Raising a Glass - Irish Women in America by Jo-Ann Roberts

 

Happy March! Happy Spring!  As we speak, I'm in the middle of writing my upcoming release, Olivia's Odyssey (July 2024). This is my first mail-order bride book, and admittedly, it's been a bit of a challenge to plot. Since I've never written one before, so the research on who, why, where, and when these women chose to travel hundreds or thousands of miles to marry a man sight unseen was a bit daunting.

When I finally decided on the heroine's 4w's (who, why, where, when) Olivia Glennon, an Irish American shoe factory worker from South Boston, Massachusetts emerged. With the loss of her mother, she was raised by her father, spending most of her formative years sleeping in saloons while her father lost money playing cards. The plot is still in the formative stages, so I'll stop there!

The Irish, like many, many ethnicities, had a tremendous impact on American history and culture. It is estimated that 36.9 million Americans claim Irish roots. The Irish are the second-largest heritage group after the Germans. However, the Irish were unique among all immigrant groups...

...they sent more daughters than sons to America!

Between 1820 and 1860, the Irish constituted over one-third of all immigrants to the U.S., and by the 1840s--at the height of the Potato Famine--they comprised nearly half. Even after the crisis, Irish women continued to migrate in increasing numbers. By the end of the 19th century, single women accounted for 53% of Irish immigrants.

These girls and women moved to America for the same reason as men: opportunity and freedom. They left behind hard scrabble farms where they worked as long and as hard as men to bring in a crop while maintaining homes and taking care of children. Poor as church mice, the women--many of them widows or orphans--had few employment opportunities and diminished marriage prospects as the Famine had driven many men to leave the Emerald Isle...so they, too, left for America. Determined not to work in the fields, they settled in cities where many took jobs as servants, domestic workers, or seamstresses. 

More than 60% worked as maids, cooks, nannies, or housekeepers. Living with wealthy or middle-class American families came with advantages. They exposed the Irish women to American culture speeding up their assimilation to their environment. However, the greatest advantage was financial. Not only were the wages higher than those for factory workers, but as live-in help domestics, they had no housing expenses, enabling them to save money.

Women sent money back home to support families and also paid the passage for their female sisters, nieces, cousins, and friends. They were young, most under the age of 24, unmarried, and had a desire for independence. (Think of all the mail-order bride books you've read with Irish heroines!)

These girls were literate as well, having been educated in Catholic schools in Ireland. Building on their success in Ireland, Irish-Catholic nuns and priests established scores of schools and colleges in America, adding social and economic mobility for successive generations.

Education also helped pave the way for Irish American women's entrance into the workforce. Second-generation women became teachers, bookkeepers, typists, journalists, and nurses, turning their back on servitude, preferring regular hours found in government and business.

Once in the workplace, these second-generation Irish American women protested discrimination and were among the first to organize and join labor unions, rising through the ranks in union leadership, and introducing unions to service and professional fields. They organized teacher unions to eliminate male and female pay discrepancies.

Irish American women also made their mark through literature and journalism, their choice of subject matter revealing abuse of the mentally ill, and addressing subjects like body images, alcoholism, and difficulties in marriage.

Irish women found the adventure of a lifetime in America as compelling as the economic opportunities, firmly establishing themselves as a force with which to be reckoned. Their strong bonds, formed by immigration and shared membership in the Catholic Church, nurtured a culture and pride among Irish American women that continues to this day.

Pictures Courtesy of Library of Congress

Raising a Glass to Irish American Women | National Women's History Museum (womenshistory.org)

Is it Real?

Post (C) Doris McCraw

aka Angela Raines

Photo (C) Doris McCraw

We write the story and our characters experience the highs and lows of life. But are they real? We hope they are real to the reader, but the emotions we elicit, where do they come from?

In this year where my word is 'experience' I look at events and my part in them as having experiences. This also brought to mind where do we find the depth we have our characters dive into as they maneuver their way through a story. Is it what we have experienced? Perhaps it's what we believe they would feel and experience. Pulling from real life does add a level of reality. Yet, sometimes we have no experience that fits that situation.

