The Women of the United States Postage Stamps--Part 1

By Jennifer Uhlarik

 

I can hardly believe that we’re already nearly done with the first two months of 2026. This year has flown by, so far. In just three more days, February will be ending, and then we’re into March. Many of you know that March is designated as Women’s History month, and I thought it would be a fun topic to look at the women whose faces have graced our American postage stamps—and what they did to earn such an honor. There have been nearly two-hundred women featured since the late 1800s, when the first woman appeared. So, let’s dig in!

 

The very first woman to ever have her face on an American postage stamp was not an American woman at all. In fact, she was a European ruler. Why on Earth would we put a European queen on our American postage, you ask? Well, perhaps it is because she put up the money to fund Christopher Columbus, who is commonly credited with having discovered America. So who is the woman with the prestigious honor of having been the first female to grace an American postage stamp? Queen Isabella I of Castile (now part of Spain). The stamp was issued in 1893 and was worth $4 during its run. If you can find one of these stamps today, it can cost upward of $3500 in mint condition.

Note Isabella I of Castile on the left,
Columbus on the right.

 Just nine years later, the second woman to grace a postage stamp in the United States was none other than our first First Lady—Martha Washington. Dear Martha has the honor of being featured on stamps three different times, first in 1902, again in 1923, and the last time in 1938. Not only was she the original First Lady of the United States, but she was also instrumental in leading the women camp followers and keeping up troop morale during the Revolution, among many other things.

Martha Washington's 1902 Stamp

Her second appearance came in 1923

Her final appearance was in 1938.

Third on our list of ladies who have graced the postage stamp is none other than Pocahontas, the Native American woman of the Powhatan people who was taken captive by European settlers. Hers is a difficult story which has been beautifully and painstakingly recounted by a dear friend, Shannon McNear, in her Daughters of the Lost Colony series (along with what might have happened to another one of our ladies in this post—Virginia Dare). This stamp, issued in 1907, was originally worth five cents. Today, a mint condition Pocahontas stamp would cost around $450.

Pocahontas's short life was full of hardships.

 

In 1928, “Molly Pitcher” was added to the list of women featured on American postage. Molly Pitcher is a made-up name, and the real identity of this woman isn’t certain, though it is thought that “Molly Pitcher” was a composite of three heroic women who fought in the American Revolution alongside their husbands. The three women are Margaret Corbin, Deborah Sampson, and Mary “Molly” Ludwig Hays. The last on this list, Molly, was said to have carried water in pitchers to dehydrated and desperate soldiers, as well as used the water to cool the cannons. During the Battle of Monmouth on June 28, 1778, Molly Ludwig Hays’s husband was overcome by the conditions and couldn’t man the cannon any longer. So brave Molly stepped into his place, fulfilling his duties during this important battle. Afterward, George Washington is said to have personally thanked her and began calling her “Sergeant Molly.” You’ll notice, on her stamp, it is actually a picture of George Washington with the name “Molly Pitcher” stamped over it. Interesting, right?

Molly Pitcher's name, but not her likeness,
appeared on this stamp.

 

Our next famed lady was Susan B. Anthony, the famed social reformer of the 1800s. She worked with the abolition movement to outlaw slavery in the United States, then lent her voice to the temperance movement, and finally women’s suffrage. Her face has appeared on postage stamps twice—once in 1936 and again in 1955. And I’m sure you all are aware that her likeness was also used on a $1 coin, which was minted between 1979 and 1981, and again in 1999. 

Susan B. Anthony's first appearance on a
postage stamp came in 1936.

Her second appearance was in 1955.

She also made it to the $1 silver coin for a few years.

 

Next is Virginia Dare, who was memorialized on a stamp in 1937. If you haven’t heard of Virginia, she was the first English child born in an English colony here on American soil. Part of the ill-fated Roanoke settlement, Virginia was born on August 18, 1587, the granddaughter of John White. As governor of the colony, White returned to England to garner more money and support, and by the time he returned, the Roanoke colony had disappeared into the mists of time.

