Mercer Girls
Encyclopedia
The Mercer Girls or Mercer Maids were an 1860s project of Asa Shinn Mercer
, an American
who lived in Seattle, who decided to "import" women to the Pacific Northwest
to balance the gender ratio. These events formed the basis of the television series Here Come the Brides
.
and fishing
industries
, but very few single women were willing to relocate by themselves to the remote Pacific Northwest
. Only one adult out of ten was a woman, and most girls over 15 were already engaged. White men and women of the Salish tribes did not always feel mutually attracted. Even prostitutes were scarce, until the arrival of John Pennell and his brothel
from San Francisco.
In 1864, Asa Mercer decided to go east to find women willing to relocate to Puget Sound
. Mercer first enlisted prominent local married couples to act as hosts for the women once they arrived to assuage Victorian era
moral concerns over the propriety of importing single women to the frontier. Mercer also had support from the governor of Washington Territory
, but the government could not offer any money.
Mercer proceeded to travel to Boston
and later to the textile town of Lowell
and recruited 8 young women from Lowell and 2 from the nearby community of Townsend, willing to move to the other side of the country. They traveled back through the Isthmus of Panama
, although in San Francisco locals tried to convince the girls to stay there instead. They arrived in Seattle on May 16, 1864, where the community staged a grand welcome on the grounds of the Territorial University
.
All but two of the women were married in short order. Susan Jospehine (Josie) Pearson who died unexpectedly a short time after she arrived and Mary Elizabeth (Lizzie) Ordway, the oldest of the ladies who was age 35 when she arrived in Seattle with Mercer. Mercer was subsequently elected to the Territorial Legislature
.
's assassination, his next trip east went wrong, until speculator Ben Holladay
promised to provide transport for the women. However, the New York Herald
found out about the project and wrote that all the women were destined to waterfront dives or to be wives of old men. Authorities in Massachusetts
were not sympathetic, either.
Due to the bad publicity by the time Mercer was to depart on January 16, 1866, he had fewer than 100 recruits, when he had promised five times that many. His ship sailed for the West Coast around Cape Horn
.
Three months later, the ship stopped in San Francisco, where the captain refused to go any further. Mercer failed to convince him otherwise, and when he telegraphed to Washington governor Pickering
to ask for more money, the governor could not afford it. Finally, he convinced crewmen on lumber schooners to transport them for free. A few of the women decided to stay in California instead.
When Mercer returned to Seattle, he had to answer a number of questions about his performance. At a meeting on May 23, public dismay softened, probably because the women were with him.
Mercer ended up marrying one of the women, Annie Stephens, a week later, and most of the others found husbands as well.
The descendants
of the Mercer Girls still make up a significant portion of Seattle's citizenry.
Asa Shinn Mercer
Asa Shinn Mercer was the first president of the Territorial University of Washington and a member of the Washington State Senate....
, an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
who lived in Seattle, who decided to "import" women to the Pacific Northwest
Pacific Northwest
The Pacific Northwest is a region in northwestern North America, bounded by the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains on the east. Definitions of the region vary and there is no commonly agreed upon boundary, even among Pacific Northwesterners. A common concept of the...
to balance the gender ratio. These events formed the basis of the television series Here Come the Brides
Here Come the Brides
Here Come the Brides is an American comedy Western series from Screen Gems that aired on the ABC television network from September 25, 1968 to April 3, 1970...
.
First trip
Frontier Seattle attracted hordes of men to work in the timberLumber
Lumber or timber is wood in any of its stages from felling through readiness for use as structural material for construction, or wood pulp for paper production....
and fishing
Fishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....
industries
Industry
Industry refers to the production of an economic good or service within an economy.-Industrial sectors:There are four key industrial economic sectors: the primary sector, largely raw material extraction industries such as mining and farming; the secondary sector, involving refining, construction,...
, but very few single women were willing to relocate by themselves to the remote Pacific Northwest
Pacific Northwest
The Pacific Northwest is a region in northwestern North America, bounded by the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains on the east. Definitions of the region vary and there is no commonly agreed upon boundary, even among Pacific Northwesterners. A common concept of the...
. Only one adult out of ten was a woman, and most girls over 15 were already engaged. White men and women of the Salish tribes did not always feel mutually attracted. Even prostitutes were scarce, until the arrival of John Pennell and his brothel
Brothel
Brothels are business establishments where patrons can engage in sexual activities with prostitutes. Brothels are known under a variety of names, including bordello, cathouse, knocking shop, whorehouse, strumpet house, sporting house, house of ill repute, house of prostitution, and bawdy house...
from San Francisco.
In 1864, Asa Mercer decided to go east to find women willing to relocate to Puget Sound
Puget Sound
Puget Sound is a sound in the U.S. state of Washington. It is a complex estuarine system of interconnected marine waterways and basins, with one major and one minor connection to the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the Pacific Ocean — Admiralty Inlet being the major connection and...
