Mrs. Nash
Mrs. Nash was perhaps the oddest of the lot. She was a laundress at different forts, from Kentucky to Montana. She followed the 7th Cavalry, having joined it in Kentucky. She was an industrious, hard working laundress who baked pies and tailored uniforms for extra money. She always managed to save money. In addition, her skills as a midwife were in high demand.
Like many of the laundresses, she was married, not once but multiple times. At some point, Mrs. Nash told Elizabeth Custer that her first husband, an enlisted man, had left her and taken all her money. Without benefit of divorce, Mrs. Nash then married another soldier and accompanied the 7th Cavalry to the Dakotas. Her second husband turned out to be no better than the first, and also left her, taking all of the money. She then attracted the eye of Captain Tom Custer's striker. By 1878, Mrs. Nash had yet a fourth husband. While he was out on campaign, Mrs. Nash grew ill.
As death drew near, Mrs. Nash asked her fellow laundresses to simply see that she was buried. They were not to prepare the body in any way. The Fort Meade laundresses did not follow her last request. Much to their shock and suprise, they discovered Mrs. Nash's secret when they began to undress and wash her body in preparation for a funeral. Mrs. Nash was not a she, as everyone assumed. Mrs. Nash was a he.
Julia Roach
Not all marriages were happy in the West. Mrs. Roach was finally shot by her husband, a private stationed at Fort C. F. Smith. She was said to have had the "fastest, sharpest tongue in the west". Her husband had reached his limit. He was never prosecuted for the shooting. The powers that be determined it to be a civil matter. A civilian magistrate could not be found, and Private Roach was never punished.
Margaret Littlejohn
Margaret Littlejohn was held in great esteem by the men that she worked for. She died at the age of 36 at Fort Buford, in the Dakota Territory. Although polite company said that she died from a miscarriage, official records say that she died as the result of an abortion. The soldiers, as an expression of their respect for their laundress had her headstone inscribed with the words "Laundress, Company I, 6th Infantry."
Mrs. Simpson
Concerns about Mrs. Simpson's behavior and decency led the families living on Laundress Row at Fort Hays, Kansas to write a letter of complaint. They requested that she be removed from her quarters. She was written up on March 18th, 1872. Among her transgressions were being drunk and disorderly on the night of the 7th. A soldier was arrested in her quarters on the night of the 17th. She was reportedly running a "bawdy" house.
Mrs. Ockle
Obviously, mental health issues have always been a concern for people. Mrs. Ockle was no exception. For whatever reason, she chose to purchase fifty cents worth of Sulfate of Morphia (morphine) in Hays City, Kansas. This was approximately 20 grams. She took this medication with the intent to commit suicide. The Hays Sentinel reported on January 1, 1877, that in "Aug. 1874, the wife of a saddler at Ft. Hays departed this life by her own hand".
Mrs. Keirnen
This particular lady is an excellent example of why laundresses often had a poor reputation...then and now! Much of what is actually known about them comes from reports of commanders. This particular laundress was not allowed to stay with her company at Fort Hays, Kansas. [Her Commander] Armes dismissed her because of her too liberal use of strong drink, and her general disreputable character. It was noted that she kept her quarters neat and tidy, and she did have friends among the other laundresses. The Officer of the Day, Lt. Groesbert, 6th Infantry, said that she was "perhaps no worse than the majority of camp women". Alcohol was an issue for both men and women in the frontier army.