History's attics hide remarkable stories, and few are as compelling as Sarah Rosetta Wakeman's. At just 19, this strong-minded woman from rural New York made a decision that defied every convention of her time—she cut her hair, put on men's clothing, and became Lyons Wakeman.

The eldest of nine children born to struggling tenant farmers in 1843, Rosetta faced limited options. Marriage wasn't in the cards, and her family's crushing debt demanded all hands working. When she discovered that coal hauling on the Chenango Canal paid better than any "women's work," she embraced a male identity that offered both financial stability and personal freedom.

But when Union Army recruiters appeared offering a $152 enlistment bounty (worth over $3,000 today), Rosetta saw an opportunity she couldn't pass up. As Private Lyons Wakeman of the 153rd New York Infantry, she performed every soldier's duty—standing guard, drilling with precision, even engaging in fistfights—all while maintaining her secret identity. Her letters home reveal a practical motivation far removed from patriotic fervor: "I am as independent as a hog on ice," she wrote, proud of her $13 monthly salary that helped sustain her family back home.

For almost two years, Rosetta served without detection, first in Washington DC and later in Louisiana during the brutal Red River Campaign. She survived the Battle of Pleasant Hill only to fall victim to dysentery, dying at 21 in a New Orleans hospital where not even the attending doctors discovered her biological sex. Buried under her male identity, her remarkable story remained hidden until her letters were discovered a century later.

Dive into this incredible story of a woman who challenged 19th-century gender expectations not through protest, but through quiet, determined action. Her surviving letters paint a vivid picture of Civil War life and reveal a pragmatic spirit who saw male disguise not as political statement but as a practical path to independence. Subscribe to hear more hidden stories from history that will change how you see the past—and perhaps the present too.

• • An Uncommon Soldier: The Civil War Letters of Sarah Rosetta Wakeman, alias Pvt. Lyons Wakeman, 153rd Regiment, New York State Volunteers, 1862-1864 by Sarah Rosetta Wakeman https://amzn.to/463jhcu
  • Wakeman, Sarah Rosetta – Civil War letters and biography. An overview by the American Battlefield Trustbattlefields.orgbattlefields.orgbattlefields.org.
  • Bierle, Sarah Kay – “From History’s Shadows: Sarah Rosetta Wakeman.” Emerging Civil War (Mar. 30, 2024) – Analysis of Wakeman’s letters and life

Send us a text

Support the show

This website contains affiliate links. This means that if you click on a link and purchase a product, I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. This helps support the running of this website and allows me to continue providing valuable content. Please note that I only recommend products and services that I believe in and have personally used or researched.

How far would someone go to escape poverty? In 1726, Mary Toft, a destitute servant and mother of three who had recently suffered a miscarriage, concocted an outrageous scheme that would captivate England and eventually reach King George I himself. Her claim? She was giving birth to rabbits.

Drawing on the period's belief in "maternal impression" – the notion that a pregnant woman's experiences could physically shape her unborn child – Mary convinced local surgeon John Howard that after chasing and dreaming about rabbits, she began delivering animal parts from her body. What began as a desperate grab for attention transformed into a national sensation when Howard alerted England's medical establishment about this apparent miracle.

The rabbit births became London's hottest attraction. The King's own surgeon Nathaniel St. André rushed to validate Mary's case, publishing a detailed pamphlet about her extraordinary deliveries. But skepticism grew when physician Cyriacus Ahlers examined the rabbit remains and found hay, straw and corn in their digestive tracts – substances that couldn't possibly exist in a human womb. The hoax finally collapsed when a porter was caught smuggling a fresh rabbit to Mary's quarters.

Mary's confession revealed her elaborate deception – inserting dead animal parts into her body and dramatically "delivering" them while screaming in fake labor. While she spent only four months in prison before returning to her village, the physicians who validated her claims weren't so lucky. St. André in particular became London's laughingstock, his medical career left in ruins. Yet Mary lived quietly until 1763, even having another child years later.

Curious about more historical oddities? Follow us wherever you get your podcasts, and reach out with your questions or wild historical theories through our social media channels. We're History Buffoons Podcast on YouTube, X, Instagram and Facebook. Stay curious, and remember the buffoonery never stops!

Mary Toft Wikipedia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Toft#:~:text=the%20image,be%20seen%20on%20the%20floor

Mary Toft and Her Extraordinary Delivery of Rabbits

By Niki Russell

https://publicdomainreview.org/essay/mary-toft-and-her-extraordinary-delivery-of-rabbits/

Send us a text

Support the show

This website contains affiliate links. This means that if you click on a link and purchase a product, I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. This helps support the running of this website and allows me to continue providing valuable content. Please note that I only recommend products and services that I believe in and have personally used or researched.

"Who taught Jack Daniel how to make whiskey?" seems like a simple question with an obvious answer – until you discover the truth that was hidden for more than 150 years.

When young orphan Jasper Newton "Jack" Daniel arrived at Reverend Dan Call's farm in 1850s Tennessee, he became fascinated with the whiskey still on the property. But it wasn't the preacher who would teach Jack his craft. Instead, the reverend introduced Jack to Nathan "Nearest" Green, an enslaved man renowned throughout Lincoln County for his exceptional distilling skills.

Nearest specialized in a technique called sugar maple charcoal filtering – now known as the Lincoln County Process – which created an exceptionally smooth whiskey uniquely different from other American spirits. Under Nearest's mentorship, Jack learned every aspect of whiskey making, establishing a friendship that would last decades.

After the Civil War ended and slavery was abolished, Jack purchased the distillery and immediately hired Nearest as his master distiller – making him the first African American to hold this title in United States history. Seven generations of Nearest's descendants would go on to work for Jack Daniel's, yet as the brand grew into a global phenomenon, Nearest's crucial contributions faded from official company history.

The truth remained buried until 2016, when a New York Times article finally brought Nearest's story into the spotlight. Author and entrepreneur Fawn Weaver became so captivated by this historical injustice that she dedicated a year to uncovering every detail of Nearest's life, gathering over 10,000 documents and eventually establishing Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey to honor his legacy.

Today, Nearest's great-great-granddaughter Victoria Eady Butler serves as master blender at the company bearing his name, which has become the fastest-growing independent American whiskey brand in history. The story of Nearest Green reminds us that behind many iconic American products lie forgotten innovators whose contributions deserve recognition. Take a sip of Tennessee whiskey and raise a glass to the man who perfected the process that makes it unique.

Love & Whiskey by Fawn Weaver

https://amzn.to/4kGk5YW

First Versions: Jack Daniels

https://www.firstversions.com/2015/08/jack-daniels.html

Why Master Distiller Nearest Green’s Story Must Be Told By Fawn Weaver

https://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/26/dining/jack-daniels-whiskey-nearis-green-slave.html

Uncle Nearest

https://unclenearest.com/

Uncle Nearest, Our Spirit Brand of the Year, Explores Whiskey’s Overlooked History | Wine Enthusiast’s 2020 Wine Star Awards By Wine Enthusiast

https://www.wineenthusiast.com/culture/industry-news/wine-star-awards/uncle-nearest-whiskey-spirit-year-wsa2020/?srsltid=AfmBOoosv7AGAPm4_TqgrlzIV7GIe4R

Send us a text

Support the show

This website contains affiliate links. This means that if you click on a link and purchase a product, I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. This helps support the running of this website and allows me to continue providing valuable content. Please note that I only recommend products and services that I believe in and have personally used or researched.