ABSTRACT
Ream was born in Madison, Wisconsin, the daughter of a government surveyor. As a child, she lived with her family on the frontier in Missouri, Iowa, and Kansas, moving from place to place as her father’s occupation required. As a young adolescent, she briefly attended Christian College in Columbia, Missouri, where she enjoyed courses in music, poetry, and painting. In 1861, due to the poor health of Ream’s father, the family settled in Washington, DC, where her parents found it difficult to stay out of poverty. The following year, Ream was hired to work in the Dead Letter Office of the Post Office Department. To land the clerkship, she claimed she was older than 16, though in reality she was only 14 years of age. Earning $500 a year, her income helped improve her family’s financial situation.
