Month: April 2019

Civil War Women: Dorothea Dix, Superintendent of Female Nurses

/ sandramervillehart

Dorothea Dix traveled to Washington shortly after the Civil War began. Her federal appointment as Superintendent of Female Nurses bestowed on her the honor of being the first female in this high position.

Dorothea convinced Union military to allow women to serve as nurses. Once they agreed, she began recruiting her nurses.

She set high standards. Fearing that young, unmarried women might use the position to find a husband, she sought plain, older women and insisted on plain clothing.

The oversight of both the large nursing staff across many locations and administration of medical supplies such as bandages fell on Dorothea’s shoulders.

Many army surgeons were against having female nurses. Dorothea pushed for formal training for them.

About 3,000 females served in Union hospitals during the war. They did an admirable job and were a crucial part of caring for sick and wounded soldiers.

Louisa May Alcott, the beloved author of Little Women, was one of the Civil War nurses who served under Dorothea Dix. Though respected, it was Louisa’s opinion that the strict superintendent wasn’t well-liked. Most nurses avoided her.

Beyond Dorothea’s administrative skills, another reason people respected her is that she treated both Union and Confederate soldiers in military hospitals.

Her efforts to place female nurses in Union hospitals began paving the way for women to serve in the medical field.

-Sandra Merville Hart

Sources

“Dorothea Dix,” United States History, 2019/01/07 https://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h1092.html.

“Dorothea Lynde Dix,” History, 2019/01/07 https://www.history.com/topics/womens-history/dorothea-lynde-dix.

Norwood, Arlisha. “Dorothea Dix.” National Women’s History Museum. National Women’s History Museum, 2017. 2019/01/07.

The Counterfeit Tory by Shannon McNear

/ sandramervillehart

Part of The Backcountry Brides Collection – Eight 18th Century Women Seek Love on Colonial America’s Frontier

 This novella is set in 1781. It starts in Charlotte Town, North Carolina, and moves to the wilderness.

The surrender of Cornwallis at Yorktown was supposed to have ended everything. Jedidiah Wheeler, who had fought with the Continental Regulars in a war for independence, hates that loyalists still ravage the Carolinas. He accepts a dangerous mission to try to stop them.

Lizzy Cunningham lives in the South Carolina backcountry, keeping house for her ungrateful and abusive father and brothers. She stays busy from morning to night working at their tavern.

When a stranger comes to the tavern one cold evening, Lizzy can’t trust the kindness in his eyes or his respectful manner. Experience has taught her that no man can be trusted.

As danger escalates, she finds herself hoping that Jed is the man he seems to be.

Believable characters in harsh circumstances make this book a page turner. I also loved learning the history after the Revolutionary War ended.

A good read! I will look for more books by this author.

-Sandra Merville Hart

Christianbook.com

 

 

1870s Advice on Setting Up the Bedroom

/ sandramervillehart

The author of Buckeye Cookery and Practical Housekeeping advised homemakers to set up the family bedroom on the first floor if it’s not damp.

Use matting as a thin floor covering as it holds less dust than carpet. Wash matting twice a season. To wash, mix a pint of salt into a half-pail of warm water. It’s not clear if the solution was sponged onto the fabric or if the matting was dipped into the water. Dry immediately with soft cloth.

This was the room where the medicine cabinet was kept, though still out of the reach of children. Items such as camphor, mustard, strips of linen, and hot drops (?) were stored in the cabinet, tucked away in case of illness or accident.

A large closet should have low hooks for children to hang their clothes. Provide a box for them to store their stockings. Shoes should be kept in a bag. Teaching children to care for their belongings at an early age should help them to be organized in adulthood.

Blankets should be of soft wool. Cotton comforters require frequent exposure to sun and air, so these should be used cautiously. In the author’s opinion, delaine fabric made the best comforters. Delaine is a high-grade of wool fabric made of fine combing wool.

The author strongly recommended allowing the bedding to lie open for several hours each morning to air it out. Even though many housekeepers want to tidy the bed soon after rising, this was not recommended. Pillows should be aired in the wind, but kept away from sun.

This is probably good news for those who prefer not to make their beds!

-Sandra Merville Hart

Sources

Compiled from Original Recipes. Buckeye Cookery and Practical Housekeeping, Applewood Books, 1877.

“Delaine,” Enclyclopedia Brittanica, 2018/12/17 https://www.britannica.com/topic/delaine.