April 10, 2025
The next character to discuss from my books, Heart of Texas and Seasons Under the Sun, is Margaret May Bond Bailey. You know her as Maggie. As Franklin is the head of the Bailey household, Maggie is the heart. Maggie’s character might be described as strong, nurturing, ambitious, loving, loyal and courageous. Courageous? You may ask. I believe every woman, every mother is courageous. With all the challenges laid before her. What else can she be but strong and courageous?
Think of all the challenges mothers today face…first and foremost…rearing their children. Many women have careers outside the home. On top of that comes housekeeping, grocery shopping, preparing and cooking meals, laundry, errand running, shopping for house necessities and clothing, chauffeuring, nursing, teaching, guidance, church activities, sometimes bill paying, cheer leading, and just being there to provide a shoulder to cry on and an ear to listen. Now think about tackling all those tasks without the modern conveniences of today.
In my first book, Heart of Texas, I tried to create a picture of how Maggie carried out her day without electricity and all the electrical appliances we so take for granted today. As the years progressed so did technology and with the advancement of technology electricity, phone lines, washing machines and refrigerators were eagerly brought into the Bailey’s home.
Maggie also helped financially by teaching piano. She could also be found helping her husband, Franklin, at the family’s drugstore. There wasn’t any task too great or too small for her to accomplish. And even with eight children to oversee, she still set aside time for her husband. You will often find Franklin and Maggie in the evenings sitting in rocking chairs and sharing with each other their day.
Curious about what job opportunities were available to women 100 years ago, the article written by Ellen Dewitt on January 12, 2021, was most helpful.
“https://stacker.com/stories/careers/50-most-common-jobs-held-by-women-100-years-ago”
Within the article, I learned that according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics as of December 2020, 50.04% of the jobs in the US, not counting farm workers or the self-employed, were held by women. In the 1920s women not only received the right to vote, but the Fair Labor Standards Act, signed by President FDR, established a minimum wage, a standardized work week, a requirement to pay overtime, and also banned child labor. Of course, WWII brought more women from homes to the factories which increased the women’s workforce. It wasn’t until 1963 that the Equal Pay Act would formally forbid paying men and women different wages for the same work.
Fun facts taken from the 1920 Texas Census page 1025, entitled Occupations:
6,937 women were dressmakers
6,381 women worked as telephone operators (this was interesting to me as my mother worked as a telephone operator in the 40s)
12,925 women worked as saleswomen/clerks in stores
20,050 women were teachers; 438 women were college presidents and professors; additional 2,690 women were music teachers
27,617 women were laundresses
36,645 women were servants
13,608 women were stenographers and typists
Maggie’s character was easy to write. After reading Heart of Texas and Seasons Under the Sun, what are some of Maggie’s qualities, not only as a mother, but also as a person, that you liked or admired?
Until next time…