WLM | inspirational woman
About the Author – Courtesy of High Plains Press
Author Jennifer (Jennie) J. Lawrence’s interest in army laundresses grew as she played the role
of a washerwoman at a historic site.
More often than not visitors to the site thought that laundresses were women of ill repute or
with reputations for being rough and rowdy. “No, our job is to do the laundry,” she’d say, staying
in character. “That is not to say that some of my fellow laundresses don’t supplement their
incomes with night work, but that is definitely not part of the job. In fact, we can be fired and
drummed off the post for that type of behavior.”
So Jennie began to search out books and magazines that told the stories of the women who
washed the clothes for the U. S. Army, so that she could answer all the questions of the tourists.
She learned that between 1802 and 1876, washerwomen were officially sanctioned by the
army and were provided rations, housing, and transportation. The army paymaster paid the
laundresses out of each soldier’s pay, before the soldiers even saw the money.
Jennie gathered the stories of heroines, eccentrics, saviors, spies, cross-dressers, wives, mothers,
prostitutes, teachers, women who were held captive by Indians — the mix is as varied as a crosssection of any group of women at the time.
Friends began to tell her that she ought to write a book; she had enough information, and
no one else had written a book-length history of laundresses. So Jennie got out her boxes of
clippings, articles, photographs, and leads, and she started. Then she bought more books from
used bookstores, and she traveled to historic forts from North Dako ta to New Mexico searching
for traces of bygone days and talking to historians. And she began to compile a list of every
verifiable army laundress she could find.
Jennie inherited her interest in western history
from her father. She was born and raised in
Boulder, Colorado. She moved to Wyoming as a
young adult and has called it home since. She
has a degree in Agricultural Communications
from the University of Wyoming. After a mid-life
career change, she also obtained a bachelor’s
degree in Education from the same institution
and a master’s from Walden University. She
teaches at Whiting High School in Laramie.
She enjoys sharing her love of nature and science
with students of all ages, as well as her passion
for army laundresses and women in the West.
She also enjoys horses and holds a special place
in her heart for Shetland ponies. She is a strong
supporter of young people, not only in the
classroom, but also in 4-H and rodeo.
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Wyoming Lifestyle Magazine | Winter & Holiday 2016
Above: Author Jennifer Lawrence in
historical reenactment