Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1906-01-04
Who Lydia e, Pinkhsm Was

ms remarkable woman whose maiden
. n;c was Estes. was born i'm Lynn.
.. feDruary 9th. 1873. coming from a,
s sb. oid Quaker family. For some years
woman of an alert and investigating
mind, an earnest seeker after Knowledge.
ana above all, possessed of q wonderfully
sympathetic nature.
III lN43 she married Isaac pinkhaYn
builder and real estate operator, and
their early married life was marked by
prosperity and happiness. They had
Tour children, three sons and a daughter
In those good old fashioned DAYS il
was common for mothers to make their
own home medicines from roots and
herbs, natures own Notwithstanding in a
physician only in especially urgent cases
Ky tradition and experience MANY OF
them gained wonderful knowledge of
the curative properties of the various
roots and herbs.
Mrs Pinkham took 4 great interest in
the study OF roots and herbs. their charac-
terlSticS and power over disease. She
maintained that just as nature 81 bounti-
fully provides in the harvest fields and or
chards vegetable foods OF all kinds: so. il
ave but take the ps,ins to find them. in the
roots and herbs of the field there are
remedies expressly designed tn cure the
various ills and weaknesses of the body.
and it was her pleasure to search these
out. and prepare simple and effective
medicines for her own family and friends
Chief OF these was Il rare combina-
tiuH ol tile CitOICSSl UttulciI.dI TCOtS ana
herbs found best adapted for the cure OF
the ills and weaknesses peculiar to the
female sex. and Lydia +. Pinkham's
friends and ncighbors learned that her
compound relieved and cured and 1t be-
came quite popular among them.
All this so far was done freely, without
money and without price. as a labor OF
love.
But In 1919 the financial crisis struck
Lynn. Its length and severity were too
much for the large real estate interests
of the Pinkham family, as this class of
business suffered most from fearful de-
preston, so when the Centennial yea.
d;uwned it found their property swept
away. Some other source of income had
to be found.
At this point Lydia L. Pinkhams Vege-
table Compound was made known to the
world.
The three sons and the daughter with
their mother. combined forces to restore
the family fortune. They argued that
the medicine which was good for their
woman friends and ncighborS was equally
good for the women of the whole world.
The Pinkhams had no money. and little
credit. Their first laboratory was the
kitchen, where roots and herbs wcr,.
STEPPED on the stove, gradually filling 4
srsss of bottles. Then cane the question
of selling it. for always before they hal
given it away freely. They hired a job
printer TO run off some pamphlets setting
forth the merits of the medicine. now
called LYDIA L. Pinlsham's Vegetable
Compound. and these were distributed by
the Pinkham sons in Boston, New York
ard BROOKLYN.
The wonderful curative properties oi
the medicine were. to 4 great extent. self
advertising for whoever used it recon-
mended il to others, and the demand
gradually increased.
In 1871. by combined efforts the fam
lily had saved enough money To commence
newspaper advertising and from that tim"
the growth and success Of the enterprise
were assured, until to-day Lydia j.:
Finkham and her Vegetable Compound
where. and many tons of roots and herbs
are used annually in its manufacture.
Lydia l.. Fmkham herself did not iiN'
to see the great success OF this work
She passed to her reward years ago, but
not till she had provided means for con
tin,ng her work as effectively as Sl,t
could have done it herself.
During her long and evcntful experience:
she was ever TcthOdical in her work and
She was always careful to preserve rec
ord of every case. that came to her attcn-
ton. The case of every sick woman who
applied to her for advicc-;!nd there wcr"
thousands-received careful study, and
the details. including symptoms, treat
ment and results were recorded for future
reference. and today these records, to
Sether with hundreds of thousands made
since. are available to sick women the
world over aud represent Il vast collab-
Grafton of Information regarding the
treatment of woman's ills. which fo
authenticity and accuracy can hardly be
equalad in any library in the world.
With Lydia L. Pinllham worked her
daughtcrin-law, the present Mrs. Pink
ham. She was carefully instructed in all
her hard-won knowledge. and for years
she assisted Eer in her vast correspond
ence.
To her hands naturally fell the direc-
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