Bees and Women

Alwilda Jane Colwell
Nina Bagley

When I started my beekeeping journey years ago, I began researching women and beekeeping during the 1800’s not knowing it would consume me over the years. In doing so, I realized how important these women were. These women cared for the family, home, gardens, the farm and raised bees. Beekeeping allowed women to be independent during the Civil War by selling honey. The honey made money, which provided an income for the family. Life in the 1800’s wasn’t easy. They didn’t keep family records like we do today.

Sometimes the women’s names are misspelled on the censuses, so it takes time to research newspapers and historical records. Some women have a documented trail, and some are harder to find. Like in the case of Jennie Culp, who wrote for Gleanings in Bee Culture in late 1800’s. My facts and research about Jennie were going well until 1887. I couldn’t find her anywhere in the census. I called my beekeeping friend Linda Miller, who, like myself, is interested in researching the history of beekeeping. We brainstormed, and we wondered if she was living with her son. Or did she get remarried? It could almost be anything. We finally found her. Not to give anything away, with much research and curiosity, I give you Jennie Culp’s story.

Miss Alwilda Jane Colwell (Jennie Caldwell) was born in Norwich, Franklin County, Ohio in 1837; her father (John), mother (Grace) and sister (Elizabeth) were born in England. They arrived in Ohio in 1834 in what is Hilliard today. Her father was a farmer. In 1855, realizing the need for a place to worship, John Colwell offered the land for a church to be built. The First Methodist Church in Norwich, Franklin County, Ohio, was named after Jennie’s father. The church was dedicated in December 1876, and Jennie’s then husband, Henry Culp, gave the first sermon.

Growing up in Ohio, Jennie had three sisters and a brother. On November 15, 1857, at the age of 21, she married Rev. Henry Culp, who also was born in Ohio in 1833. They had four children: Gracie, Charles, John and Carrie. Gracie was born in 1860. Unfortunately, she passed away in 1881 from typhoid fever. Jennie had another daughter in 1871. Carrie was born and died a few months after she was born. Jennie had described in her writings how hard farm life can be and how poor they were.

Rev. Henry Culp was the beekeeper of the family. He had fifty hives on their farm. Henry would sit and watch the bees collect the pollen from the most beautiful willow trees Henry had ever seen, describing the white flowers with their long anthers. He liked how the bees would pack the pollen in their little pockets to carry to their hives. A.I. Root writes about Rev. Henry: “Although a gospel minister, he was one of those, like many of us, who had his ups and downs, and sometimes his “downs” were grievous to bear.” Gleanings in Bee Culture Nov. 16, 1884 pg. 785.

Rev. Henry Culp died from chronic pneumonia on April 2, 1882. A. I. Root wrote this about his friend Henry: “Mrs. Culp’s husband before his decease was a grower of small fruits. Friend Culp, before his death, was a warm friend of Gleanings and my acquaintance with him, which extended over many years, was very pleasant. It is a little sad to think that his Apiary never, during his life, gave the results of honey that it has since he was taken away.” Gleanings in Bee Culture November 1, 1884 pgs. 733-734.

Jennie Culp’s husband had planned the work for her and was preparing his wife to take over his bees after his death. Her husband repeatedly told her what to do and what to expect. He made her frames so that she would be ready when it came time to work bees. Working hours before his death, Henry provided his wife with everything she would need to keep bees herself without her lifelong companion to teach her. Jennie was so appreciative that she had a husband of 24 years who gave her the tools and equipment to succeed. Henry advised his wife to write A. I. Root for guidance in caring for the bees. Jennie wasn’t ready to take on beekeeping. She was a housekeeper. Bees were her husband’s occupation, but after his death, she changed her heart and felt the need to care for her husband’s bees. Henry put the bees first above all, and she felt it was the right thing to do. Jennie loved her husband and believed all good things would come to those who worked hard and persevered. Taking her husband’s advice, she wrote to Mr. Root, who advised her to feed the bees maple cakes in the Spring if needed. At the close of one of her letters to A. I. Root, she writes: “I think you will pardon me, as I have no father, husband, brother to talk to, and at times I feel alone as far as human sympathy concerned, but my heavenly father has been wonderfully good to me; he blesses me both temporarily and spiritually.” Gleanings in Bee Culture Nov. 1, 1884 pg. 734. She was religious and put the good Lord above all, including her family. You can feel the sadness in her letter to Mr. Root. Over the years, she continued to update Mr. Root on what was happening in her apiary. She studied the ABC of Bee Culture book by A. I. Root. She would read Langstroth, Professor Cook’s and Quinby’s books on bee culture. Jennie wrote her bee reports, advice and updates for Gleanings using the name Jennie Culp. Why did she use the name Jennie instead of her given name? She used her birth name only on her legal documents. (Alwilda Jane Culp.)

