provided me with two research grants to help support my travel to Iowa and
the preparation of the manuscript.

Many other individuals provided useful information and materials along
the way, especially John Cavanaugh, C.S.B., and Robert Koch. I also owe
special thanks to Kurt Feuerherm and Judy Feuerherm for their help in
locating nineteenth-century periodicals and temperance memorabilia.

Nancy Cooman has worked alongside me for five years, deciphering
Bloomer's handwriting, helping to create order from among sometimes very
disorganized sections of original manuscripts, and revising seemingly endless
drafts of the speeches. Her patience and professionalism made this project
a joy. The generous and enthusiastic technical assistance of Kevin Cooman
and of Carson Cooman, wise and accomplished beyond his years, were
indispensible as we produced the final manuscript and index.

Finally, I am indebted to Abraham Rothberg, whose editorial expertise,
advice, and encouragement were invaluable; and to my husband, Craig
Zicari, and my daughter, Sarah Cirocco, who made room in their lives for
the delightful visit of Amelia Bloomer and her baggage of hundreds of pages
of prose. They welcomed her and helped me in many ways, large and small,
to find the time and energy needed to complete this project. To these three,
the book is dedicated--all for different reasons; all important.

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