Disorderly Trajectories

Geographical Reconstruction of 19th-Century Women's Lives Who Found Home at the Rosine Association in Philadelphia

This story map was created by Tianyue Lang'24 and Ryunah Kang'26 as a digital scholarship project of the 23-24 LibLab Fellowship under Celia Caust-Ellenbogen, Caitlin Goodman, Simon Elichko, Roberto Vargas, and Amanda Licastro's guidance. It aims to geographically reconstruct the lives of 19th-century women who have found a home in the Rosine Association over the course of their lives in a society that heavily stigmatized "disorderliness," "idleness," and "vagrancy." The  Rosine Association casebook  is a series in  Mira Sharpless Townsend Papers  that is stored in the Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College. Stories of seven women who have been imprisoned in the Moyamensing Prison have been selected as a demonstration of how incarceration played a role in the lives of these women. Click the bolded names of the places appearing in the case files to view them on the map. Hovering your cursor over numbered location anchors will show pop-up boxes containing additional information.


Content Warning: some of the case files below contain descriptions of violence, death, abuse, self-harming behavior.


Courtesy from Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College (link to  Mira Sharpless Townsend silhouette )

From Moyamensing Prison to Rosine Association

Flipping through the casefiles, readers will quickly notice a profound history of Rosine that is intertwined with stories of immigration, love, career, and incarceration. The prisons, especially the Moyamensing Prison, were usually an important midpoint in their wandering journey until they landed in Rosine. The connections between the places further reveals an interconnected history of women's incarceration and the history of the city of Philadelphia.

The women were caged, the history unfolded, the neighborhood changed, and the resistance was inspired. How can we reimagine the Rosine Association as a site of forgotten histories, support, and resistance to the abolition of prisons?

An Interactive Map That Compares the Current Map and the 1849 Map of Philadelphia. The Left: ArcGIS - Philadelphia Imagery Hybrid | The Right: Map, Map of the City of Philadelphia together with all the surrounding Districts, 1849. Map source:  Historical Society of Frankford .


Contents

 McDonald, Julia   Ireland, New York (NY), New York Magdalen, Philadelphia Magdalen Asylum, Moyamensing Prison, Rosine Association

 McDermot, Eliza  Ireland, New York (NY), New York Magdalen, Moyamensing Prison, Rosine Association, Blockly Almshouse

 Williams, Emma (Lockridge)  Callowhill Street Row, near Fairmont (Philadelphia, PA), Montgomery (PA), Bristol, George Street above 11th (Philadelphia, PA), Brothels of Plum & Shippen Streets (Philadelphia, PA), Mary Rankins, Baltimore (MD), New York (NY), Moyamensing Prison, Easter State Penitentiary (Cherry Hill), Rosine Association

 Stone, Ellen (Gosnell)  Harford Avenue (Baltimore, MD), Philadelphia (PA), Meadow (Baltimore, PA), New York (NY), Blackwells Island, Tombs, Hoffmans, Moyamensing Prison, Blockly Almshouse, Rosine Association

 Gormand, Clara  Pittsburgh (PA), Philadelphia (PA), Moyamensing Prison, Rosine Association

 Scott, Margaret  County Lought (Ireland), Wilmington (Delaware, PA), Moyamensing Prison, Rosine Association

 Wilcox, Eugenia  Knaisbrought (England), New York (NY), New York Magdalen, Blockly Almshouse, Moyamensing Prison, Rosine Association