Virginia Dare--the first English baby born in the 
colony of Roanoke in 1587--was memorialized 
on a stamp in 1937.

 

In 1940, a female author was honored with her own postage stamp. It was none other than Louisa May Alcott, who was most famous for having written Little Women and Little Men. Like Susan B. Anthony, Louisa also lent her voice to the abolition and temperance movements, and during the Civil War, desired to serve as a soldier. However, because she was a woman, she was denied. Instead, she sewed uniforms until she turned thirty, which was the minimum age for women to become nurses. She soon applied as a nurse and worked in the Union Hotel Hospital in Washington, D.C. until contracting typhoid fever.

Louisa May Alcott did far more than write 
the beloved classic, Little Women.

 

The last woman for today’s post was Frances Willard, who was yet another social reformer. Frances was a teacher who, in her short fifty-eight years, spoke up for temperance and women’s suffrage. In addition, she was the first Dean of Women at Northwestern University, the longtime president of the Women’s Christian Temperance Union, and in 2000, was inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame for her many prestigious contributions. Her stamp was created in 1940.

Social Reformer Frances Willard joined 
others in fighting for women's suffrage.

 

We’ll continue the parade of women who appeared on postage stamps for the next several months, so be watching for more. In the meantime:

 

It’s Your Turn: Which of the women who were honored with their own stamp do you find the most impressive, and why?

 

Jennifer Uhlarik discovered western novels at twelve when she swiped the only “horse” book from her brother’s bookshelf. Across the next decade, she devoured westerns and fell in love with the genre. While attaining a B.A. in writing from the University of Tampa, she began penning her own story of the Old West. She has finaled in and won numerous writing competitions and appeared on various best-seller lists. Besides writing, she’s been a business owner, a schoolteacher, a marketing director, a historical researcher, a publisher, and a full-time homemaker. She lives near Tampa, Florida, with her husband and fur children.

 

Available Now: Love and Order: A Three-Part Old West Romantic Mystery

 

Wanted: 

Family, Love, and Justice

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Separated as children when they were adopted out to different families from an orphan train, the Braddock siblings have each grown up and taken on various jobs within law enforcement and criminal justice.

 

Youngest child, Callie, has pushed past her insecurities to pursue a career as a Pinkerton agent. Middle child, Andi, has spent years studying law under her adoptive father’s tutelage. And the eldest and only son, Rion, is a rough-and-tumble bounty hunter. 

 

When the hunt for a serial killer with a long history of murders reunites the brother and sisters in Cambria Springs, Colorado, they find themselves not only in a fight for justice, but also a fight to keep their newly reunited family intact. How will they navigate these challenges when further complicated by unexpected romances?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Victoria Woodhull's Historic Presidential Bid: A Woman Ahead of Her Time

With the 2024 presidential campaign in full swing, it’s time to learn about the first woman candidate for president of the United States, who happened to be in jail at the time of the election.

Victoria Woodhull declared her candidacy in the New York Herald on Saturday, April 2, 1870. Women were not granted the constitutional authority to vote until 1920, and Woodhull would not even reach the required age of 35 before her inauguration, if she won.

Victoria Woodhull, 1882 candidate
for U.S. President against Grant,
preferred wearing purple

Woodhull herself submitted the article, titled “The Coming Woman,” and included her views on home and foreign policy, as well as “new ideas on government.” She stated, “I anticipate criticism,” but said, “having the means, courage, energy and strength necessary for the race intend to contest it to the close.”

Born Victoria California Claflin in Ohio in 1838, she married 28-year-old Canning Woodhull at the age of 15. Her husband, a doctor, was an alcoholic and philanderer, and Victoria divorced him in 1865 after 12 years of marriage. Though she continued to use the name Woodhull publicly, she eventually married twice more.

