After
returning home to Illinois upon the conclusion of three years' service with the 95th Illinois Infantry, Jennie Hodgers relocated to four different towns before
finally settling in Saunemin in 1869.
With her secret still intact, she maintained her male disguise and
continued to take advantage of opportunities denied to women. She voted in elections when it was still
illegal for women to do so and worked at a variety of jobs including farmhand,
day laborer, handyman, child sitter, janitor, property caretaker, and town
lamplighter. The ex-soldier was not only popular among her
male comrades with whom she fought, but she was also respected and highly
regarded by civilians she encountered during her post-war life. One of the families for whom she worked, the
Chesbros, even bought her a house, which still stands today and is open to
tourists. You can read a post about the house by clicking [HERE].
