It is well known that Ellicott City is home to Doughoregan Manor, the ancestral home of Charles Carroll, the only Catholic signer of the Declaration of Independence. Last week, I learned that four of Carroll's granddaughters — Marianne, Bess, Louisa and Emily Caton — made their own mark on our county and the world.
Martha Clark, of Clark Elioak Farm, hosted a book party for British author Jehanne Wake who wrote "Sisters of Fortune: America's Caton Sisters at Home and Abroad." The widely acclaimed new biography details the lives of the four extraordinary Caton sisters who, unlike the women of post revolutionary America, lived like most modern women do today.
They were educated, sophisticated and shred businesswomen who were given opportunities by their wealthy and influential family that were unheard of for women of their day; they were given control over their inheritance which was carefully and intentionally passed down to the sisters rather than to their husbands and according to Wake they were "free to choose whom they loved and whom they married."
After the battle of Waterloo in 1815, three of the sisters traveled to Europe and surprisingly took high society by storm. The European invasion of the three American heiresses was a pivotal turning point in European history. Their independence, charm, elegance and fascination by politics made them sought-after dinner guests among the most wealthy and influential members of the European nobility. The sisters presence at these high society social events helped to debunk the myth that Americans and Catholics were "savages" — a widely accepted prejudice held by many of Europe's elite.
The Caton sisters intermingling with European aristocrats won them coveted places in Regency high society. Marianne married the Lord Wellesley Lord Lieutenant of Ireland and was lady-in-waiting to Queen Adelaide, Louisa became the first American duchess and introduced Queen Victoria to the Scottish Highlands, Emily married John McTavish a Canadian fur trader and stayed close to home with her grandfather, Charles Carroll, and Bess become a successful lady speculator utilizing her expansive knowledge of the stock market.
"Sisters of Fortune: America's Caton Sisters at Home and Abroad" is an intriguing and well researched book that brings to life early American history blended with the glamor of post revolutionary Europe through the adventures of the Caton sisters. I am most impressed how Wake meticulously researched and utilized the American heiresses unpublished letters.
For more information about author Jehanna Wake and her new biography, go to her website at http://www.jehannewake.com. You may purchase "Sisters of Fortune: America's Caton Sisters at Home and Abroad" at http://www.amazon.com.
Centennial Park South will be a buzz of activity Sunday, June 5 with the fourth annual Healthy Howard Day from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. (rain or shine). Developed by Ellicott City's Brian Jolles, president of Jolles Insurance and We Promote Health, this free event promotes healthy lifestyles by showcasing the various county wellness initiatives and programs in our homes, schools and in the workplace.
Healthy Howard Day activities will include wellness and health screenings, free healthy food tastings from Healthy Howard restaurants, interactive group physical activity performances, worksite and school exhibits and a kids zone area. Don't forget to sign up for the wellness-related prize drawings that will be awarded throughout the day.
One of my favorite events is the school mascot competition. The costumed school characters will compete to be the "healthiest" Howard County school mascot through various physical competitions. Teachers, students and their families are invited to cheer on their school mascot.
This exciting day is made possible through various community and business partnerships including We Promote Health, County Executive Ken Ulman, Howard County's Public School System, Health Department, Healthy Howard, Chamber of Commerce, Recreation and Parks, General Hospital, Citizen Services, Howard County Library, The Villages of Columbia, PTA Council, Columbia Association, Y of Central Maryland, Howard Community College, Tai Sophia Institute, the American Cancer Society, the Horizon Foundation and Giant Food.
For more information, go to the Healthy Howard Day website at http://www.HealthyHowardDay.org.
Would you like to meet the renowned neurosurgeon and author Dr. Ben Carson? Here's your chance. Barb Van Winkle, Howard Community College Educational Foundation board member, informed me that Dr. Carson will be in Howard County Saturday, June 4 from 6 to 10 p.m. for a fundraiser to benefit the Howard Community College Nursing scholarship.
The benefit will be held at the College's Horowitz Visual and Performing Arts Center and includes a cocktail reception, a talk by Dr. Carson and seated dinner with open bar. You may purchase individual tickets at $125 or purchase a sponsorship package. All proceeds will endow scholarships for the Howard Communty College nursing program. For more sponsorship information or to purchase tickets, call 443-518-1970.
The event is hosted by Howard Community College and Jill and Pat McCuan and sponsored by a variety of businesses including Van Winkle's company, Nancy Adams Personnel.