It was likely the experience of her first marriage that caused Victoria to advocate what she called “free love.” She did not approve of promiscuity but insisted that individuals should be able to stay with romantic partners as long as they chose and then be free to move on. The movement sought to destigmatize divorce and make it easier for women to leave abusive husbands.

She also became involved in the women’s suffrage movement, and in 1871 was the first woman to testify before a Congressional committee. Along with Susan B. Anthony and Isabella Beecher Hooker, she spoke to the House Judiciary Committee, arguing that American women already had the right to vote under the 14th and 15th Amendments. The committee declined to draft legislation clarifying that right, however.

Victoria partnered with her younger sister, Tennessee Claflin, to start a brokerage firm in 1870, making them the first women stock brokers. Newspapers dubbed them “the Bewitching Brokers” and “Queens of Finance.” The women used their financial success to start a newspaper called Woodhull and Claflin’s Weekly, which supported women’s suffrage, free love, and other political reforms.

In declaring her candidacy for president, Woodhull wrote, “While others argued the equality of woman with man, I proved it by successfully engaging in business; while others sought to show that there was no valid reason why woman should be treated socially and politically as a being inferior to man, I boldly entered the arena of politics and business and exercised the rights I already possessed.”

Newspapers announced Woodhull's
nomination for President in 1872

She remained self-nominated until 1872, when the new Equal Rights Party selected her as their candidate for president. The party also nominated well-known abolitionist and former slave Frederick Douglass for vice president, but Douglass never accepted the nomination.

The sisters’ newspaper published an article claiming the famous preacher Henry Ward Beecher, one of Victoria’s strongest critics, had an affair with a married woman in his congregation. The ensuing controversy resulted in charges of obscenity rather than libel, and Victoria and her sister were arrested and jailed, remaining there through Election Day. The legal troubles forced them to discontinue publication of their weekly paper.

At the time, political parties, not the government, printed ballots for elections. No records exist of how many people (only men could vote, of course) voted for Woodhull. Anecdotal evidence indicates she received at least a few votes, but not enough to win any electors.

After divorcing her second husband, Victoria moved to England. She returned to the United States a few times and attempted unsuccessfully to run for president again, but she married for the third time and lived in England until 1927, when she died at age 88.

Controversy never stopped Victoria Woodhull from fighting for her beliefs, and she remained politically active until her death.

Sources:

https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/victoria-woodhull

Victoria Woodhull announces her candidacy on Apr. 2, 1870 in the New York Herald - Newspapers.com™

Victoria Woodhull & Company | The Spirit to Run the White House (victoria-woodhull.com)

Multi-award-winning author Marie Wells Coutu finds beauty in surprising places, like undiscovered treasures, old houses, and gnarly trees. All three books in her Mended Vessels series, contemporary stories based on the lives of biblical women, have won awards in multiple contests. She is currently working on historical romances set in her native western Kentucky in the 1930s and ‘40s. An unpublished novel, Shifting Currents, placed third in Inspirational Romance in the nationally recognized Maggie Awards, and is a finalist in the Touched By Love Awards. Learn more at www.MarieWellsCoutu.com.

Her historical short story, “All That Glistens,” set in her home region of western Kentucky, was included in the 2023 Saturday Evening Post Great American Fiction collection and is now available free when you sign up for Marie's newsletter here. In her newsletter, she shares historical tidbits, recommended books, "behind the scenes" writing info, and sometimes vintage recipes.

Running for Gold: The “Babe” who made a great comeback

As the summer Olympics approach this year, it’s appropriate to remember “Babe” Didrikson Zaharias, who won 3 medals, the maximum for women, in the 1932 Los Angeles Olympics. She later went on to co-found the Ladies Professional Golf Association, and she never shied away from controversy.

Mildred Ella Didriksen was born in Port Arthur, Texas, in 1911. She later changed the ending of the family name to “son” and she embraced the nickname of “Babe” after she was compared to the great Babe Ruth.

Why is she considered such a great athlete?

