Birth Locations – Page 114 – The Exasperated Historian

253) Elizabeth Barrett Browning

253: Elizabeth Barrett Browning
One of the Most Famous Poets of the Romantic Era

Born: 6 March 1806, Kelloe, County Durham, United Kingdom

Died: 29 June 1861, Florence, Italy

Elizabeth was the oldest of twelve children and the first in her family born in England in over two hundred years—her father was a rich plantation owner from Jamaica who decided to raise his family in England instead.

When she was fourteen years old, Elizabeth was first diagnosed with a lung problem she would have and treat with morphine for the rest of her life. She was also dealt a spinal injury at the age of fifteen.

Elizabeth began publishing and after a series of tragedies lived her life as a recluse alone in her bedroom for five years.

She and her future husband Robert Browning would exchange over five hundred letters in twenty months.

Her father did not want any of his children getting married, so Elizabeth and Robert eloped and moved to Italy where her health improved enough, she gave birth to a son. Her father never spoke to her again.

Elizabeth’s poems spoke on several social issues including abolition, unification of Italy, the oppression of Italians under Austrians, child slave labor mines in England, and male domination over women.

Badges Earned:

Find a Grave Marked

Sources:

https://poets.org/poet/elizabeth-barrett-browning

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_Barrett_Browning

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/139/elizabeth-barrett-browning

252) Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley

"A tale to make the reader dread to look around, to curdle the blood and quicken the beatings of the heart."

252: Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley

Author of the Novel Frankenstein: Or the Modern Prometheus

Born: 30 August 1797, London, United Kingdom

Died: 1 February 1851, London, United Kingdom

When not recognized for that she is remembered for being the daughter of Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin and the wife of Percy Shelley.

Her mother died twenty-one days after Mary was born from complications of the birth.

Mary published her first work at the age of eleven.

She and Percy “married” before his divorce from his first wife had officially gone through. Their first child—a daughter—was born prematurely and died after a few days. Mary next had a son.

Her half-sister and then her husband’s first wife both committed suicide in quick succession; while these events were both incredibly sad, the death of Percy’s first wife also allowed for Mary and Percy to legally be able to wed (and legitimize their children).

Mary then gave birth to another girl, but she died around a year old and then a few months later her son died as well. Her fourth and final child was born soon after, another son. Mary then suffered a miscarriage and a few weeks later her husband drowned.

Mary carried her husband’s heart around in a box for the rest of her life.

2017 saw the release of a Hollywood Biopic Entitled Mary Shelley, I’ve included the trailer to the left.

Badges Earned:

Find a Grave Marked

Located In My Personal Library:

History’s Naughty Bits by Karen Dolby

National Geographic History Magazine Article "Mary Shelley's Frankenstein Comes to Life" (July/August 2017 Edition)

The Secret Library: A Book-Lovers' Journey Through Curiosities of History by Oliver Tearle

Uppity Women Speak Their Minds by Vicki Leon

Where Are They Buried? How Did They Die? by Tod Benoit

Sources:

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Mary-Wollstonecraft-Shelley

https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/mary-wollstonecraft-shelley

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/1617/mary-wollstonecraft-shelley

251) Christine de Pisan

"I had to become a man."

251: Christine de Pisan

Feminist Author and Poet

Born: 11 September 1364, Venice, Italy

Died: 1430, Poissy, France

Alternate Spelling: Christine de Pizan

Christine wrote a biography on Charles V of France as well as several works championing women—including The Book of the City of Ladies (originally Le Livre de la cité des dames).

Her husband died after ten years of marriage leaving her to raise their three young children, mother, and her niece all alone.

Christine took up writing to support her family.

She is known as the first professional female writer of the Middle Ages and was the first woman in France to earn her income solely through writing.

The City of Ladies would appear in the personal libraries of many influential royal women including Anne of Brittany and Queen Elizabeth I.