Photo (C) Doris McCraw

As I research and write, for two complementary blogs, the story of Civil War Soldiers and Civil War Wives who are buried in the local cemetery, I know I've no experience of what they must have gone through. The best I can do is take the facts as I find them and work to access some emotion that might be comparable. A poor second I admit, but it may be better than no emotion at all. If you wish to read about these people, there will be links at the end of this post.

As I write the next book, a story that partially takes place on a train, I can use my own experiences of traveling the rails. Yes, I've ridden on an old steam engine train with the requisite old cars. Yes, experience does help. Stay tuned for more about these two people and their train journey.

Virginia Strickler - Prairie Rose Publications Blog

Henry C. Davis - Western Fictioneers Blog

Chester H. Dillon - Western Fictioneers Blog

For anyone interested, I have a monthly substack newsletter: Thoughts and Tips on History

Until Next Time: Stay safe, Stay happy, and Stay healthy. 

Doris

 

Cowboy Sayings - “Fit to be Tied”

Photo generated by Canva

“Fit to be tied” is a phrase that finds its origins in two different, unique cultures at almost the same time during the 1800’s. One possibility is that it was used in textiles - when a bundle of cloth was ready to go, it was fit to be tied up. But it was also used with cowboy culture meaning that a wild horse or unruly cow was needed to be tied up in order to work with them or even to help it if it has an injury. Though often it made the horse or animal more unruly when tied, so they’d have to be tied up really well to force immobility.

Generally, the meaning of the phrase expresses emotion - Anger, frustration, or exasperation. 

Obviously, the person who is feeling this way is feeling unruly or wild, and might need to be tied up to be dealt with, or it might make them angrier if tied. But if someone was to use this in a situation, they might say, “Jack is fit to be tied. He just found out that his horse was stolen.”

How about you? Have you ever heard this saying before? Used it yourself? Could you see yourself using it now? Let me know in a comment!

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Melissa Coray Walks Three Blazed Trails by Zina Abbott

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Melissa Coray was the wife of Mormon Battalion Sgt. William Coray. As a laundress, she was allowed to travel with the Mormon Battalion the entire route from Iowa to the coast of California during the Mexican-American War. As part of that two-year venture, she ended up walking across three trails blazed by the men with whom she traveled.

Melissa Burton Coray was the youngest of the four women who made the entire march of the Mormon Battalion. (Earlier in the campaign, the other laundresses were sent back to Pueblo, Colorado, with one of the sick detachments.) She was born March 2, 1828, in Mersey, Essex, Ontario Canada to Samuel Burton and Hannah Shipley. At the age of ten, she joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon). When the members of the church were driven out of Nauvoo, Illinois, with the rest of her family, she began the march westward.

Eighteen-year-old Melissa was among about 2,000 Mormon refugees at Mt. Pisgah, Iowa, when she married William Coray on June 22, 1846. Four days later, the U.S. Army requested the enlistment of 500 Mormons for the war with Mexico.

Captain James Allen and four other officers in uniform arrived with orders from U.S. Army to request the enlistment of 500 Mormons for the war with Mexico. After the persecution, murders, and theft the church members had been subjected to in Ohio, Missouri, and Illinois, with no relief offered or granted by the federal government, their request was treated with mistrust. However, Brigham Young arrived from Council Bluffs, Iowa within a few day. He had been in communication with certain senators and others to assure them the members were not a hostile force. They still supported the constitution of the United States. He told the members they should enlist. The enlistment pay would help their families move west. 

Melissa knew that her young husband would enlist. He was a military man, having served with the Nauvoo Legion. However, as much as she believed in placing her faith in God, she rebelled at the prospect of being separated from her husband, especially so soon after their marriage.

"If he must go, I want to go," she said. "Why must women always stay behind and worry about their husbands, when they could just as well march beside them."

