treated them well.
Patricia, I can always count on you to leave a comment. Dr. Grace was really remarkable and she might well have had a tumor. No, there was no autopsy. It’s just sad. She sure worked tirelessly to advance women’s causes. Love and hugs, dear friend. 🙂
Love to learn about people from the past, I watch friendly tv and they have interesting Show wild West chronicles, strong women fro the west like stagecoach Mary, carrier for the postal Sevice. Dr Susan Anderson, Bandit Queen Pearl Hart and calamity Jane name a few that didn’t follow the normal women in those time period.