McDonald, Julia

Julia McDonald was the first case under the care of the Members of the Rosine Association - She was the of good family but was left an orphan at 7 years of age. Placed in a family where she recieved no moral, nor religious teaching, she reached the age of 15 with little definite knowledge of right, or wrong - She then left them & lived in various situations in , untill she was about 17 when she was seduced by the Manager of the [New York Theatre] - For Several Years she led a varied life, Sometimes an Actress, then looking honestly for a living for months together in an house of ill fame, and again, striving to do rightly, but by constant discovery & the apparent force of circumstance, thrown back to an evil course of life - In a determined Struggle to reform, She entered the , and came from there to the - She was there several months, but becoming dissatisfied, left, & in a Short time Returned to the Same abandoned mode of life - Gradually she contracted a habit of drinking which prevented all permanent success in the work of reform. One of the Members of the Rosine Association met with her in the where she had been committed as a vagrant - Several efforts were made to produce a reformation in her habits, and we have reason to believe she was Sincere in desiring it herself, but the love of excitement had so grown upon her that a steady quiet home became irksome & the craving for liquor drew her back - The House of her friends, the drama shop, the prison & the Alms House were alternately her homes for a year - During the Summer of [1847] She hoped to become an inmate of the , and in the mean time worked in a Muff Store, but not being able to earn more than enough to pay her board she had to pledge her clothing to purchase Shoes, etc., Becoming discouraged under these circumstances, and believing it was hopeless to try to reform she took Laudenum, and thus closed her sad and eventful life - When the Laudenum was taking effect upon her, a person asked her if she was going to sleep - She replied Yes! I am going to sleep now, but I shall awake in Hell.

McDermot, Eliza

Eliza McDermot came to the House on the 11th [month] 13th 1847 It appears she came from the New York Magdalen to ours about 9 months since. She is an who reputably supported herself for several years in that city but as (she says) the love of dress & wicked amusements drew her into bad company & finally enticed her to a where she lived 2 years - but her Brother finding her, placed her in the there, & from thence to the one here, where she lived quietly & peaceably untill the unfortunate morning she left her happy home, owing to some disagreement with one of the other Inmates, after 2 weeks in confinement at , & wandering in the streets she was brought to the . It was soon discovered she was under great Mental excitement, bordering on Insanity owing to her unhappy temper which broke out on the Morning she left the Magdalen. As we hoped rest & retirement would restore her wandering reason she was permitted to remain a while, but 10 days residence in the House gave conclusive evidence she needed medical care, as she grew more deranged, and she was taken to and placed under the skill of their Physician -

Williams, Emma (Lockridge)

Emma Williams, or Lockridge is the daughter of Elizabeth Marshal, who lives in - Her Mother is married the third time, and goes out to work - When three years of age she was adopted by Mary Shirkey - When 6 years old, another little Girl who lived there also who was ten years old, ran away with her, and they came to a Tavern kept by James Little who took her in, and she lived there 4 years when she left and went to Mr Blind who keeps a where she staid until she was 13 years old - [Inserted: She was a prostitute from her 11th year] At that time, 13, she [Crossed out: was seduced by] became connected with Lewis Williams who was Waitor in the house - Two weeks afterwards he brought her to the City and rented where they lived two years, and he worked at his trade of plasterer - She says they lived happily together but were not married - He then concluded as his work was dull, he would go to Sea, and paid the rent in advance for three months - She became acquainted with a Girl who lived next door and this Girl told her though She lived at Service She was in the habit of Meeting Men and frequenting the Theatre - Mary Jane Smith, the Girl, also took her to the Theatre, and introduced her to others who lived in Plum, and Shippen Streets, - She was soon initiated in the revelries at , and got to drinking - The next step was to sell off her furniture, and when Williams returned he found her at He took another house, and they lived together 4 months [Crossed out: together] when he went to - While he was away She broke up again and went to - The third time he tried her again but in vain - She has lived since housekeeping with three other Men - One of them George Onssey took her to where she lived with him two years - He beat and abused her so much that she left him, & returned to [Philadelphia]- Returning to she got into a quarrel with a another girl who lived in the house, named Mary Jane Smith, about a Man who was paying her board - This Man had given Emma a Dirk knife to take care of for him - The other Girl had also a knife - they first threatened, and then pulling the knives out of their pockets struck at each other - Emma's knife entered the neck of Mary, and the wound proved fatal though not for 6 months when she died in the [Pennsylvania] Hospital Emma was immediately taken to , & after 8 months was condemned by Judge Jones to pass 2 years in - That period was passed in spooling - She behaved well, but when her term was over she was discharged, without a home, means, or friends - She had made many good resolutions while in prison, but how was she to keep them - She , hoping to get a shelter there, but her Mother refused to give her a bed even for one night and the poor Girl had no resource but to return to her miserable abode in - There they treated her to liquor, which after 2 years & 8 months of abstinence affected her so much, that in 2 days, she was taken to , and sentenced to 30 days - Ten months afterwards, [?] Larnes, or Apple, who kept a Woman named Mary Huston, at Rankins's, robbed 2 stores, and had the goods deposited at Marys - Mary sewed some of the goods between two feather beds - The goods were traced there, and 6 Girls who lived in the house were all apprehended, and taken to prison - M Rankins escaped to New York untill matters blew over - [?] Larnes was sentenced to two years in Moyamensing & Emma having some of the goods in her possession to six months there - When she left there she returned again to , & has been changing from there to Moyamensing ever since - She says she has been in prison full 20 times, Sometimes a few months out, and at other times only a day or two - She appeared no to be attached to Jacob Cooker, a prisoner in Moyamensing - He was one of the rioters & is sentenced to 15 months [Crossed out: longer than] from this time [December] 7th 1849 -