. Mercer first enlisted prominent local married couples to act as hosts for the women once they arrived to assuage Victorian era
Victorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
moral concerns over the propriety of importing single women to the frontier. Mercer also had support from the governor of Washington Territory
Washington Territory
The Territory of Washington was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from February 8, 1853, until November 11, 1889, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Washington....
, but the government could not offer any money.
Mercer proceeded to travel to Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
and later to the textile town of Lowell
Lowell, Massachusetts
Lowell is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, USA. According to the 2010 census, the city's population was 106,519. It is the fourth largest city in the state. Lowell and Cambridge are the county seats of Middlesex County...
and recruited 8 young women from Lowell and 2 from the nearby community of Townsend, willing to move to the other side of the country. They traveled back through the Isthmus of Panama
Isthmus of Panama
The Isthmus of Panama, also historically known as the Isthmus of Darien, is the narrow strip of land that lies between the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean, linking North and South America. It contains the country of Panama and the Panama Canal...
, although in San Francisco locals tried to convince the girls to stay there instead. They arrived in Seattle on May 16, 1864, where the community staged a grand welcome on the grounds of the Territorial University
University of Washington
University of Washington is a public research university, founded in 1861 in Seattle, Washington, United States. The UW is the largest university in the Northwest and the oldest public university on the West Coast. The university has three campuses, with its largest campus in the University...
.
All but two of the women were married in short order. Susan Jospehine (Josie) Pearson who died unexpectedly a short time after she arrived and Mary Elizabeth (Lizzie) Ordway, the oldest of the ladies who was age 35 when she arrived in Seattle with Mercer. Mercer was subsequently elected to the Territorial Legislature
Washington State Legislature
The Washington State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Washington. It is a bipartisan, bicameral body, composed of the lower Washington House of Representatives, composed of 98 Representatives, and the upper Washington State Senate, with 49 Senators.The State Legislature...
.
Second trip
Mercer decided to try again on a larger scale in 1865, and again collected donations from willing men. He asked for $300 to bring a suitable wife and received hundreds of applications. However, in the aftermath of Abraham LincolnAbraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
's assassination, his next trip east went wrong, until speculator Ben Holladay
Ben Holladay
Benjamin "Ben" Holladay was an American transportation businessman known as the "Stagecoach King" until his routes were taken over by Wells Fargo in 1866...
promised to provide transport for the women. However, the New York Herald
New York Herald
The New York Herald was a large distribution newspaper based in New York City that existed between May 6, 1835, and 1924.-History:The first issue of the paper was published by James Gordon Bennett, Sr., on May 6, 1835. By 1845 it was the most popular and profitable daily newspaper in the UnitedStates...
found out about the project and wrote that all the women were destined to waterfront dives or to be wives of old men. Authorities in Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
were not sympathetic, either.
Due to the bad publicity by the time Mercer was to depart on January 16, 1866, he had fewer than 100 recruits, when he had promised five times that many. His ship sailed for the West Coast around Cape Horn
Cape Horn
Cape Horn is the southernmost headland of the Tierra del Fuego archipelago of southern Chile, and is located on the small Hornos Island...
.
Three months later, the ship stopped in San Francisco, where the captain refused to go any further. Mercer failed to convince him otherwise, and when he telegraphed to Washington governor Pickering
William Pickering (governor)
William Pickering was a Republican and the fifth governor of Washington territory, from .Pickering was born in Yorkshire, England....
to ask for more money, the governor could not afford it. Finally, he convinced crewmen on lumber schooners to transport them for free. A few of the women decided to stay in California instead.
When Mercer returned to Seattle, he had to answer a number of questions about his performance. At a meeting on May 23, public dismay softened, probably because the women were with him.
Mercer ended up marrying one of the women, Annie Stephens, a week later, and most of the others found husbands as well.
The descendants
Kinship
Kinship is a relationship between any entities that share a genealogical origin, through either biological, cultural, or historical descent. And descent groups, lineages, etc. are treated in their own subsections....
of the Mercer Girls still make up a significant portion of Seattle's citizenry.
See also
- History of SeattleHistory of SeattleThis is the main article of a series that covers the history of Seattle, Washington, a city in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States of America....
- Here Come the BridesHere Come the BridesHere Come the Brides is an American comedy Western series from Screen Gems that aired on the ABC television network from September 25, 1968 to April 3, 1970...
Television Show - Bigelow House Museum
External links
- mercergirls.com
- Seattle at 150: Ordway, the unwed 'Mercer Girl,' was still well-loved James R. Warren, Seattle Post-IntelligencerSeattle Post-IntelligencerThe Seattle Post-Intelligencer is an online newspaper and former print newspaper covering Seattle, Washington, United States, and the surrounding metropolitan area...
, October 16, 2001