Mary Caroline Underwood
Born 23 Jan. 1839 in Fitchburg, Worcester Co., Massachusetts.[1] Daughter of Timothy Underwood and Ruth Burgess.[2] Began teaching at age fifteen, 1854; served as assistant principal of Hartford Female Seminary, before 1872, and later as principal at Vassar College.[3] Married first George P. Lowe, 3 Apr. 1858, in Fitchburg; later widowed.[4] Married second John B. Dickinson, 1872, in New York City.[5] Editor of Lend a Hand Magazine and the Silver Cross Magazine; published her first novel, Among the Thorns, 1880.[6] Served as president of the Women’s National Indian Association, by 1885.[7] Cofounder of the King’s Daughters (later the King’s Daughters and Sons), a charitable organization; served as general secretary, 1886–1914.[8] Became the dean of belle lettres at the University of Denver, 1889.[9] Actively petitioned for the rights, education, and welfare of women; corresponded with EBW while serving as the president of the National Council of Women, 1895–1897.[10] Committee member representing women at the National Arbitration and Peace Congress, 14–17 Apr. 1907.[11] Died 8 June 1914 in New York City.[12]
[1] New York City, NY, Department of Health, Manhattan Death Certificates, 1866–1919; Index, 1868–1890, Works Projects Administration, Project No. 265-1-97-28; Work Project No. 1: cert. nos. 18601, 20350, Mary Lowe Dickinson, 8 June 1914, Felix W. Rousseau, 30 June 1914, microfilm 1323358, DGS 4002146, image 4/1864, FHL. Lucien Marcus Underwood, comp., The Underwood Families of America (Lancaster, PA: New Era, 1913), 60–61. “Family Tree,” database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org, accessed 12 June 2018), Mary Lowe Dickinson (KC5K-38Y).
[2] Lucien Marcus Underwood, comp., The Underwood Families of America (Lancaster, PA: New Era, 1913), 60–61.
[3] Fitchburg, MA, Town Clerk, Vital Records, 1844–1910, George P. Lowe and Mary C. Underwood, 3 Apr. 1858, microfilm 2258329, DGS 7011273, image 363/731, FHL. Lucien Marcus Underwood, comp., The Underwood Families of America (Lancaster, PA: New Era, 1913), 60–62. William A. Emerson, Fitchburg, Massachusetts, Past and Present (Fitchburg, MA: Blanchard and Brown, 1887), 101. John W. Leonard, ed., Who’s Who in America: A Biographical Dictionary of Living Men and Women of the United States, 1899–1900 (Chicago: A. N. Marquis, 1899), 191.
[4] Fitchburg, MA, Town Clerk, Vital Records, 1844–1910, George P. Lowe and Mary C. Underwood, 3 Apr. 1858, microfilm 2258329, DGS 7011273, image 363/731, FHL. William A. Emerson, Fitchburg, Massachusetts, Past and Present (Fitchburg, MA: Blanchard and Brown, 1887), 101. Lucien Marcus Underwood, comp., The Underwood Families of America (Lancaster, PA: New Era, 1913), 60–61.
[5] William A. Emerson, Fitchburg, Massachusetts, Past and Present (Fitchburg, MA: Blanchard and Brown, 1887), 102. “Obituary,” New York Herald, 18 Mar. 1875, 7. Lucien Marcus Underwood, comp., The Underwood Families of America (Lancaster, PA: New Era, 1913), 60–61.
[6] 1910 U.S. Census, Manhattan Ward 22, New York, NY, ED 1290, p. 10A, Mary L. Dickinson. John W. Leonard, ed., Who’s Who in America: A Biographical Dictionary of Living Men and Women of the United States, 1899–1900 (Chicago: A. N. Marquis, 1899), 191. Mary Lowe Dickinson, Among the Thorns: A Novel (New York: G. W. Carleton, 1880). Mary Simmerson Cunningham Logan and John A. Logan, The Part Taken by Women in American History (Wilmington, DE: Perry-Nalle, 1912), 715.
[7] Valerie Sherer Mathes, The Women’s National Indian Association: A History (Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 2015), 25, 50. Lucien Marcus Underwood, comp., The Underwood Families of America (Lancaster, PA: New Era, 1913), 62. Mary Simmerson Cunningham Logan and John A. Logan, The Part Taken by Women in American History (Wilmington, DE: Perry-Nalle, 1912), 714.
[8] Sue Buck, “A Brief History,” International Order of the King’s Daughters and Sons (https://iokds.org/home/a-brief-history/, accessed 5 June 2018). Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen and Enginemen’s Magazine, Nov. 1914, 637. Lucien Marcus Underwood, comp., The Underwood Families of America (Lancaster, PA: New Era, 1913), 62.
[9] “A Western Welcome,” Rocky Mountain News (Denver), 2 Feb. 1889, 2. “Woman’s World: New President of the National Council of Women,” Lima (OH) Times-Democrat, 5 Apr. 1895, 3. Lucien Marcus Underwood, comp., The Underwood Families of America (Lancaster, PA: New Era, 1913), 62.
[10] Louise Barnum Robbins, ed., History and Minutes of the National Council of Women of the United States, Organized in Washington, D.C., March 31, 1888 (Boston: E. B. Stillings, 1898), 173, 188, 299, 309, 311. EBW, Diary, 18 Feb. 1895; 1 Sept. 1895; 1 Oct. 1895; 26 Mar. 1896; 7 June 1899.
[11] The National Arbitration and Peace Congress (New York: Carnegie Hall, 1907), 24.
[12] New York City, NY, Department of Health, Manhattan Death Certificates, 1866–1919; Index, 1868–1890, Works Projects Administration, Project No. 265-1-97-28; Work Project No. 1: cert. nos. 18601, 20350, Mary Lowe Dickinson, 8 June 1914, Felix W. Rousseau, 30 June 1914, microfilm 1323358, DGS 4002146, image 4/1864, FHL.