here’s a fun part of western history for those who indulge:
Mrs. Nash (or old Nash) was a successful Mexican laundress, midwife, seamstress, and baker. Such little is known about Mrs. Nash (or old Nash) that even her first name remains undiscovered.
She married a number of soldiers, including John Newman who was her last husband of five years.
Mrs. Nash was known for being kind and soft with pregnant women, gaining respect in her community of Fort Lincoln. She would bake pies, and would often ask “are ya comf?”
Another detail about Mrs. Nash is that she was a trans woman.
No one knew this about Mrs. Nash (aside from a former employer, who was the one that encouraged Mrs. Nash to pursue work as a laundress rather than cattle work) until her death, where she asked to be buried as she was with her clothes untouched. her wishes were not fulfilled, as this was a time where trans people were seen as “impersonators”. her husband received so much ridicule, that it caused him to tragically take his own life.
Mrs. Nash’s friend, Elizabeth Custer, said she felt no differently towards Mrs. Nash after her death, reportedly saying:
“Poor dear. I hope she is finally comf.”
i highly recommend looking into Mrs. Nash, as there are still some details about her that aren’t included in this post. important parts of history get forgotten and lost due to a severe lack of lgbtq+ representation in schools and media in general. the more people who know about specific instances of trans people existing throughout history, the longer Mrs. Nash and other trans people of history can live on. it is especially important in today’s age that we help everyone remember that queer people have always existed, and will continue to exist.
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this whole video is great and worth the watch, but the specific time stamp for Mrs. Nash starts at 19:43
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