Financial History Issue 113 (Spring 2015) | Page 16
single tax idol, as one of her friends. The
younger George worked as a reporter in
Brooklyn and eventually served as a US
representative from New York.
Lizzie found work as a stenographer and
typist for the chief clerk of the Dead Letter Office, the receptacle for the nation’s
undeliverable mail. The Dead Letter clerks,
many of them women, were responsible
for sorting lost envelopes and parcels,
and for disposing of the unclaimed mail,
either by destroying it or by auctioning
off its contents. In the evening after work,
Lizzie pursued literary ambitions, writing
poetry and short stories, and, as a player
in Washington’s nascent theater scene,
performed on the stage, where she earned
praise for her comedic roles.
Courtesy of the Anspach Archives
moved his family to Canton, where he
purchased a half interest in the Canton
Register.
In 1866, Elizabeth, soon known as
Lizzie, was born, to be joined a few years
later by her sister, Alta. The family was
solidly middle-class, with James continui