Mary Ann "Mother" Bickerdyke Grave

Black and White Headshot Photo of Mary Ann Bickerdyke, 1898.

Mary Ann Bickerdyke, born Mary Ann Ball, is best known for her service as a nurse and hospital administrator to Union soldiers during the U.S. Civil War (1861-1865). She received her medical training from Oberlin College (Ohio) and was among the first women to attend Oberlin. After becoming a widow in 1859, Bickerdyke moved to Galesburg, Illinois and worked as a physician specializing in botanical medicines. She served as a Union nurse during the Civil War from June 9, 1861 to March 20, 1865 and became known as “Mother” Bickerdyke by the soldiers. During the war, she improved field military hospitals by prioritizing organization and sanitation. After the war, Bickerdyke returned to Illinois where she continued to work in medicine, advocate for veterans’ families, and later became an attorney. She died in 1901 at the age of 89. 

Inscription on grave (be descriptive and add source information

The inscription on Bickerdyke's grave which reads "erected by G.A.R. & W.R.C. in Ill" raises critical questions about her historical memory. The G.A.R., or the Grand Army of the Republic, was the largest organization of Union veterans who served in the Civil War. Although we cannot speculate whether Bickerdyke was a member of the veteran organization (which included a small number of female members), the GAR's sponsorship of her memorial is an important act of recognizing her service. This memorialization contributes to our understanding of women’s wartime contributions at a time when their actions were overshadowed by the experiences of male soldiers. The second sponsor of the grave, the Women's Relief Corps (W.R.C.), was the women’s auxiliary organization of the G.A.R. which sought to preserve the memory of Union veterans and advocate for veterans’ rights. Thus, Bickerdyke's grave not only memorializes her legacy, but serves as a material reminder of women's agency during the Civil War era.