Frank Woodhull or Mary Johnson?

Every day I am privileged enough to hear the tales of immigration to America. Most of the time, the stories are very heart-warming and have a happy ending. Some tales are real tear-jerkers, while every now and then, you get a real bizarre and interesting story. That being said, one of the most interesting people to ever immigrate through Ellis Island was Mr. Frank Woodhull. There are millions of immigrants and stories of their journeys, but Woodhull's story stands out from the rest. The reason is that Mr. Woodhull was actually a woman.
 

The story of Frank Woodhull begins in 1858. Born Mary Johnson, in the city of Toronto, she was raised by her single father as her mother passed away when she was a child. Mary did not have it easy as a child since she had many features that usually characterize a male. Mary had a deep voice, wide build, and even a bit of a mustache. These features caused constant teasing during young Mary's childhood. At the age of 20 her father passed away and Mary was on her own. Seeking a new start, she headed to California in search of work. In California, her appearance was still subject to criticism, but it was there that Mary Johnson would transform herself into Frank Woodhull and live out the rest of her life as a man. 
 

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It was on Ellis Island that the truth about Mary Johnson would come out. During this time, she had already been living as Frank Woodhull for some years. She had the features, qualities, and attributes of a man. Mary entered the doors of Ellis in 1908 after a trip to England. Mary was not an American citizen so she was treated as an immigrant despite her residence in the states. Mary blended into the crowd as they waited in line to be inspected. She had short cropped hair, wore a black suit with a black tie and had a hat on. However, when the inspectors got to Mary they suspected her of having tuberculosis. As Mary was pulled off line to be examined, she was forced to come forward with the truth, she was a woman.

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As the examination was about to begin, Mary Johnson (above) was forced to admit she was a woman in men's clothing. She told the doctor, "I might as well tell you all, I am a woman and have traveled in male attire for fifteen years." More importantly she explained why she was dressed as a man. She said that as a woman making a decent wage and working in a safe environment was impossible. Mary claimed that as a woman she'd never be able to live a comfortable life. She said that at the age of 35 she decided it was in her best interest to dress and portray herself as a man. As Mary was examined she was given a clean bill of health, both physically and mentally. She had enough money on her not to be held as a public charge. However, she was kept on Ellis Island overnight to await a decision of what would happen to her. This caused a second problem as they were unsure of where to let Mary spend the night. Would it be in the men's or women's dorms? In the end she was given a private room in the hospital to spend the night.

The next day, Mary was released and given the "okay" to reenter the United States. Her story however had made it off the island and Johnson was, for the day, the most popular person in New York City. She was even interviewed by the New York Sun and the New York Times. In the interviews she again explained her reasons for dressing as a man. She stated, “Women have a hard time in this world,” and "women were merely walking advertisements for the milliner, the dry goods shops, the jewelers, and other shops” and she would rather, "live a life of independence and freedom.” 

You've got to hand it to her, Johnson knew what she wanted out of life and knew exactly how she would get it. Mary Johnson aka Frank Woodhull would return to New Orleans and live out her life, eventually becoming an American citizen. She would die in 1939 in New Orleans. But more importantly we see that the struggle for women's equality is an intricate part of American History. The dangerous environments women faced in the workplace in the early 20th century were barely a step up from that of 19th century. Throughout American History we see this struggle continue and gain much ground. Today we still see women in search of an equal playing field in the workplace and in life. Mary Johnson is the best example of how women will always keep their fight for equality alive and do what is necessary to achieve it.