Be inspired by fascinating men and women whose drive and determination transformed our country and our lives.
Welcome to America Comes Alive!, a site I created to share little-known stories of America’s past.
These stories are about Americans—people just like you—who have made a difference and changed the course of history. Look around the site and find what inspires you.
0
Elizabeth Keckley (ca. 1818-1907), Slave Turned Entrepreneur, Confidante to Mary Lincoln
- Achieved freedom in 1855
- Became successful dressmaker in Washington, eventually working for Mary Lincoln
- Founded Contraband Relief Association in 1862 to help former slaves
- Published autobiography about her life
Elizabeth Hobbs Keckley was born into slavery in North Carolina. Her mother was a seamstress, and Elizabeth was originally told that her father was George Hobbs, a slave who lived on a plantation one hundred miles away. For the first eight years of Elizabeth’s life, Hobbs visited his wife and child at Christmas and Easter. Then Hobbs’ owner moved away, and George was never seen again by his family.
As Elizabeth’s mother was dying, she revealed to Elizabeth that though her husband was George Hobbs, Elizabeth’s true father was the owner of the plantation where they lived.
Keckley was only age 4 or 5 when she took on nursemaid duties for the plantation family. There were four white children under the age of ten, so it was decided that Elizabeth would look after the most recently born infant daughter.
Restaurants of the Past
Finding kindred spirits has become easier via the Internet. For a couple of years I have subscribed to a blog called “Restauranting through History” where I have been able to read about tea rooms and restaurants with curb service as well as the story of the Reuben sandwich and the tradition of live music in restaurants.
American Women like Michelle Obama and Marissa Mayer: The Future
I want to close Women’s History Month with thoughts of the future. An email from a reader last week said it perfectly: “Based on what these women have accomplished, I see great 
potential for women of today and the future.”
I agree. Tuesday night two of my daughters and I attended a program at New York’s 92nd Street Y featuring Marissa Mayer, the young woman who is Employee #20 at Google and is now vice president of location and local services. Suddenly I felt very hopeful. After years of worrying that America wasn’t really making as much progress as we had hoped when the women’s movement built speed in the 1970s and ‘80s, I began to re-think my concern.
Jane Swisshelm (1815-1884), Journalist, Abolitionist, Women’s Rights Advocate
- Ardent abolitionist and advocate for women’s rights
- First woman to cover a story from the Senate press gallery
Jane Cannon Swisshelm was born in Pittsburgh in 1815. Her father was a Presbyterian minister who died when Jane was only eight. Without him to provide for them, the family faced financial hardship so Jane had to quit school and work with her mother at lacemaking. When she was fourteen she was able to get a job as a teacher. (At a later date, I will investigate the changes in teaching requirements in American schools.)
Jennie Grossinger (1892-1972), Garment Worker to Resort Owner
- Established a world-class, financially successful resort
Jennie Grossinger was born in Austria in 1892 to parents who wanted to save enough 
money to bring the family to America for a better life. When Jennie was five, her father emigrated, and three years later he had saved enough money to bring Jennie, her younger sister, and her mother to New York; they lived on the lower east side. Her father, a former real estate overseer, was now a coat presser; life was not easy.
Clara Barton (1821-1912), Dedicated Life to Helping the Injured and Unfortunate
“Angel of the Battlefield”
Created and ran the Office of Missing Soldiers
Founded the American Red Cross
Clara Barton was born in Oxford, Massachusetts, the youngest of five children in a middle class family. When she was eleven, one of her brothers was seriously injured in an accident, a
“Angel of the Battlefield”- Created and ran the Office of Missing Soldiers
- Founded the American Red Cross
Jean Carroll (1911-2010), Pioneered the Path for Female Stand-Up Comediennes
One of the early female comics (Moms Mabley preceded her, performing in the 1910s, but she was on the black vaudeville circuit; more about her another day)- Appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show more than twenty times
Born Celine Zeigman in Paris, France, she moved with her family to New York City when she was still a child. Her father was abusive to her mother. Growing up in that atmosphere led Celine to the conclusion that she needed to be self-supporting, to never have to be dependent upon a man.