“I commenced the season’s operations with a stock of 28 colonies, and as my chief object was honey instead of increase, I prevented early swarming by pinching out queen cells wanted but little increase, as I felt that, for an ABC scholar, I had already an “elephant” on my hands. I carried my bees successfully through Winter 1882 on maple sugar in the cakes. Meanwhile, I built up weak colonies by giving them frames of brood from strong colonies, thus equalizing and keeping in vigorous action in the whole Apiary. As a result of such treatment, I had every hive booming with bees when the honey flow set in from white clover. My first swarm was issued June 15, and the last one July 23, having an increase of 20 colonies, which was more than I desired. Still, multifarious duties, and a light supply of help, led to my neglect of them, for I find successful management of bees as my husband termed the price of liberty. On June 18th and 19th, I extracted 1200 lbs. of honey from the upper story of hives. I did not take any from the brood chamber during the season. The 28 furnished 500 lbs. extracted honey and furnished the increased colonies with two to four frames of brood and honey to commence housekeeping. The new colonies were immediately provided with honey boxes to give them working room. They filled their brood chamber and made 300 lbs. of comb honey in sections.” Gleanings in Bee Culture Nov. 1, 1884, pg. 733.

Jennie Culp’s Apiary

Jennie attributed her success to having everything organized and ready and the bees in healthy, vigorous condition on the opening day of the honey season and having surplus frames ready. Her friends would inquire about the type of hive she used, and Jennie would describe the beehive. It’s from the “Langstroth” design, which her husband tried to improve, that backfired. After a fair trial, her husband finally acknowledged it was not an improvement!

In the Fall of 1884, packed in chaff hives, Jennie had forty-seven hives, all well supplied with first-class white clover honey going into Winter. In the Spring of 1885, as she put it, “all booming with bees,” she lost one colony; she considered that quite a success since bees were dying that Winter. Jennie took beekeeping seriously for someone who didn’t want to take up beekeeping. She gave it her all, even if only for a few years! She was well read and understood the process of keeping bees. Jennie clipped all of her queen’s wings. This way, the queen couldn’t fly. So when they did swarm, which they would, she could easily find the queen on the ground in front of the hive. Jennie would not have a queen in her apiary whose wings were not clipped! Reading her bee culture books, writing her updates for Gleanings over the years, and following what her husband had advised her to do, Jennie reports in Gleanings that on April 16, 1885, her bees were out and going strong, but for the first time being in the business of bees, she’s dreading the outcome for next Spring. It has been five years since her daughter and husband passed away. Taking care of the farm and bees is getting harder.

Jennie’s boys are married and have families of their own. She has little or no help. She is older and slowing down. Her last Ohio State Convention was in Columbus at the Ohio State Fair in 1886. Before leaving the convention, she informed Mr. Root she would probably not be attending another Ohio State Convention and that she was considering selling her farm, apiary and fixtures and was deciding to go west with her boys. She stated after selling, she would probably not do much with bees as the work in the apiary has gone beyond her strength. She didn’t need to work because she owned her own land. With some regret, she wanted her friend, A. I. Root, to let the friends know she was going west. Mr. Root wrote; “I hoped that when she is located in her new home, we may again hear from her through the columns of Gleanings.” Gleanings 1887 pg. 75. The 1887 research records show she didn’t go live with her boys and didn’t write to Gleanings, but what the records show she did get remarried. Jennie’s marriage certificate shows she married her second husband in 1887. Jennie Culp, on August 29, 1887, in Franklin County, Ohio, married Theodore Williamson (Theo), a widower born in Ohio in 1823. Why didn’t she tell anyone that she was remarried? I wish I knew! Maybe she was a private woman and didn’t want people to know about her affairs? For the next twelve years she lived in a house, not a farm. She was not keeping bees. Her second husband, Theo, died in 1909. She’s alone again, able to care for herself for some time until the years have finally caught up with her. Jennie’s oldest son, Charles, passed away in 1917. How much can a woman bear? Her son John moved to Columbus, Ohio, in 1910. This is where Jennie would remain until her death in 1919 from a stroke at the age of 84. For a petite woman weighing a hundred pounds trying to survive all her hardships, the woman had grit. To keep over fifty beehives and be profitable takes work. Outliving two husbands and the loss of three children was crushing. Jennie’s family and relatives are buried in the Wesley Chapel Cemetery in Hilliard, Ohio. Her headstone has her name, Jennie Culp, Wife of Rev. Henry Culp. On the other side, is her daughter Carrie. There are no dates on the tombstone; the dates and years have faded, just like Jennie Culp did in 1887.

Nina Bagley
Ohio Queen Bee
Columbus, Ohio