Jennie Goodell Blow

Jennie Goodell Blow (; September 18, 1860 – January 26, 1935) was a prominent American-born socialite. Blow resided in a number of different locations during her life. Hailing from a prominent family, married to a wealthy man, and reputed for her beauty, Blow established herself as a leading society figure in several different cities. While residing in the United Kingdom, she was a leader in the successful effort to convert the Maine into a hospital ship during the Boer War. The idea for this effort had been Blow's. She worked with Lady Randolph Churchill and Fanny Ronalds to lead this effort and was recognized for it by Queen Victoria and later Edward VII.

Biography Born Mary Matteson Goodell in Joliet, Illinois on September 18, 1860, Her maternal grandfather, Joel Aldrich Matteson, was a former governor of Illinois. Her maternal ancestry can be traced back to Mayflower pilgrims John Alden and Priscilla Alden, who were her great-great-great-grandparents through her maternal grandmother Mary Fish Matteson.

Her family were Protestants. While their personal home was in Joliet at this time, during part of her childhood, she and her family appear to have lived in the Springfield, Illinois residence of her grandfather Joel Alrich Matteson, particularly in the period after the American Civil War. From 1870 until 1873, she and her family resided abroad in France and Dresden, Germany. When they returned in the United States, they moved to Chicago, Illinois. In Leadville, she and her four sisters attracted the attention of many eligible suitors. They were described to have been "the belles of Denver and Leadville".In their adulthood, she and her sisters, who were often collectively referred to as the "famous Goodell sisters", were notable figures in Colorado's social scene. They are considered to have been civic leaders in their own rights and each married a man of prominent stature. The sisters also received a reputation of beauty and fashionable dress. (1813–1894), who had served in political office in the Republic of Texas and also had served as a delegate at the Virginia Secession Convention of 1861 and as judge in Norfolk, Virginia.

In October 1891 in Leadville, Blow gave birth to son Allmand Matteson Blow. In September 1897 in Leadville, Blow gave birth to son George Allmand Blow (1897–1947). The idea behind the effort had been Blow's. They worked with other American-born London socialites to organize the effort.

In his adulthood, Blow's son Allmand Matteson Blow married Dorothy Deneen, the daughter of Illinois governor Charles S. Deneen.