Quite contrary, the litigious life of Mary Bennett Love
Type
Label
Quite contrary, the litigious life of Mary Bennett Love
Language
eng
Index
no index present
Literary Form
non fiction
Main title
Quite contrary
Medium
electronic resource
Nature of contents
dictionaries
Series statement
American liberty & justice
Sub title
the litigious life of Mary Bennett Love
Summary
Mary Bennett Love had a physicality exceeded only by her personality. Six feet tall and over 300 pounds, Love was anything but shackled by the mores of her day. In the 1840s, she moved west from Arkansas via the Oregon Trail. A few years later, she separated from her husband and took her six minor children to Santa Clara, where she acquired a Mexican land grant by forging an adult son's signature. Though illiterate, she knew the law thoroughly and used it to her advantage. No sooner had the American military invaded California than Mary squatted on public lands and engaged in dozens of lawsuits to advance her interests. Her love life was no less tumultuous. Harry Love, her second husband and slayer of Mexican bandit Joaquin Murrieta, died at her bodyguard's hands. Quite Contrary is the first book to focus on Mary Bennett Love. Aside from making for an entertaining story, she is representative of the relationship people had with the law in pre-Gold Rush California. Furthermore, her economic success demonstrates the often self-imposed notions of true womanhood-which Mary ignored, paving the way for future female entrepreneurs
Target audience
adult
Classification
Contributor
Creator
Subject
- Santa Clara (Calif.) -- Biography
- Electronic books
- Public lands -- California -- History -- 19th century
- Women farmers -- California -- History -- 19th century
- Women pioneers -- California -- Biography
- California -- History -- 19th century -- Biography
- Land grants -- California -- History -- 19th century
- Love, Mary Bennett, 1803-1868 -- Trials, litigation, etc
- Squatters -- California -- Biography
- Love, Mary Bennett, 1803-1868
- Pioneers -- California -- Biography
Content
Author
Incoming Resources
- Has instance1
Outgoing Resources
- Classification1
- Contributor1
- Creator1
- Subject11
- Santa Clara (Calif.) -- Biography
- Electronic books
- Public lands -- California -- History -- 19th century
- Women farmers -- California -- History -- 19th century
- Women pioneers -- California -- Biography
- California -- History -- 19th century -- Biography
- Land grants -- California -- History -- 19th century
- Love, Mary Bennett, 1803-1868 -- Trials, litigation, etc
- Squatters -- California -- Biography
- Love, Mary Bennett, 1803-1868
- Pioneers -- California -- Biography
- Content1
- Author1