When William told her that there were to be four women with each company employed as laundresses, Melissa realized there was a way she might accompany him. He was a sergeant in Company B, and if she were in the same company, it would be entirely safe and proper.

On July 13, 1846, William and Melissa arrived at Council Bluffs, Iowa, with other volunteers. On July 20, they marched to Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, and from there to California.

In her journal, Melissa said that one of the hardest parts of the journey was leaving her father and mother. However, since it was a choice between them and her husband, she thought her duty was to her husband.

 Above map, created by Brian Cole, courtesy of the Mormon Battalion Assoc.

The march of the Mormon Battalion from Council Bluffs, Iowa, to San Diego, California, was the longest infantry march in the nation’s history. Melissa walked almost the entire way. She was inclined to belittle the walking she did, although other members of the Battalion said that she traveled on foot a large part of the 2,000 miles to San Diego and most of the return journey to Salt Lake. "I didn't mind it," she declared. "I walked because I wanted to; my husband had to walk, and I went along by his side." She said many times they had very little food and less water, but she and her husband got along very well. Many of the men in the Battalion ate until they were satisfied. The result was that they consumed their food at the start and did not have any later on when they needed it badly.

But not so with the Coray couple. She had learned differently from experience. She looked ahead and figured how many days the food would have to last until they met the next supply company, and then she used only so much each day. She tried to cook wisely, so that no food would be wasted. Although they did not have all they wanted to eat, they were never in danger of starving. She went from campfire to campfire, urging more care in the use of food. She used to relate how, weary and footsore, they had to walk miles and miles without water, and often the men thought they would die of thirst: "That is something," she said, "that only gets worse when you think of it. When I was thirsty, I tried not to think of it." It was at such a time that she learned to carry a pebble in her mouth. This caused the saliva to flow more freely and lessened her unquenchable thirst.

When the Battalion reached Santa Fe, Colonel Cooke decided to send the women and children and sick soldiers to Pueblo for the winter. At this, Melissa Coray almost lost courage. But it was not so with her husband. Along with Capt. Davis, Capt. Hunter and Sergeant Brown, he went to the Colonel to persuade him to let the four women continue. Just what was said at this conference, the women never knew, but they were permitted to accompany their husbands. She said it was a sad day when they had to bid their companions good bye.

The nausea of early pregnancy made traveling harder for her, and she had to hide it as long as possible. Once, after marching two days without water, she saw a number of men crowded around a small spring from which trickled a little stream of water. As it seeped from the rocks they were sucking it through a quill. She said it was such sights as this that made one's heart almost fail.

William attempted to keep many of the trials of the trip from her, but she knew and shared most of them. One night in Arizona she had a scare that she didn't forget. Mexicans were in the vicinity. The men, concerned they might be attacked, stayed up all night. Nothing happened. About this time, Melissa was becoming extremely weary and footsore. Col. Cooke seeing her fatigue, got down from his big white horse and offered it to her to ride on. In relating this to her grandchildren, she was always careful to designate "white horse" as though this made the event more important.

 

Up until this time, travel through the desert southwest had been only on horseback or on foot. The Mormons brought wagons, and blazed a route across the region that would be followed for the next century and more. At one point they reached a box canyon that was slightly too narrow for the wagons to pass. Using axes, the men widened the road by literally chipping their way through until it was wide enough for the wagons. Their route became used as the Southern Overland Trail, and is today the approximate route of Interstate 8 between Yuma and San Diego.

On Jan. 29, 1847, the Mormon Battalion reached Mission San Diego, California. She and Sergeant Coray, with others of the Battalion thought their journey ended. After two days, however, they were ordered to the Mission San Luis Rey to do garrison duty and protect the area from the Indians. In six weeks or so Company B was ordered back to San Diego. On March 17, 1847, Company B, which included William and Melissa, arrived in San Diego and took over operation of Fort Stockton. Melissa said they camped at Old Town, near the site which is now known as Ramona's marriage place. It provided the couple four months of a peaceful life.

