Ria Brodell

Sarah Pollard, who sometimes went by Tom as a young adult in Binghamton, NY, was born on May 25, 1846 to a prominent family. Pollard often wore male clothing, smoked cigars and lived with female companions. This made them the frequent topic of gossip. Their size and physical appearance, “more like a man than a woman” meant they were often the recipient of children’s taunts. They were a large person, with a deep, hoarse voice and a faint mustache, earning them the epithet “the Great Eastern” after a famed steamship.

Pollard worked in New England shoe factories in the late 1860’s. In the early 1870’s they opened up their own millinery establishment. They moved west around 1875 after the business failed. They were in Colorado for a short period of time, operating a cigar shop and holding other odd jobs before settling in Nevada.

In Nevada, Pollard established themself as Samuel Pollard and worked at the mines near Tuscarora in Elko County. In 1877 Sam met Marancy Hughes whose family had settled in Nevada to work the silver mines. Marancy’s family did not approve of her relationship with Sam, but that did not deter the couple from eloping on September 29, 1877. Their marriage seems to have been happy for the first six months, until Marancy exposed their secret. It is unclear what provoked Marancy, but she wrote to the Tuscarora Times Review demanding that Sam be arrested and punished. The story spread to papers around the country, many of them referring to Sam as “What Is It” or simply “It.”

Sam was arrested and charged with "perjury in having sworn falsely when the marriage license was obtained." After Marancy testified at the trial she asked to see Sam and, "immediately threw her arms around the neck of Pollard, whom she fondly kissed, and in the wildest excitement begged that she might be permitted to remain there and not be sent back to the house of her relatives, saying that she desired to remain with her husband." Sam was released and the two of them left the court as deputies held off Marancy’s angry grandmother.

From 1878 to 1880 Marancy and Sam’s relationship was arduous. The publicity caused stress, and Marancy’s family caused trouble resulting at one point in a gunfight between Sam and one of Marancy’s brothers. Sam was also traveling. In 1879 they had began a lecture tour. During the first half they would appear on stage as Samuel and after intermission as Sarah. They toured around Nevada telling their story. By June of 1880 Sam and Marancy had separated.

In 1883 Pollard is recorded as living in Polk County, Minnesota and working as a farmer. Newspapers noted that, “Minnesota rejoices in the possession of a unique character, Sarah Pollard, who is one of the most successful farmers in Polk county, where she owns half a section of land which she works herself with no help from men except in harvest season…. She does her own plowing, seeding, and harrowing, operates her large farm with no other counsel than her own good judgment.”

By 1885 Pollard is living with Helen Stoddard, a schoolteacher. They are recorded as each other’s “partner” and “companion” in the censuses from 1900- 1920. Pollard died on February 12, 1925 with Helen following on April 10, 1959. They are buried in Rosehill Cemetery in Mentor, Polk County, Minnesota.


Sources:

“A Nevada Sensation.” Daily Alta California (San Francisco, CA), May 31, 1878. “

A Unique Minnesota Girl.” The Morning Democrat (Davenport, IA), July 22, 1892.

Basler, George and Gerald R. Smith. On the Seamy Side of the Street: Colorful Characters from Broome County's History. Binghamton, NY: Broome County Historical Society, 2013.

Coady, Marie. Woburn: Hidden Tales of a Tannery Town. Charleston, SC: The History Press, 2008.

“Condensed Telegrams.” The Daily Appeal (Carson City, NV), May 29 1878.

“It is Coming.” The Daily Appeal (Carson City, NV), May 21, 1879.

“Latest News.” The Idaho Avalanche (Silver City, ID), June 29, 1878.

“Pollardana.” The Daily Appeal (Carson City, NV), April 26, 1879.

“Pollard as a Shoemaker.” The New North West (Deer Lodge, MT), July 5, 1878.

The Indiana Progress (Indiana, PA), June 20, 1878.

“The Pollard Sensation Again.” The Daily Appeal (Carson City, NV), May 22, 1878.

Thiel, Homer J. “An 1877 Same-Sex Marriage in Nevada: An Episode in the Unconventional Life of Sarah Pollard.” American Ancestors 12, no. 3 (Summer 2011) 40- 43.

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