Meet Eliza Scidmore’s Cousin
Jennie and Dan Sidmore (Photo: Diana Parsell)
The day I received a package in the mail from Benedictine University in Lisle, Illinois, is when I finally knew that writing a book on Eliza Scidmore might be possible. The package contained a master’s thesis I’d requested through an interlibrary loan, “Eliza Ruhamah Scidmore: More Than a Footnote in History” (2000). I tracked it down when I was starting my book and enrolled in a graduate class on research techniques at George Mason University.
The author is Dan Sidmore, Eliza Scidmore’s distant cousin.
That document was like the Rosetta Stone — a key that began to unlock many of the questions I’d had about Eliza Scidmore, especially her personal life. Dan’s well-researched thesis describes the family’s background and summarizes Eliza’s life and accomplishments.
Dan wrote it, with the help of his wife, Jennie, drawing heavily on a decade of research by another descendant of Eliza Scidmore, the late Judge S. Bruce Scidmore. (The spelling of Dan’s name here is correct; he says his branch of the family dropped the silent “c” in Scidmore.)
I tracked down Dan at his home in DeKalb, Illinois, and arranged a visit to discuss his book. He too has many lingering questions he’s trying to answer about Eliza Scdimore’s life.
One thing we both know for sure: She was a woman far ahead of her time.
This morning (3/3/23) The Today Show featured her as The Woman along with Eleanor Taft’s help in getting all those cherry trees to Washington – twice. The first 6,000 had to be burned due to pests that would endanger our indigenous trees and plants. The second shipment of 7,000 trees survived and exists today.
We have a cherry tree planted in our yard on Skidaway Island, Ga. It is just beginning to bloom and I am going to plant more after learning of Eliza’s twenty-year persistence to decorate Washington. There should be a plaque put up in her honor. What a beautiful legacy!