In July, they marched to Los Angeles where the battalion was disbanded. From there, the battalion members split into several groups for the trip to the Salt Lake Valley.

Melissa had looked forward to the time when her husband would be mustered out so he could make a home for her and the baby she was expecting. Once the Battalion was discharged in early summer, William Coray bought a wagon and horses and the Corays joined a small party led by Capt. Jefferson Hunt. They traveled up the California coast to Monterey.

While in Monterey, Melissa gave birth to a son on October 2, 1847. The baby, whom the couple named William, only lived a few days. He was buried in the little cemetery in Monterey. When Melissa returned to California years later, she tried to find her son’s grave. However, there had been so many changes, she was unable to locate it.

As soon as she was able to travel, the couple started out again. Melissa said the trip was hard; the country was new; and there were no roads. They had to pick their way as best they could. In one place they came to a gorge so narrow that they couldn't drive through it. They had to take their wagon apart and carry it through, a piece at a time.

When they reached Sutter's Mill they found that gold had been discovered. Although the Corays were anxious to get to Salt Lake, they had to remain in the area long enough to get the means to continue. William Coray sent two sacks of gold back east with others to be delivered to his mother and sister still in Iowa so they could make the journey to Utah.

The main company of returning Mormon Battalion veterans left for Utah with the Browett-Holmes Company from Pleasant Valley, near present-day Placerville. The company consisted of forty-five men, Melissa Coray as the lone woman, two cannons, seventeen wagons, 150 mules and horses and about the same number of cattle. On July 4th in 1848, in Pleasant Valley, California, they recognized Independence Day by firing two rounds from a cannon. Addison Pratt wrote: "With these [cannons] we saluted the day, which made the mountains ring."

 

Silver Lake along the Emigrant Trail as seen from Hwy 88

To avoid crossing the Truckee River numerous times, they chose to blaze a new trail farther south through the Sierra Nevada Mountains. It took them six weeks to build a wagon trail over what is now known as the Carson Pass. These were the first wagons to travel this route and the first to go from west to east.

Original map courtesy of National Parks Service

For Melissa Coray, this was the second time she had watched the battalion build a road. The first was the last 700 miles to San Diego. Melissa also witnessed a third building of a road—the Salt Lake Cut, which eliminated the wagons going all the way north to Fort Hall in what is now Idaho before going south again. This was constructed just before arriving in the Salt Lake Valley on Oct. 6, 1848.

Upon arriving in Salt Lake City, Melissa was reunited with family members, among them several brothers as well as her father, who had remarried a young widow with a daughter after the death of Melissa’s mother. Glad that the journey was over, she expressed gratitude for the respect and consideration she received from the men with whom she traveled, as well as their support for her husband, whose health had begun to fail. He had developed a cough during the last several months of the march to San Diego, and it had grown progressively worse.

Melissa and her husband decided to build a house just outside the fort surrounding Salt Lake City. By then, William was “greatly reduced in flesh,” so Melissa relied on the help of three of her brothers, Robert, William, and Charles, to make bricks for the home. William tried to help, but was not able to do much. By November, William hoped to live long enough to see his and Melissa’s second child born. The couple moved into their new home on January 20, 1849.

Melissa gave birth to a baby girl on February 6, 1849. The couple named her Melissa, after her mother.

 William Coray passed away on March 7, 1849, less than three months after arriving here. Having just turned twenty a few days before, Melissa became a widow with a young child. Fortunately, she had the support of her family. Just before his passing, William gave her brother, Robert, a sack of gold to help provide for Melissa and the baby.

 

About two years later, Melissa married William H. Kimball, eldest son of Heber C. Kimball. The couple ran the hotel and stagecoach stop at Kimball Junction, at the top of Parleys Canyon in Utah. During the year and a half the Pony Express was in operation, it also served as a station for their riders. The couple had six children.

 

During the 1896 Utah Jubilee, Melissa was photographed along with the still-living members of the Mormon Battalion who attended. She is the third person from the left in the front row.

