History Happy Hour: "Mary Brown in California" with Tonya McQuade

History Happy Hour with Tonya McQuade

Mary Brown in California: How John Brown’s Wife Ended Up in Saratoga & Buried at Madronia Cemetery in Saratoga.

What’s a wife to do after her husband is hanged for treason? Much has been written about the abolitionist work of John Brown, the part he played in the “Bleeding Kansas” border wars, and his disastrous raid on Harpers Ferry. His prophetic dying words anticipated the bloodshed of the Civil War, and his hanging outside of Charles Town, Virginia, and later burial in North Elba, New York, both sparked big headlines and drew large crowds. Far less has been written about John Brown’s wife, Mary, and how she and his surviving children fared in the years after his death. How many know, for example, that she and several of her children moved to California in 1864 and eventually settled in Saratoga on the western edge of Santa Clara County? It was in Saratoga that she lived the final years of her life and where she and other family members are buried at Madronia Cemetery, thousands of miles from where her husband lies buried in North Elba, New York. Come learn more about Mary Brown’s interesting life and discover her local connections.

Event Schedule

5:30–7:30 PM

• 5:30 PM: Doors open

• 5:30–6:00 PM: Appetizers and beverages

• 6:00–7:00 PM: Featured talk by Tonya McQuade, followed by Q&A

• 7:00–7:30 PM: Informal discussion and mingling

About the Speaker

Tonya Graham McQuade

Tonya Graham McQuade is an educator, author, and speaker who lives in San Jose, California. Writing has always been one of her greatest passions, and she is a great lover of history, historical fiction, poetry, photography, state and national parks, and world travel. She is also an active contributor to the Emerging Civil War website, and it was her research for two articles on the subject of Mary Brown that led to this history talk

Tonya’s newest book, A State Divided: The Civil War Letters of James Calaway Hale and Benjamin Petree of Andrew County, Missouri, 1862-65, incorporates fifty Civil War letters written by two of her ancestors, along with significant amounts of research and commentary. In addition to this nonfiction text, Tonya is working on a historical fiction novel, Missouri Daughter, which incorporates parts of the letters and also adds imagined chapters about the family’s lives back in Andrew County. On her blog, Chasing History: Exploring My Ancestral Roots, she shares updates on her book projects, discusses the family research she is doing, shares travel stories and photos, and provides excerpts from the letters and other relevant texts.

A teacher of English for 36 years, most of them at Los Gatos High School in Los Gatos, CA, Tonya recently retired and is excited about having more time to pursue her writing, speaking, and travel interests. She is  an active member of Emerging Civil War,  South Bay Writers/California Writers Club, National League of American Pen Women, South Bay Civil War Round Table, and  Poetry Center San Jose.