Anna Ellsworth Smith, Age 18. Via Tippecanoe County Historical Association.
Full Name: Annie Goodrich Ellsworth Smith
Birth Date: January 5th, 1826
Death Date: January 21st, 1900
In the year 1844, Annie Goodrich Ellsworth chose the words used on the world’s first telegraph message following Congress’ approval of a bill to build the first telegraph line. The message, a quote from Numbers 23, read: “What Hath God Wrought?” This message heralded a great stride without which modern technology, such as phones, wouldn’t be possible.
Samuel Finley Morse, the inventor of the device used to send the Morse-coded message, offered the opportunity to Annie in a unique situation. Samuel had been slowly losing hope of securing government funding to make his invention more widespread. Luckily his college friend and Annie’s father offered his aid in getting the Senate’s support of the telegraph. Henry Leavitt Elsworth was the commissioner of patents and he saw the potential of Morse’s invention. It is also reported that Mr. Ellsworth had a mind for technology. Despite the ridicule of others at the time, Henry predicted the growing importance of steam plows.
So, other than her father’s connections with Mr. Morse, how did seventeen-year-old Annie get involved? Well, it was an exuberant Annie who gave a jaded Samuel Morse the news of the bill’s success. A satisfied Samuel promised the teen that the message they would demonstrate was hers to choose. Thus, Annie was present along with members of Congress that fateful day when the message was delivered from the U.S. Capitol to Baltimore, Maryland. Annie kept the original tape with her handwriting for the greater part of her life before gifting it to the Library of Congress in old age.
There is little known of the rest of Annie’s life. Annie went on to marry the successful magazine publisher, Roswell Smith, and the pair had six children. It is also reported that Annie was a member of the General de Lafayette Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. The organization, which is still functioning today, is run by female descendants of soldiers and other contributors to American independence during the Revolutionary War. The organization’s mission is to preserve history, educate, and promote patriotism. Annie’s involvement in the organization paired with her role in the history of the telegraph paints the image of a well-educated and patriotic woman.
Sources
- https://en-academic.com/dic.nsf/enwiki/404162
- https://www.loc.gov/item/mcc.019/
- https://reference.insulators.info/publications/view/?id=5436
- https://lafayettecitizenjournal.wordpress.com/2020/04/02/henry-ellsworth-lafayettes-connections-to-a-famous-family/
- https://www.ancestry.com/genealogy/records/annie-goodrich-cx-s-ellsworth-24-227b0kc
- https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Ellsworth-2060
- https://tippecanoehistory.org/finding-aids/what-hath-god-wrought/