Melissa stayed in Salt Lake City area, where she died on September 21, 1903.

 

Photograph of Melissa Burton Coray Kimball displayed during 1915 San Diego Exhibition

 

Melissa Coray Peak marker ctsy Ted Muller Ted's Outdoor World blog

In 1990, a mountain peak in eastern California was renamed Melissa Coray Peak to honor the memory of this Mormon pioneer woman and the "thousands of emigrant women who endured similar hardships in settling the West."

 

In my last year’s Prairie Roses Collection book, Clara, she along with other characters in the story trod this route cut by the Browett-Holmes Company, now known as the Emigrant Trail or Emigrant-Carson Pass Trail, which was first trod by Melissa Coray. To find the book description and purchase options, please CLICK HERE

 

 

This year I am writing a third book for this series. It is titled Lucy, and is currently on pre-order with a release date of May 2nd. With the exception of a few improvements since Melissa Coray’s day, Lucy will also travel this same trail. To find the book description and pre-order link, please CLICK HERE

 

 

 

 

 

Sources:

Ricketts, Norma B., Melissa’s Journey with the Mormon Battalion, The Western Odyssey off Melissa Burton Coray: 1846-1848.International Daughters of Utah Pioneers, Utah Printing Company, Salt Lake City, Utah: 1994.

http://www.coryfamsoc.com/articles/coray.html

https://www.thechurchnews.com/1994/8/13/23256692/california-peak-named-in-honor-of-wife-of-battalion-member

https://www.topozone.com/california/el-dorado-ca/stream/

https://www.familysearch.org/library/books/records/item/560418-melissa-s-journey-with-the-mormon-battalion-the-western-odyssey-of-melissa-burton-coray-1846-1848

 

Holiday Dreams Series

 

I'm excited to share a brand new series with you that will start releases March 21! 

These are sweet and wholesome historical romances set in my fictional town of Holiday. 

If you haven’t read any of my other Holiday stories, start with Holiday Hope, which is the story of Jace and Cora Lee Coleman and the beginning of Holiday. After that check out Henley, and then you'll be ready for this new series. 

Each book can be read as a standalone, but it's fun to read about the characters you meet in other books too. 

DREAMS OF LOVE

 Release Date: March 21

Will dreams of love lead to an unexpected future?

Weathered from too many years of apprehending outlaws, Marshal Dillon Durant is resigned to a life of solitude. The small community of Holiday, Oregon, offers the opportunity for him to build lasting friendships while discovering a sense of belonging. Then he encounters an exasperatingly beautiful woman attempting to break into the local school, leaving him to contemplate the possibility of a new chapter in his life.

Desperate to escape the arranged marriage her father is attempting to foist upon her, Zara Wynn accepts a job as a schoolteacher in Holiday. Intent on a fresh start, she doesn’t want anyone to discover she’s a runaway bride. But concealing her past proves difficult, especially when the astute and handsome Marshal Durant captures her heart.

When her father and fiancé find her, will Zara be forced to abandon her dreams of love? Or will Dillon make them come true?

Amazon

UBL

 

DREAMS WITH FAITH

 Release Date: March 28

Can faith conquer their fears?

John Ryan is committed to his role as pastor in the quaint town of Holiday, Oregon. He values each member of his congregation, and aims to lead by example. However, his resolve is tested when a free-spirited woman arrives in town. John struggles with his growing attraction to her, determined to keep it from distracting him from his calling.

Following a devastating tragedy that leaves her isolated and shattered, Keeva Holt is eager for a new beginning. In need of consolation and clarity, she decides to seek refuge with her brother in Holiday. As she navigates through her grief and attempts to find direction for her future, Keeva’s vibrant spirit and exuberance challenge those around her, including the reserved Pastor Ryan. While logic tells her that John is beyond her reach, her heart urges her to pursue her dreams and embrace the possibilities of tomorrow.

Will John and Keeva learn to lean into their faith and let go of their fears?