Even as a young girl, Babe excelled in sports. The family had moved to Beaumont, Texas, where she played basketball, tennis, and golf while in high school. Her ability caught the attention of a Dallas insurance company’s basketball coach. In those days, businesses often fielded various semi-professional sports teams.

With five children, the family struggled financially and, since Babe struggled with math and was an average student, she left school early to do clerical work for the Employers Casualty Insurance Company. She competed on the company’s basketball, baseball, and track and field teams, which dominated the other 48 Texas company teams.

Photo: Colorado Women's Hall of Fame

Babe won five events and set several world records during the U.S. qualifying competition for the 1932 Olympics in Los Angeles. At that time, women could compete in no more than three Olympic events. She received a gold medal for her world-record javelin throw. The next day, she broke her own world record in the 80-meter hurdle, winning another gold medal. She tied for first in the high-jump, but the judges disqualified her technique and awarded her the silver medal instead.

Following the Olympics, Babe sought to earn a living as an athlete, and even pitched four innings for three different major league baseball teams during spring training of 1934.

But opportunities were limited for women in sports at that time. She decided on golf and began to play in men’s tournaments. She became popular for her long, powerful drives and off-color banter with the fans. Socialites, and sometimes even the media, frowned on her unorthodox behavior on the golf course. One biographer said, “She was criticized for her look; she was criticized for not being ladylike enough. There were comments made in the press, that she should be home sitting by the phone, waiting for a suitor to call her as opposed to being out competing. It was very harsh, negative, critical things. And they hurt her deeply.”

Photo: Associated Press

However, her friends said Babe cared more about winning than what people thought of her. She was known for arriving at the golf course and announcing, “The Babe is here! Who is going to finish second?”

She met George Zaharias, a professional wrestler, during the 1938 Los Angeles Open, and they married in December that year. He gave up wrestling and became Babe’s manager.

In 1949, she joined with several other women golfers to form the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA). While Patty Berg served as president the first year, Zaharias became president the next year and held the position for the remainder of her life.

During her career, she won 82 tournaments, including 17 of 18 she entered in 1946-47. In 1950, the Associated Press voted her the Woman Athlete of the Half-Century. By that time, she reportedly was earning $100,000 (about $1 million in today’s dollars) annually from tournaments and endorsements.

Photos: Associated Press

She excelled in other sports, too, including swimming, football (at halfback), billiards, tumbling, boxing, wrestling, fencing, weight lifting, and adagio dancing, according to Time magazine, as well as tennis, diving, roller-skating, and bowling, according to other sources.

Undoubtedly, Zaharias played a major role in the acceptance and rise of women’s golf. But perhaps her greatest achievement was winning her third U.S. Women’s Open championship in Salem, Massachusetts in 1954, about 18 months after colon cancer surgery. She played 36 holes on the last day of the tournament while wearing a colostomy bag strapped to her leg, and won by 12 strokes. A Telenews announcer called it “one of the most inspiring comebacks in all of sports history.”

The cancer had already spread to her lymph nodes, though Babe did not know it at that time. She died less than 3 years later, on September 26, 1957. The following day, then-President Dwight D. Eisenhower opened a press conference by paying respects to “Mrs. Zaharias, Babe Didrikson. She was a woman who, in her athletic career, certainly won the admiration of every person in the United States, all sports people over the world, and in her gallant fight against cancer she put up the kind of fight that inspired us all. I think that every one of us feels sad that finally she had to lose this last one of all her battles.”

At the turn of the century, Associated Press and Sports Illustrated named Babe Zaharias the top female athlete of the entire 20th Century. Because she was so proficient in so many sports, some have called her the “greatest athlete, male or female, who ever lived.”

Her legacy lives on through the LPGA, through every woman who challenges accepted norms in sports or other pursuits, and through every person who faces cancer with courage and refuses to give up.