In later life Christine retired to a convent where she wrote Le Ditié de Jehanne d’Arc the only work written about Joan of Arc to be published during Joan’s lifetime (in 1429).

I first learned Christine’s story through Amanda Foreman’s Ascent of Woman Docu-Series. I’ve linked Episode Three: Power, to the left.

Badges Earned:
Find a Grave Marked

Located In My Personal Library:

Blood Sisters: The Women Behind the Wars of the Roses by Sarah Gristwood

National Geographic History Magazine Article "Christine de Pisan: France's First Lady of Letters" (March/April 2020 Edition)

Powers & Thrones: A New History of the Middle Ages by Dan Jones

Sources:

https://www.ancient.eu/Christine_de_Pizan/

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Christine-de-Pisan

https://www.brooklynmuseum.org/eascfa/dinner_party/place_settings/christine_de_pisan

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/200117421/christine-de_pisan

250) Murasaki Shikibu

"It wasn't long before I repented of having distinguished myself. Even boys become unpopular if its discovered they are fond of their books. For a girl, it's worse."

250: Murasaki Shikibu

Novelist, Poet, and Lady in Waiting to the Imperial Court During the Heian Period of Japanese history

Born: c.978, Kyoto, Japan

Died: c.1014, Kyoto, Japan

She is most known for writing The Tale of Genji—the first novel ever written.
Murasaki is the most well remembered writer from that time period.

Her father was a provincial governor and scholar and he allowed her to learn alongside her brother—even learning some of the classical Chinese writings—which was seen as improper for a woman at the time.

Murasaki married and had a daughter and two years later her husband died. She was then brought to the imperial court and she kept a diary for two years of what court life was like.

Not much is known about her life after the Tale of Genji was published.

We also do not know the exact years she was born or died—and Murasaki Shikibu was not actually her real name but we do not know what her name really was.

I first learned her story while watching the Docu-Series Ascent of Woman by Amanda Foreman. I've posted Episode Two: Separation, to the left.

Badges Earned:

Find a Grave Marked

Located in My Personal Library:

Bygone Badass Broads by Mackenzi Lee

Uppity Women Speak Their Minds by Vicki Leon

Who Knew? Women in History: Questions That Will Make You Think Again by Sarah Herman

Sources:

http://www.womeninworldhistory.com/heroine9.html

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Shikibu-Murasaki

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/200120866/murasaki-shikibu

249) Enheduanna

249: Enheduanna

The First Known Published Author in the History of the World (There are Older Writings but They are Unsigned)

Born: c.2285 BC, Mesopotamia (Present-day Iraq)

Died: c.2250 BC, Mesopotamia (Present-day Iraq)

High Priestess for the Gods Inanna and Nanna in the Sumerian City-State of Ur; Endeduanna oversaw the most important temple in Sumer.

She was personally responsible for blending the Sumerian and Akkadian Pantheons to help create a unified state.

Enheduanna is a title she took upon coming to Ur; her birth name is unknown.

Her job was essentially keeping the people at peace and to prevent uprisings through religion. Part of her job also including writing hymns, and these are some of the writings she is attributed with. Enheduanna is also credited with being the first author to use the pronoun "I".

I first learned her story through Amanda Foreman’s Docu-Series, Ascent of Woman. I’ve linked Episode One: Civilisation to the left.

I have also linked a Ted-Ed video created about Enheduanna. While I appreciate Ted-Ed for creating these videos, I am a little leery about this one, and wanted to mention these uncertainties to you. In the video, Ted-Ed states Enheduanna was the daughter of a Sumerian King; however, I was unable to verify that in any of my sources linked below. The written sources all have less details on Enheduanna's personal life; which is not surprising given how long ago she lived.

