More than Petticoats: Remarkable Illinois Women

Book excerpt: More than Petticoats: Remarkable Illinois Women chronicles the stories of twelve Illinois women who lived in the era of True Womanhood and dedicated themselves to charity toward family and strangers. Unwittingly, these women forged a legacy that expanded well beyond Illinois' borders. From First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln's devotion to country to ballroom dancer Irene Castle's fight for animal rights, the women of Illinois acted with progressive vision. Meet the wife of the Mormon Prophet, Emma Hale Smith, who challenged ideology; Nobel Peace Prize winner Jane Addams, the model of usefulness;Myra Bradwell, considered America's first woman lawyer; and African American entrepreneur Annie Minerva Malone, who built a beauty empire. Born before the dawn of the twentieth century, the women herein paved the way for future generations. Author Lyndee Jobe Henderson presents absorbing biographies filled with rarely published details.