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Leila Alexander

1864–1953

Born
20 Nov 1864, Saint Paul
Country of birth
United States
Died
14 Jul 1953
facts
6
sources
1
images and files
0

Facts and their sources

Tap a fact to see where it comes from.

  • Birth20 Nov 1864, Saint PaulProbable1 source
  • Death14 Jul 1953Probable1 source
  • UnionJohn J. EmeryConfirmed1 source

A life in time

  1. Born · Saint Paul

    Birth, Saint Paul

  2. Child born: Audrey Emery

    Birth, Cincinnati

  3. Died

    Death

What was it like?

The world around Saint Paul, 1864: who ruled, who else was alive, how people lived. This is general history, not a record about the family, and every item shows where it comes from.

Leila was born the same year as Nellie Bly, George Washington Carver, and Richard Strauss.

Who ruled

  • Abraham Lincoln

    President of the United States, 1861–1865 · United States

  • Andrew Johnson

    President of the United States, 1865–1869 · United States

  • Ulysses S. Grant

    President of the United States, 1869–1877 · United States

Born the same year

  • Nellie Bly

    American journalist

  • George Washington Carver

    African American botanist and inventor (1864-1943)

  • Richard Strauss

    German composer and orchestra director (1864–1949)

  • Camille Claudel

    French sculptor (1864–1943)

  • Branislav Nušić

    Serbian writer

  • Max Weber

    German sociologist, philosopher, and political economist (1864–1920)

Fashion

Cage crinolines after 1857

Starting in 1857, cage crinolines made of sprung steel freed women from the weight of wearing multiple heavy petticoats to achieve a full skirt.

Around 1850–1860

Long men's shirts

In the mid-nineteenth century, men's shirts were cut long enough to reach almost to the knees, making optional drawers unnecessary.

Music

Shape-note singing and The Sacred Harp

The Sacred Harp, a popular songbook during this era, taught music using a shape-note system where different note head shapes represented various pitches.

Etiquette at dance halls

Etiquette books of the time strictly forbade spitting tobacco on the floor during dances, as it was considered nauseous to ladies and damaging to their dresses.

Getting around

Stagecoach travel was bumpy and slow

Stagecoaches pulled by four horses traveled at 6 to 10 miles per hour, often requiring passengers to ride for 12 to 14 hours a day. The ride was notoriously uncomfortable, with passengers often packed tightly together and bouncing violently as the carriage moved.

Railroads revolutionized travel speed and comfort

By the late 1860s and early 1870s, transcontinental rail travel allowed passengers to move at 30 miles per hour in luxurious conditions. This was a dramatic change from earlier overland travel, such as a 300-mile trip that took 56 hours by coach but could be completed in roughly 15 hours by train.

Daily life

Children used slates instead of paper

Because paper was expensive, schoolchildren used slates and slate pencils or chalk for their daily work instead of paper.

Cooking demanded exhausting daily labor

Cooking on heavy cast iron stoves required constant labor, as a woman might spend four hours daily sifting ashes, lighting fires, and hauling wood or coal.

Food

The monotonous diet of pork and corn

For many ordinary families, especially in the South and on the frontier, the diet was monotonous, often centering on the three M's: meat (pork), meal (cornmeal), and molasses. This daily fare was typically cooked in lard and served as simple, one-pot stews or cornbread.

Whiskey and cider as everyday staples

Alcoholic drinks were a daily staple, with whiskey being so standard it was often used as a form of currency or barter in place of coins. Many families kept a barrel of hard cider on tap, serving it at every meal even to small children.

Prices and wages
Around 1861–1861

Cost of bacon in 1861

In 1861, a pound of bacon cost 8 cents in New York City, while the same item cost 16 cents in Charleston.

Around 1861–1861

Price of entertainment in 1861

In 1861, a ticket to a performance at Washington D.C.'s Odd Fellows Hall cost 25 cents.

Work

Alcohol Provided at Work

Workers often received alcohol during shifts, such as a daily half-pint of rum or whiskey provided by their employer.

Long Factory Working Hours

Factory work typically lasted 10 to 12 hours a day, six days a week, often with severe penalties for lateness.

During their lifetime

  1. 1876

    Telephone Invented in 1876

    Alexander Graham Bell exhibited the telephone, a device that would eventually quicken social and economic life for millions.

  2. 1877

    Great Railroad Strike Occurs in 1877

    The Great Railroad Strike of 1877 marked the beginning of major industrial labor confrontations over wages and working rules.

  3. 1882

    Chinese Exclusion Act Passed in 1882

    The Chinese Exclusion Act suspended immigration of Chinese laborers under penalty of imprisonment and deportation.

  4. 1917

    U.S. Enters World War I in 1917

    In 1917, the United States formally entered World War I, leading to mass mobilization that involved 24 million men registering for the draft.

  5. 1929

    Stock Market Crashes in 1929

    The U.S. stock market crashed in 1929, leading to the Great Depression and leaving nearly one-third of American banks failed by 1933.

  6. 1933

    FDR Introduces New Deal in 1933

    Franklin D. Roosevelt took office in 1933 and introduced the New Deal, which established programs like Social Security and a federal minimum wage.

Family

Spouses

Children

Ancestors and children

Open the full tree

Four generations back to the right, the children to the left. The number beside a child counts the generations of descendants known after them.