Laura Secord, the Mother: A Hero at Home

So much of what we know about Laura Secord revolves around her critical role in the War of 1812. She was a war hero, a woman who saved British lives and protected Upper Canada.

But Laura Secord was a hero in so many other ways. Laura Secord was a mother.

Laura Secord was the mother of seven children--six girls, one boy. She ran a busy household in good times and in bad. As a mother, she was a hero her entire life.

Laura Secord knew what it meant to face the fear of childbirth. Giving birth in the early 19th century was a dangerous job, with an endless list of things that could go wrong. The outlook for her children was even more grim--only 1/5 children born in this period made it past the age of five. Becoming a mother was incredibly brave. It still is.

Laura Secord was, at times, a stay-at-home mother and a working mother. She supported her husband James as he ran his General Store before the War of 1812. She cooked, entertained, and raised a large family...no easy feat, to be sure. After the General Store burnt down and James became injured, Secord went straight to applying to work herself, eventually making money working as an etiquette coach. She worked hard to provide whatever her family needed, especially in the most challenging times.

Laura Secord was a mother in times of war. Not only did she keep everything together as her husband left fight in the War of 1812, but when he fell, she walked down to the battlefield herself to bring him home and nurse him to health. With her husband either away or wounded and her house in the midst of battle, Laura Secord's leadership in her own home was extraordinary.

Laura Secord knew the pain of losing a child. Her daughter, Appolonia, died of typhus at age 18. Like many women at the time, Laura learned firsthand that being a mother could be incredibly heartbreaking. Laura Secord also knew the pain of losing a mother, as hers (Elizabeth Ingersoll) died when she was only 9 years old.

Yes, Laura Secord was brave. Most people know that from the story of her walk. But Secord's courage and strength neither started nor ended with her role in the War of 1812. She was the mother of seven in a small Ontario town. Her courage and determination can be seen in every single step she took...across Upper Canada, certainly, but also around her homestead as she cared for her children.