Arizona

Arizona was inhabited by Native American peoples for centuries before the first European explorer came through the region in 1539; Spanish missionaries were later founded in the 1690s. However, it was not until the end of the Mexican-American War of 1847 when the region was ceded to the United States, gaining statehood in 1912. The population of Arizona is currently 6.5 million, with 60 percent of the population being European Americans.

There is much documentation to show that of the early settlers, mothers had to be resourceful to keep their family together. One of these families who settled in Arizona in the early years was that of Ellen (or Nellie) Cashman. Following the death of her father, her mother brought her and her sister from Ireland ...