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 DREAMS FOR COURAGE

 Release Date: April 4

Will two lonely hearts find the courage to love?

A loner for most of his life, Rowan Reed wants nothing more than to be left alone. He buys a run-down farm near Holiday, Oregon, intending to turn it into a successful ranch through hard work and determination. When a nosy, albeit beautiful, woman shows up on his doorstep, the instant attraction he feels to her sets off nearly as many warning bells as her barrage of probing questions.

Private detective Rhetta Wallace always unearths the truth. Involved in a lengthy investigation into a man suspected of killing a politician's son, her pursuit leads her to the town of Holiday. Accompanied by her adopted son, Rhetta finds herself squaring off against the grumpy, growling rancher she believes is the suspect. Whether or not Rowan admits his true identity, Rhetta is sure of two things: his innocence of the crime, and the deep affection he awakens in her heart.

Will their dreams for courage help them release the past and embrace a future together?

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USA Today Bestselling Author Shanna Hatfield grew up on a farm where her childhood brimmed with sunshine, hay fever, and an ongoing supply of learning experiences.

Shanna creates character-driven romances with realistic heroes and heroines. Her historical westerns have been described as “reminiscent of the era captured by Bonanza and The Virginian” while her contemporary works have been called “laugh-out-loud funny, and a little heart-pumping sexy without being explicit in any way.”

When this award-winning author isn’t writing or testing out new recipes (she loves to bake!), Shanna hangs out at home in the Pacific Northwest with her beloved husband, better known as Captain Cavedweller.

Who Says Blondes Have More Fun? 19th Century Ladies Chose Red!

  by Kimberly Grist 

Auburn hair has long been admired for its beauty, as displayed in the works of Titian (Tiziano Vecellio), noted as the greatest painter of the 16th century. His work produced paintings featuring beautiful women with auburn hair, later known as ‘Titian red.’ Other great artists during the Renaissance featured the same vibrant shade, influencing ladies to dye and bleach their hair for centuries.


Madonna and Child
Titian (Tiziano Vecellio)

Since statistically, less than 2% of the population was born with the shade of red, perhaps the uniqueness of the color inspired many of the world's most famous painters to feature women with the vibrant shade. Below are a few of the famous examples:

Lady Lilith, Dante Gabriel Rossetti (1866-1868)

La Ghirlandata, Dante Gabriel Rossetti (1873)

Who Says Blondes Have More Fun

By the Victorian era, the passion for auburn hair increased, and ladies sought to duplicate the desired color. Western women would mix henna powder to create their own shades of red. The term "to henna" became synonymous with dying one's hair, and boxes of “black henna,” “red henna,” “blonde henna,” and “neutral henna” were sold.

The above-pictured European woman of the 1880s is admiring the results after she has hennaed her hair, her soles, and her nails.

Untitled portrait by Jules Frederic Ballavoine (1855-1901)

Does She or Doesn't She?

It's easy to see why the ladies of the time were inspired to dye and bleach their hair, attempting to replicate the beauty of lovely women with pale skin and ‘Titian red’ hair. My upcoming new release features two brides: one born a natural red-head, and the other enhances her locks with henna. Our true bride is incensed that her intended doesn't seem to know the difference.

New Release: Book 14 in the Double Trouble Series
Coming Soon: March 15th 

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CRHVJCVW

As I write, my secondary characters often take on a life of their own as if crying out and demanding their own story. Such is the case for the loveable Sheriff Hiram Hartman. Hiram first appeared in Ace's Tenacious Bride as the brother-in-law of our card-playing, cigar-smoking railroad detective, Ace Caldwell. Later, he appeared in A Match for Gabe, where we last left him waiting for an update on the arrival of his mail-order bride. Poor Hiram, it seems like he's been waiting forever and now he's got double trouble.


Connect With Kimberly

Fans of historical romance set in the late 19th century will enjoy stories combining, History, Humor, and Romance with an emphasis on Faith, Friends, and Good Clean Fun,

Links:
Website: https://kimberlygrist.com/
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