Stone, Ellen (Gosnell)

Ellen Stone, real name Gosnell, is the Daughter  of [William] Gosnell, Tanner - He worked with Mark  Jenkins Baltimore - They lived on - Her Mother died when she was 7 years  old - Her Father drank, and her Aunt Malinda Bush  took her to live with her - She was with her and  another Aunt in until she was about 14, when she went to Betsy Osborns in the - She had a sister living there - They  kept her hid away for five months, when Betsy  took her to -  She lived about 5 years there, was twice on , 4 times in the - Six months  since she came to [Philadelphia], and went to -  There she saw M T and heard of the Rosine - She  has been once in - For the  last 3 months Tom Hand has been her particular  friend, that is, he has taken the privelege of beating  her - when ever he pleased She says he has given  himself that pleasure at least 40 times -  When she came he had kicked her in the face  and now a week afterwards her [?] is still  very purple - Adelaide Wilson brought her to escape from his brutality - While in New York  she married John McLane a Bricklayer  They went to Housekeeping a few months but  she drank and went back old habits  was diseased and was sent to the

Gormand, Clara

Clara Gormand - She is the wife of Anthony Gormand Tailor - She has been married 17 years and has 4 children - one lives with her Sister Mrs Boyle - Her Husband lives at - they had considerable difficulty in getting along, owing to his wishing to live in the country, and she in the city which finally ended in his leaving and going off, she knew not where - She then broke up house keeping and went to - While there a Tailor named Fallen, missed, or said he missed $50.00, and as she cleared up the room he charged her with it, and had her arrested on the 27th of August and put in - by Mayor Gilpin - She was sentenced by Judge Campbell to 2 months imprisonment about the 6th of September and left the 6 of November 1851 or rather was released as she continue there until the 15th

Scott, Margaret

Margaret Scott entered into the Rosine 3rd [Month] 18th. 1852. Born in , came to this country nine years since: Married William Scott in 2 years since after she was married heard William had another wife in consequence of which she had recourse to the bottle became intemperate, and was taken up drunk by the watchmen and placed in , as soon as she was released, she applied for admission to the and was received.

Wilcox, Eugenia

Eugenia Wilcox came 12/24 1856 She is the Daughter of John Myers Linen Manufacturer He employs 800 hands - She lived at home till she was 16 when she married William Long a confectioner - Her parents were not pleased with the match as they thought him beneath her, but they furnished the house for her and they kept a Huckster shop, and [Crossed out: they] lived comfortably 13 years when they resolved to come to America. Her husband followed carting in and they lived comfortably 5 years when he died - She then followed upholstering for some time, but getting into low company, she took to drink, went to the , and finally came to [Philadelphia] with a couple of vagrants, who came on here to get the benefit of our . There they took her also, and she has been there she thinks 4 years out of the 5 since she came - Mira Townsend found her in the 12/20 and procured her release and 4 days after she came to the

Further Readings & Research Guide

Rosine Association

Philadelphia City Directories 

Philadelphia Historical Maps

The Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia

Additional Resources

Courtesy from Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College (link to  Mira Sharpless Townsend silhouette )