American Folk Figure. She has the distinction of being the first woman telegraph operator in the United States. She was able to claim this distinction due to the fact that her brother, Ezra Cornell, helped telegraph inventor Samuel Morse develop his invention, and founded Western Union Telegraph Company in 1855, and Cornell University in 1865. Phebe was married to Martin B. Wood, who was in charge of laying telegraph lines across the midwest. In 1846, Ezra Cornell founded the Erie and Michigan Telegraph Company. He asked his sister Phebe to run the Albion telegraph office. It opened in 1848. She accepted the position and ran the office from her home on North Superior Street. She managed the local telegraph office for eight years until 1856 when Western Union took over.
American Folk Figure. She has the distinction of being the first woman telegraph operator in the United States. She was able to claim this distinction due to the fact that her brother, Ezra Cornell, helped telegraph inventor Samuel Morse develop his invention, and founded Western Union Telegraph Company in 1855, and Cornell University in 1865. Phebe was married to Martin B. Wood, who was in charge of laying telegraph lines across the midwest. In 1846, Ezra Cornell founded the Erie and Michigan Telegraph Company. He asked his sister Phebe to run the Albion telegraph office. It opened in 1848. She accepted the position and ran the office from her home on North Superior Street. She managed the local telegraph office for eight years until 1856 when Western Union took over.
Bio by: Frank Passic, Albion Historian
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