Badges Earned:

Find a Grave Marked

Located In My Personal Library:

Encyclopedia of Goddesses and Heroines by Patricia Monaghan PhD

The Oxford Encyclopedia of Women in World History Edited By Bonnie G Smith

Sources:

Ascent of Woman Docu-series by Amanda Foreman

https://www.ancient.eu/Enheduanna/

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/88872243/enheduanna

248) Perla Ovitz

248: Perla Ovitz

Entertainer who was Born With Pseudoachondroplasia Dwarfism; Alongside Most of her Siblings

Born: 10 January 1921, Rozavlea, Romania

Died: 9 September 2001, Israel

Original Name: Piroska Ovitz

Perla’s father had the condition and her mother was of average size (as was her father’s first wife). Of his ten children seven were little people.
When Perla was born the midwife told her mother she was going to die and would not let her mother see her but Batia (her mother) argued and took hold of Perla—sticking a finger in her mouth and forcing her to breath—saving her life.

Because their stature prevented them from having regular jobs, the siblings banded together to form the Lilliput Troupe—traveling around Eastern Europe entertaining on stage with musical instruments and dances.

They were all deported to Auschwitz during World War II because they were Jewish—once there they were put under Dr. Mengele’s watch because of their condition. They were experimented on, but they all survived.

After the war they returned to their village but ended up leaving and settling in Belgium for a time before emigrating to Israel, eventually retiring to run a mother theatre.

Perla’s tombstone reportedly reads that “[Perla] suffered every day of her life” (Find a Grave is still waiting for someone to upload a photo).

Badges Earned:

Find a Grave Marked

Located In My Personal Library:

Giants: The Dwarfs of Auschwitz by Yehuda Koren

Sources:

https://allthatsinteresting.com/ovitz-dwarfs-auschwitz

https://www.thevintagenews.com/2017/12/01/the-ovitzes-family/

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/16871739/piroska-ovitz

247) Millvina Dean

247: Millvina Dean

The Last Living Survivor of the Wreck of RMS Titanic

Born: 2 February 1912, Branscombe, United Kingdom

Died: 31 May 2009, Ashurst, United Kingdom

Original Name: Elizabeth Gladys Dean

Millvina was two months old at the time and the youngest of the 705 surviving passengers and crew.

She was traveling third-class with her parents and brother (her father would perish but her mother and brother survived with her).

Her family returned to England soon after the sinking and she worked as a cartographer for the British Government during World War II.
After the Titanic’s wreck site was rediscovered, she became an instant celebrity—appearing at numerous Titanic functions.

Near the end of her life, Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet, and James Cameron all worked together to set up a fund to help pay her nursing home costs (despite the fact Millvina had never seen the film, she said she didn’t want to think about how her father died, and that the film would do just that).

After she died her ashes were scattered above the harbor in Southampton where the ship launched from.

Badges Earned:

Find a Grave Marked

Located In My Personal Library:

Centennial Presents The Titanic: The Shipwreck That Shocked the World, What Really Happened by Ben Harris and Sebastian Raatz

The Complete Guide to the Titanic by Julia Garstecki

Gilded Lives, Fatal Voyage: The Titanic's First-Class Passengers and Their World by Hugh Brewster

How It Happened: Titanic, The Epic Story From the People Who Were There by Geoff Tibballs (Mentioned on the Passenger List)

The Jews of the Titanic: A Reflection of the Jewish World on the Epic Disaster by Eli Moskowitz

LIFE Presents Titanic: The Tragedy That Shook the World by Kostya Kennedy

A Night to Remember by Walter Lord (Mentioned on the Passenger List)

Titanic: True Stories of Her Passengers, Crew, and Legacy by Nicola Pierce

Sources:

https://www.encyclopedia-titanica.org/titanic-survivor/millvina-dean.html

https://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/01/world/europe/01dean.html

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/37761233/millvina-dean

246) Eva Hart

246: Eva Hart

Survived the Sinking of the RMS Titanic When She was Seven Years Old

Born: 31 January 1905, Ilford, United Kingdom

Died: 14 February 1996, Dagenham, United Kingdom

Traveling second-class with her parents, she was asleep at the time of the collision but made it into a lifeboat with her mother (her father perished in the sinking and his body was never recovered).

