TAnnie Oakley was born in Drake county Ohio. Annie’s real name was Phoebe Anne Moses. She was the fifth daughter of Jacob and Susan Moses. She was born into a Quaker family. Jacob Moses died of Pneumonia in 1866. For the next several years, she helped her family by trapping and performing chores on the Moses family farm.
Annie took out her father’s Kentucky hunting rifle, which she taught herself how to use. She began to hunt wild game and selling it to butchers and merchants. She had such a good shot that she always shot the animal in the head so she wouldn’t spoil the meat. She had earned so much money that she had made enough money to pay off the family farm.
Annie gained a reputation in the region because of her shooting ability. One of her customers offered her a invitation to participate in a shooting contest against a well-known marksmen named Frank E. Butler. She accepted the invitation. She won the match with 25 shots out of 25 shots. Butler missed on one of his shots Annie Oakley and Frank Butler began a relationship that resulted in a marriage on August 23, 1876. They first appeared on a show together on May 1, 1882. It was at this time that Annie adopted the stage name Oakley. For the next couple of years the Butlers traveled across the country with their dog George as an integral part of the act
1992 World Book Encyclopedia Volume 14
Edison A Biography, Josephson, Matthew, McGraw-Hill Book Company-New York, Toronto, London Inc., ©1959
Webster’s American Biographies, Merriam-Webster Inc., Springfield, MS, 1984, p.311-312
http://www.dorchesterlibrary.org/library/aoakley.html
http://www.cowgirls.com/dream/cowgals/oakley.htm, Cowgirls Home On The Web, 4-04-01
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