The Volapükian Daughter of the Father of Prohibition

I wanted a picture of her. I got this.

It’s a tiny item in a collection of short pieces on women in the November 3, 1891 Wichita Daily Eagle, under the heading “Feminine Fancies.” The second fancy is about Volapükian, one Louise Dow Benton. A quick search on the Internet assured me that my Volapükian readers[1] would likely know who she was. Out of the first ten Google results for “Louise Dow Benton,” three deal with Volapük as well.

Not only did Ms. Benton’s name not ring a bell for me, neither did that of her father, General Neal Dow. Here, at least, Wikipedia came to the rescue. General Dow had enlisted in the Union Army, starting with the rank of colonel, but rose to brigadier general. Given as he was both an abolitionist and prohibitionist, we can assume that he didn’t get one of those barrels of “what Grant was drinking” that Lincoln joked about sending to his other generals.[2] The entry notes that some called Dow “the father of prohibition,” since due to his efforts, Maine became a dry state. But while Wikipedia talks about all that and more (not about the barrels though), there’s scant reference to his family life. Wikipedia does not that Neal Dow was married to Maria Cornelia Durant Maynard Dow, but gives no other details. You wouldn’t know from the Wikipedia page if they had any children. Clearly, at least one.

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