OED antedatings, etc. from 1868

[Joel S. Berson]

All from "The Spirit of Seventy-Six, or, the Coming Woman, a 
Prophetic Drama," by Ariana Wormeley Curtis (Boston: Little, Brown, 1868).

(1)  firewoman

" 'Merchant's Insurance Company,---President, Julia Backbay.' 
_Julia?_ Misprint, I suppose. '_Firewomen's_ Insurance Company.' "  Page [9].

firewoman, n., antedates OED2 1899--.

(2)  hen-headed

"Captain a particular friend of mine,---Jane Smith,---lost her 
reckoning, and ran aground on Cape Cod. Jane always _was_ a 
hen-headed thing!"  Page 11.

hen-headed, adj,, antedates OED2 1912--.

(3)  clubgirl

"and ... horse-racing and dog-fighting bore me, and I'm not much of a 
club-girl ..."  Page 17.

club-girl, n., antedates OED2 1891--.

(4)   selectwoman

" Let me introduce Mr. Carberry, of Shanghae,---Miss Wolverine 
Griffin, Selectwoman of Newton, Mass."  Page 26.

selectwoman, n., not in OED.

(5)  painteress

"Poetesses, painteresses, sculptresses, triumphantly bear away the 
palm,---and all admit that as an oratress she has never been 
surpassed."  Page 30.

painteress, n., not in OED.  [If the other three are in, why not this?!]

(6)  fellow

"How are you, fellows?  Page 46.  [The speaker is a female entering a 
scene where there are two persons on stage, one male and one female.]

fellow, n., ? sense not in OED?  Here used as extension of sense 9, 
"A familiar synonym for: Man, male person," to women.  (Like "guys" 
including females.)

(7)  railway

"I'm a slow man naturally,---I'm not used to these railway methods".  Page 65.

railway, n., ? sense 3, "fig. and in extended use", interdates OED3 
1835--1945; or new compound?

(8)  forewoman

"Mrs. Forewoman, and Ladies of the Jury: You have now heard the facts 
..."  Page 73.

forewoman, n., ? sense a. " in a jury of matrons", OED has no 
quotations.  [The only other sense given is  "n a shop or department".

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