Eleanor Mary Sherman Thackara (1859–1915), is most known as the daughter of Gen.

William Tecumseh Sherman William Tecumseh Sherman ( ; February 8, 1820February 14, 1891) was an American soldier, businessman, educator, and author. He served as a General officer, general in the Union Army during the American Civil War (1861–1865), earning recognit ...

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

fame and his wife, Ellen Ewing Sherman. Married to a diplomat, she spent a good deal of her time in Europe.

Early life

Childhood

Known as Ellie, she was one of eight children. She grew up during the Civil War. Her mother, Ellen Ewing Sherman, was a cousin of

Mother Angela Gillespie Eliza Maria Gillespie (February 21, 1824 – March 4, 1887), also known by her religious name Mary of St. Angela, was an American religious sister, mother superior, and foundress of many works of the Sisters of the Holy Cross in the United States. ...

, directress of St. Mary's Academy in

South Bend, Indiana South Bend is a city in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States, and its county seat. It lies along the St. Joseph River (Lake Michigan), St. Joseph River near its southernmost bend, from which it derives its name. It is the List of cities in ...

. In 1864, Ellen Sherman took up temporary residence in South Bend, in order to have her young children educated at St. Mary's and Notre Dame du Lac. In 1879 and at the age of 20, Thackara met Alexander Montgomery Thackara in

Washington, D. C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

The two began a courtship that lasted a year before their marriage on May 5, 1880, at her parents' home in Washington, D.C.

Family

In 1881, the Lt. Thackara left military service, moving to

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

with Thackara to join the family business. While there, the couple spent three years in the town of Rosemont where Thackara gave birth to four children, Alexander Montgomery "Mont", William Sherman "Sherman", Elizabeth, and Eleanor. Thackara was also mentioned in the ''New York Evangelist'' as an upcoming writer as she weighed in on the idea of training schools in Philadelphia, but little else is known about her career in writing.

Later life

Philanthropy

In 1897, Mr. Thackara was appointed by President

William McKinley William McKinley (January 29, 1843September 14, 1901) was the 25th president of the United States, serving from 1897 until Assassination of William McKinley, his assassination in 1901. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Repub ...

to serve as US Consul in

Le Havre Le Havre is a major port city in the Seine-Maritime department in the Normandy (administrative region), Normandy region of northern France. It is situated on the right bank of the estuary of the Seine, river Seine on the English Channel, Channe ...

, France, moving the entire family overseas. He also served as Consul General in Berlin from 1905 to 1913. While living in France, she served with the

Red Cross The organized International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a Humanitarianism, humanitarian movement with approximately 16million volunteering, volunteers, members, and staff worldwide. It was founded to protect human life and health, to ...

in Paris, and received awards for her work in the organization. She was elected President of the American Women's Club, a social organization.

Death

In 1913, Eleanor and Thackara returned to Paris when President

Woodrow Wilson Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28, 1856February 3, 1924) was the 28th president of the United States, serving from 1913 to 1921. He was the only History of the Democratic Party (United States), Democrat to serve as president during the Prog ...

appointed the Lieutenant as

Consul General A consul is an official representative of a government who resides in a foreign country to assist and protect citizens of the consul's country, and to promote and facilitate commercial and diplomatic relations between the two countries. A consu ...

once again. She died two years after their return on July 18, 1915. She was survived by her four children and her husband Alexander.

References

External links

Sherman-Thackara Collection at Villanova University
{{DEFAULTSORT:Thackara, Eleanor Sherman 1859 births 1915 deaths People of Pennsylvania in the American Civil War American expatriates in Germany American expatriates in France 19th-century American philanthropists