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Dorothy Martindale Jacobs — The Real Dorothy of the Wizard of Oz

3/7/2014

 

by Jennifer Naze

Dorothy Martindale Jacobs was not only a wife and mother in Watersmeet Michigan here in the U.P., but she was also the inspiration for the character of Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz stories.

When Dorothy was four years old she had a roguish smile, big brown eyes, and wore a blue ribbon in her hair while living in Grand Rapids.  One summer day, Dorothy and her mother, Mrs. Albert Stickley, went for a walk in Macatawa Park close to their summer cottage and spotted brightly colored flowers in the yard of the “Swan” cottage.  The four year old Dorothy entered the yard and started picking flowers for a bouquet.  Just before leaving the yard with her flowers, a voice from the tree tops said, “hello there.”  A startled Dorothy stared up at a tall, mustached man coming down a ladder from a tree platform.

After assuring Dorothy that the flowers were there to be picked and attract small guests to wander over and visit Frank L. Baum asked, “what’s your name?”  The little girl answered, ”Dorothy.” Then Baum said, “my little girl is named Dorothy too and from now on she is going to wear a blue ribbon in her hair just like yours.”  

Mrs. Jacobs told a reporter in 1939 during an interview that Mr. and Mrs. Baum loved children and their cottage was furnished to attract them. She then recalled how she loved rocking in a swan chair while listening to the adventures of Dorothy and her friends in Oz. Mrs. Jacobs also mentioned how she often asked to meet Baum’s Dorothy, but he would always distract her with more tales about Dorothy’s friends, Oz and other adventures.  When the little girl grew up, it was only then she realized that the Dorothy in Oz was a make-believe little girl.

Dorothy Jacobs was excited to see Judy Garland (changed her name from Francis Ethel Gumm), whose mother was Ethel Milne of Michigamme, play the wide eyed Dorothy, blue ribbon in her hair and all on screen in Grand Rapids, the city of her birth and close to where she met her friend Frank L. Baum.

So now when you watch the classic movie Wizard of Oz you can think of Dorothy Martindale Jacobs, a wife and mother from Watersmeet, friend of Frank L. Baum and the real Dorothy of Oz.

Picture
This image is from the Mining Journal from 1939.
Penny Jacobs Johnston
7/22/2014 12:51:07 pm

Jennifer, I ran across this article today. Dorothy Martindale Jacobs was my paternal grandmother. I tried to print off a copy of this article but to no avail. I sure would like to have a copy of the article and picture if at all possible. Thanks for your consideration. Look forward to hearing from you.

Penny Jacobs Johnston
7/22/2014 02:21:01 pm

Finally got it to print. thank you.

Jennifer Naze
7/23/2014 03:46:20 am

Dear Ms. Penny Johnston,

Thank you so much for reading the blog!

I'm really glad you were able to print the blog about your Grandmother Dorothy.

It was a fun experience learning about the relationship your Grandmother had with Mr. Baum and how he changed "his" Dorothy to match your Grandmother's appearance.

I hope that you have a wonderful day and take care!

EJ Broekhuis
12/28/2014 11:25:16 am

Hello Penny.
I'm hoping you will re-visit this blog. I'm trying to find any descendants of Mr. and Mrs. Albert Stickley, as I recently purchased their GR residence, and am trying to put together the history of the property in order to begin some restoration work. Any correspondence, photographs, or oral history would be appreciated.

Thank you.

EJ Broekhuis

Brad Hietikko link
12/14/2016 08:43:03 am

Hello cousin Penny.

Here is more to the story -

http://halfpuddinghalfsauce.blogspot.com/2016/12/john-wood-blodgett-and-wizard-of-oz.html

http://halfpuddinghalfsauce.blogspot.com/2016/12/mr-stickley-builds-his-dream-cottage.html

Dawn Jacobs
1/22/2018 06:25:02 pm

I am a great granddaughter to Dorthy

Brad Hietikko link
5/30/2019 08:55:24 am

A new documentary on the origins of Oz and Dorthy. In it the Great grandson of Baum basically concludes that the inspiration for Dorothy was probably a conglomerate of people he knew. The name Dorothy more than likely came from his wife's sisters child that past away at 5 months. My(Our) Dorthy meet Baum when his Dorthy had already been written.

"What's your name?"

"Dorothy," was the answer. "Well, my little girl is named Dorothy, too, and from now on she's going to wear a blue hair ribbon just like yours."

If any of my relatives can contact me with what you might know or have, please do.

The "Dorthy" in the documentary was a Dorthy Gale is featured as being the inspiration. Based on her own denials in the 1970's she was not the muse for Baum.

The documentary - https://www.wzzm13.com/oz


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