Abbotsford – In the late 1800s, Mary Ann Trethewey was home alone in the wilderness with her young children. When a stranger refused to leave her front porch, she pulled out the pistol concealed in her skirt. A nurse by training, she knew just where to aim. The astonished man escaped with a flesh wound in the arm.
This story, and many other equally fascinating tales, maybe found in a newly-published book entitled Pioneers in Petticoats: The Trethewey Women 1800 –1900.
Written by local author Julia Rohan and published by the Heritage Abbotsford Society, Pioneers in Petticoats will be launched at a free public event on Friday, September 27 from 5 pm to 7 pm. For information, call 604-853-0313. The author will be on hand to read an excerpt from her work and to sign copies of the book. Refreshments will be served.
When Ms. Rohan and her architect husband,Ted Yudelson,moved to Abbotsford from Quebec a year ago, one of the first places the couple visited was Trethewey House, the historic house museum located on the shores of Mill Lake.
During their tour, Executive Director Christina Reid regaled them with stories about the house’s original owners, J.O. Trethewey and his controversial wife Reta Bell Massen.
