Harriet Stemen Macbeth: First Professional Woman in the
Family Tree
My
second-great-uncle, Dr. Albert Macbeth, was married to a family first. His
wife, Harriet Stemen, was the first professional woman that I have found in the
family tree.
Harriet was born February 19, 1873 to
Christian Beery Stemen and Lydia Enslen Stemen. Harriet’s parents were very
progressive for the time period. Christian Stemen was a minister, teacher,
surgeon and medical doctor, and a great proponent of education. Several of his
children followed him into the medical profession, including two of his
daughters and three sons. Few women were allowed to attend medical school
before 1900, so Harriet, her sister Katherine, and her parents were true trail
blazers for women’s rights to pursue medical careers.
My second-great-uncle must have
shared the Stemen family’s progressive views as well as their medical training,
for he married Harriet in 1900. They seem to have become true partners,
establishing and running a hospital in Fort Wayne, Indiana. While they had no
children, they had a long marriage. Harriet died in 1939, and Albert died in
1947. They were well-respected members of their community.
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