Annie Oakley, Sharpshooting Quaker

by Mila Chwals Lee
Brooklyn Meeting & Friends Seminary

Hello! My name is Mila and I’m a 7th grade student at Friends Seminary, a Quaker school in Manhattan. Outside of school, I attend the Brooklyn Meeting with my family on Sundays. In this article I’d like to explore the life and ideas of a famous Quaker, Annie Oakley.  

Annie Oakley, born Phoebe Ann Mosey on August 13, 1860, was best known as a famous sharpshooter or marksman. Her parents were Quakers and her father died when Annie was six. Her mother could barely pay the farm’s mortgage so she sent Annie to live with a family that Annie later called “The Wolves.” The family promised her 50¢ a week (about $13 today) and an education, which she did not get. The Wolves were extremely cruel to Annie and made her work long hours every day. 

Annie, however, refused to accept this lifestyle and fled after two years when she was 11. She returned to her mother’s home and started hunting and selling game to pay off the farm’s mortgage. She persevered in times of hardship and built a future on her terms. I was amazed that Annie carried her family through hard times as a young child (even younger than me!). 

She developed into a skilled marksman, which was extremely uncommon and difficult for a woman in that time, let alone a teenager. I suspect that her sense of equality likely came from her Quaker beliefs. 

I encourage you to think about how you can make an effort to stand up to unfairness and issues in the world, however big or small.