The Life of Kate Martinson. The alternative woman.

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Kate Martinson’s diary provides an insight into life in the late nineteenth century that is usually unseen. Entries are written almost every year and are often poignant and descriptive. Kate Emily Anderson Emerson Martinson is a complete contrast to our perceptions of the nineteenth century woman. Not only does she feel restricted and a failure for not fulfilling the perception of a true woman, but she seems to fulfil the roles of both husband and wife within her marriage. She is responsible for both the families’ moral and economical wellbeing, and initiates a divorce and an independent life when her husband reveals he has another family. This essay argues that Kate Martinson is atypical, and challenges our original interpretations of a nineteenth century woman.
Originally named Kate Emily Anderson , she was born to parents Gabriel A. Anderson and Mary Partridge in Rockford, Illinois on the Sixteenth of October 1858 . Kate moved to Dickinson County, Iowa aged nine accompanied by her parents and her three siblings: Sid, Will and Mate , where she attended Spirit Lake Institution . In Dickinson County she met her first husband George E. Emerson . Married at nineteen years of age on the July 4th 1877 , Kate appears to have fulfilled the concept of true “womanhood”; however she appears within her diary dissatisfied with marriage and her husband. She produced three living children: Karl Emerson (born April 13th 1877) , Ethel Emerson (born in 1884) and Asa Emerson (born Januray 19th 1890) , and one unnamed baby born April 22nd 1883, who died May 2nd 1883 within her first marriage. Kate remained within Iowa with her three children, whilst her husband George travelled between Arkansas, California and Kansas City to find carpentry work...

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...ct of hindsight within the diary. As entries are written almost every year, the purpose both to document and reflect, many events that were particularly memorable or significant may have been written differently due to hindsight. Kate has the ability to assess events that have happened within each year relatively soon after they have occurred; twelve months arguably is not as extensive a period to reflect upon. She writes with excellent clarity and detail, her attention specifically to dates suggests that she keeps record throughout the year of events that have particular importance or impact for her, and uses the diary to reflect upon these and summarise. It must be noted however that Kate may overlook specific occasions that have transpired due to their lack of personal importance to her, but these may have some influence in our interpretation of women’s history.

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