Sources:

The Triumph Of Her Life (usga.org)
Babe Didrikson Zaharias: The ‘greatest all-sport athlete’ who helped revolutionize women’s golf | CNN

Mildred "Babe" Zaharias | STAGING: National Women's History Museum (womenshistory.org)

This CO woman was the 'greatest athlete, male or female, who ever lived' (denver7.com)

No Matter the Game, Babe Didrikson Zaharias Played to Win - NYTimes.com

Multi-award-winning author Marie Wells Coutu finds beauty in surprising places, like undiscovered treasures, old houses, and gnarly trees. After a career writing for newspapers, magazines, state and local governments, and the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, she returned to her first love—writing fiction—in her fifties. All three books in her Mended Vessels series, contemporary stories based on the lives of biblical women, have won awards in multiple contests. She is currently working on historical romances set in her native western Kentucky in the 1930s and ‘40s. Her historical short story, “All That Glistens,” was included in the 2023 Saturday Evening Post Great American Fiction collection.

Another historical short story tells of a cafe waitress who waits for the love of her life to come back to her after the war. “A Song for Annie” is available free when you sign up for Marie's newsletter here. In her newsletter, she shares about her writing, historical tidbits, recommended books, and sometimes recipes.

World War 11 - Juliana

 

Juliana - War Heroine

World War 11 has many war heroes, and there are so many things to know about it. Most people remember the battles, attacks, and genocides used. There were also other related battles going on. An example is England. Many bombings happened during this time there, and they lived in fear of further bombings for years. 

But an interesting story about one particular heroine is what we'll talk about today. You may be surprised today that Juliana is a dog and not a person. She's a war heroine, and here's why.

In 1941, during the Blitz in World War 11, was the scariest for England when they were bombed often and suffered much damage and tens of thousands of their people were killed by Germany. It's amazing how Britain stood strong and didn't surrender to Germany. 

But one day during this time, a German bomb was thrown into a European shop owner's store. It didn't detonate, and the owner wasn't sure what to do, and he was frozen with fear. The bomb caught on fire, and his Great Dane, Juliana, leaped into action and urinated on the fire to put it out which also disarmed the bomb. 

Again in 1944, the same shop was bombed and caught fire,. This time, the shop owner was not aware  the bomb had been thrown causing flames until Juliana barked to catch his attention. The fire escalated fast and became serious and too late to extinguish, so they fled for their lives.

Juliana was awarded two Blue Cross medals for her brave acts during World War 11. This was special, because the Blue Cross medals were for horses who had saved lives. But Juliana had proven herself worthy of the awards. Her brave act might have been forgotten once she died, but in 2013 her medals along with a painting of her were found and revived this story about her once again.

I hope you've enjoyed your visit with me today. Thank you for visiting. Do you have a pet? Comment below to tell what animal you have and your pet's name! Please make sure you are commenting on this blog site.

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Released January 24, 2023 is Rachael's Decision! Visit Molly's website to learn more!

History of Susan B. Anthony

 

LET'S TALK ABOUT SUSAN B. ANTHONY!

Susan B. Anthony's full name is Susan Brownell Anthony. She was born February 15, 1820 in Adams, Massachusetts. She made quite a name for herself as an activist for the Women's Suffrage Movement and even served as president of the National Women's Suffrage Association from 1892-1900. Her work was instrumental in the creation of the National Amendment allowing women to vote in 1920, although the amendment wasn't approved until after her death.

Let's delve into Susan's life . . . 

Susan was the second out of eight children and raised as a Quaker independence and her family had a moral zeal.  She was a determined little girl with a mind of her own. At the age of three, she learned to read.  In 1926, her family moved to Battensville, New York  where she attended a district school, and then a school her father set up.  Then a boarding school in Philadelphia. Her next move was to attend a Quaker seminary in Rochelle, New York. From 1846-1849, she taught at a female academy in upstate New York. 

