Page:The part taken by women in American history.djvu/335

This page has been proofread, but needs to be validated.
302
Part Taken by Women in American History


to whom she is a wonderfully devoted mother, not forgetting meanwhile that her companionship means much to her widowed mother in her invalidism and loneliness.

ELIZA FRANKLIN ROUTT.

Was born in 1842, in Springfield, Illinois, of Kentucky ancestry. Her grandfather, Colonel William F. Elkin, was one of the famous "long nine" that represented Sangamon County in the legislative session of 1836 and 1837. Each of these men were six feet tall. Abraham Lincoln was one of these stalwarts, whose efforts that year secured the location of the capital of the state for their county. Her father, Franklin Pickerell was a noted Kentuckian. She was given an excellent education, which was completed by travel and study abroad. When Colonel John L. Routt was second assistant postmaster-general in 1864, he married Mrs. Routt in her uncle's home in Decatur, Illinois, and she became an addition to the social circles of Washington City. In 1875, General Logan secured the appointment of Colonel Routt as territorial governor of Colorado from President Grant. In 1876, Colorado became a state and Colonel Routt was made its first governor and was re-elected. Mrs. Routt was a woman of remarkable ability, strong character and great culture, adding much to the lustre of her husband's administration. She brought up the daughters of Colonel Routt by his first wife, with devotion and care and they were among Denver's most prominent women.

MARY A. WOODS.

Miss Woods, known as "The second Betsy Ross," has charge of the making of the American flags for the United States Navy in the equipment department. Miss Woods was formerly a well-known dressmaker of New York City when she decided to take up this work, and applied for the position at the New York Navy Yard, receiving the appointment of "quarterwoman" in the equipment department, where she has been for more than a quarter of a century. She superintends the cutting of all of the flags, the stripes and stars and every portion which must be most exact. In this bureau is made not only the flags of our own country for use on all our ships and navy yards of the United States, but the flags of other maritime nations. Miss Woods, herself, has taught her assistants all they know of flag-making. In one year 140,000 yards of bunting were used and $70,000 expended in this work by the Government. When our fleet started for the Pacific all the signals were changed, and all the flags had to be altered accordingly — 408 in all, and forty-three foreign ensigns. The most complicated flag in existence to-day is that of San Salvador, and the one flag on which the front is not the same as the back is that of Paraguay.

MRS. JOHN S. FORD.

The splendid work done by the Young Woman's Christian Association is well known in every city in the United States. In Youngstown, Ohio, Mrs. John S. Ford, president of the local Young Woman's Christian Association, deserves especial mention for her efforts in raising, during the year 1910, for their home