Eva and her mother returned to England after the sinking.

Eva quickly became one of the most prominent figures in Titanic historical societies and functions—making frequent appearances.

She never married and became a charity worker.

Her autobiography appeared in print in 1994 and she passed away in hospice from cancer.

Badges Earned:

Find a Grave Marked

Located In My Personal Library:

10 True Tales: Titanic Young Survivors by Allan Zullo

Centennial Presents The Titanic: The Shipwreck That Shocked the World, What Really Happened by Ben Harris and Sebastian Raatz

How It Happened: Titanic, The Epic Story From the People Who Were There by Geoff Tibballs (Mentioned on the Passenger List)

The Jews of the Titanic: A Reflection of the Jewish World on the Epic Disaster by Eli Moskowitz

LIFE Presents Titanic: The Tragedy That Shook the World by Kostya Kennedy

A Night to Remember by Walter Lord (Mentioned on the Passenger List)

Sources:

https://www.encyclopedia-titanica.org/titanic-survivor/eva-hart.html

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/13999122/eva-miriam-hart

245) Marjorie Collyer Dutton

245: Marjorie Collyer Dutton

Survived the Sinking of the RMS Titanic

Born: 28 January 1904, Bishopstoke, Hampshire, United Kingdom

Died: 26 February 1961, Gosport, Hampshire, United Kingdom

Marjorie and her parents were second-class passengers and she was eight years old at the time.

Her father perished in the sinking and so she and her mother returned to England soon after.

By 1919, both Marjorie’s mother and now stepfather had died leaving her orphaned and in the care of an uncle where she remained until marriage.

There is rumor she and her husband had a child who died early on, but no record of the child exists.

Marjorie was widowed in 1943 and never remarried.

In the 1950’s she worked with Walter Lord via letter correspondence for his A Night To Remember.

Marjorie spent the last years of her life in a nursing home before passing away from a stroke.

Badges Earned:

Find a Grave Marked

Located In My Personal Library:

10 True Tales: Titanic Young Survivors by Allan Zullo

How It Happened: Titanic, The Epic Story From the People Who Were There by Geoff Tibballs (Mentioned on the Passenger List)

LIFE Presents Titanic: The Tragedy That Shook the World by Kostya Kennedy

A Night to Remember by Walter Lord (Mentioned on the Passenger List)

Sources:

https://www.encyclopedia-titanica.org/titanic-survivor/marjorie-collyer.html

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/63571422/marjorie-charlotte-dutton

244) Robertha Watt Marshall

244: Robertha Watt Marshall

Survived the Sinking of the RMS Titanic When She was Twelve Years Old

Born: 11 September 1899, Scotland, United Kingdom

Died: 4 March 1993, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Robertha traveled alongside her mother in second-class (her father had crossed over to the United States in 1911).

Robertha was reportedly friends with Marjorie Collyer, a fellow survivor, while on board.

In 1917, she wrote a vivid account of her memory of that night for her school newspaper.

In 1923, Robertha married a Canadian dentist. They had four children and she became a Canadian citizen.

Bertha, as she was called, was an avid sailor and a member of her community yacht club.

She lost her husband, daughter, and grandson in a period of only a few short years.

Robertha appeared at one Titanic historical function and granted occasional interviews but mostly shunned the publicity.

Badges Earned:

Find a Grave Marked

Located In My Personal Library:

10 True Tales: Titanic Young Survivors by Allan Zullo

A Night to Remember by Walter Lord (Mentioned on the Passenger List)

How It Happened: Titanic, The Epic Story From the People Who Were There by Geoff Tibballs (Mentioned on the Passenger List)

Sources:

https://www.encyclopedia-titanica.org/titanic-survivor/bertha-watt.html

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/26356553/robertha-josephine-marshall