Susan organized the Women's Temperance Union in New York, and advocated for women to vote, have property rights, and she organized an anti-slavery organization. She was targeted by the newspapers with much criticism, but she didn't let the opposition deter her.  Throughout her life, she actively advocated for women's rights, by speaking, forming organizations, and whatever she could do to help. 

By the 1890's, she had worked so hard for most of her life, she became a heroine.  She went from receiving cold receptions to events to being warmly received at them.  One example was the World's Columbian Exposition in Columbia in 1893. 

Susan didn't marry and dedicated her life advocating for women until she died in 1906.  She was a tough cookie!  I hope you've enjoyed learning about Susan today. 

Rachael's Decision will release Jan. 24, 2023! 

Rachael's accident left her with a limp and loss. She's content to live as a spinster, until Caleb sweeps into her life, and they fall in love. But he wants children, and she can't have them. She hasn't told him, and Nathan has two children and he'd like an arranged marriage. She's always wanted children. She has life-changing decisions to make. And then other trouble surfaces.  What does the future hold for them?   

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Marriage of Charles Dickens and Catherine Hogarth

Blogger: Amber Schamel

Young Catherine Hogarth
Public Domain

April 2 happens to be the wedding anniversary of Charles Dickens and his wife Catherine Hogarth. So enjoy these tidbits about the famous author, his wife, and their marriage. 

Catherine Hogarth was born in Edinburgh, Scotland in 1815 to George and Georgina Hogarth. They moved to England in 1834 when her father took a job as a music critic for the Morning Chronicle. Catherine was nineteen years old at the time, and in the blushing beauty of her youth. The eldest daughter of 10 children, Catherine was both intelligent and responsible.

Charles Dickens was also working for the Morning Chronicle at the time, and he was immediately captivated by the intelligence and beauty of this young woman. Dickens invited her as a guest to his twenty third birthday party. He evidently came to adore her very much, and the sentiment seems to be reciprocated since Catherine wrote to her cousin that "Mr. Dickens improves very much upon acquaintance." 

"When the couple met, Charles put Catherine on a pedestal. His childhood was scarred by poverty and the shadow of the debtors’ prison; in contrast, Catherine came from a comfortable, happy middle-class family. I believe Dickens wanted to emulate that: he wanted a wife and mother who would give his children stability and a carefree home. Catherine became his ideal woman." Lucinda Hawksley of BBC 

The attachment progressed, and Dickens proposed in 1835. Catherine and Charles were married April 2, 1836 in London.

Young Charles Dickens

They began their married life in a small flat in London. Both seemed incredibly happy. Dickens even remarked that if he were ever to become rich and famous, he would never be as happy as he was in that little flat with Catherine. As for Mrs. Dickens, she was incredibly proud of her husband and his successes, and she even traveled with him to America in 1842. During their journey, Dickens penned a letter to a friend stating that Catherine never felt gloomy or lost courage throughout their long journey by ship, and "adapted to any circumstances without complaint".

"In addition to being a mother, Catherine was an author, a very talented actress, an excellent cook and, in her husband’s words, a superb traveling companion. But as the wife of such a famous figure, all of that has been eclipsed" ~ Lucinda Hawksley of BBC 

Charles and Catherine had 10 children during their union and enjoyed many happy years together.

For more detailed information on Catherine's life, I suggest this article from BBC written by one of the great granddaughters of the couple. 
http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20160519-the-forgotten-wife-of-charles-dickens

*****

Because of the COVID-19 Stay at home order, I've discounted ALL of my ebooks to only $0.99 on Amazon. Ebooks can be read on any phone, tablet or computer by downloading the free Amazon kindle app. 

Books are a great way to pass the time while infusing your soul with uplifting and inspirational messages. My way of saying, stay safe and healthy. God bless you all!
https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B00CIXK91M

 Two-time winner of the Christian Indie Award for historical fiction, Amber Schamel writes riveting stories that bring HIStory to life. She lives in Colorado Springs near her favorite mountain, Pikes Peak.