Full Name: Phoebe Ann "Annie" Moses
Nickname(s): Ann(e); Annie; Phoebe-Ann; Annie Oakley; Immortal Annie, The Western Girl; Princess of The West; Mrs. Oakley-Butler; Watanya Cicilla "Little Sure Shot".
Immediate Relatives:
• Jacob Moses (father)
• Susan Wise-Moses (mother)
• Francis "Frank" E. Butler (husband)
• Mary-Jane Moses (sister)
• Lydia Moses (sister)
• Elizabeth Moses (sister)
• Catherine Moses (sister)
• Sarah-Ellen Moses (sister)
• John-Henry Moses (brother)
Known For:
Her incredible feats of marksmanship in Western entertainment; being the key influence to the American cowgirl image; being a pioneer of sexual equality in marksmanship; being America's best-known female sharpshooter.
Hair Color: Bleached, Ombré-Blonde.
Eye Color: Green.
Miniaturized Height: 0' 2"
Humanized Height: 5' 6"
Museum: National Cowgirl Museum in Texas (formerly); Garst Museum in Ohio (formerly); National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma (formerly); The Smithsonian in Washington DC (formerly); Museum of Natural History in New York (currently)
Location Within Current Museum: Wild West Diorama in "The Hall of Miniatures".
Occupation(s): Trapper; Hunter; Author; Women's Rights Activist; Professional Markswoman; Exhibition Shooter.
Portrayer: Isabel Lucas (Australian Actress, Activist, and Ambassador)
"I'm not afraid to love a man, and I'm not afraid to shoot him either.”
“Aim, and hit it. Not on the first, the second, nor the third time. But keep on aiming and shooting, since practice will make you perfect.”
“God intended women to be outside like men. They do not know what they are missing when they stay cooped up in their house.”
“Aim, and hit it. Not on the first, the second, nor the third time. But keep on aiming and shooting, since practice will make you perfect.”
“God intended women to be outside like men. They do not know what they are missing when they stay cooped up in their house.”
Brief Background + Character Traits:
Though not exactly a product of the Wild West, Annie Oakley only became associated with the Western fold, after her "amazing talent" first came to light when she was only fifteen years old: she beat professional shooter, Frank E. Butler, in a shooting competition that rose her to fame as an international star to both royalty, and heads of the state.
Born in the year of 1860 within Ohio, Annie was the sixth-born out of nine children conceived by her parents. However, after her mother lost two in a miscarriage, Annie became the fifth out of the seven surviving children. Living in poverty, she, her five sisters, and one brother couldn't regularly attend school, or earn a proper education. However, at eight years old, right after her father's passing, Annie began working at the Darke County Infirmary, where she, in exchange, received an education, and developed the skill of sewing, while attending to the elderly, the orphaned, and the mentally ill. This experience aroused Annie’s lifelong compassion towards others, until she left at fifteen.
Returning to her mother's home, Annie supported her by involving herself in trapping, shooting, and hunting wild game to sell at local shops and restaurants. She was so successful, she was able to repay the entire $200 mortgage on their family farm. During this time, Annie was approached and challenged by Irish exhibition shooter, Frank E. Butler, in a shooting competition to not miss twenty-five shots. In the end, he lost by one bullet. So entranced by the twenty-two year-old Annie, Francis eventually courted and married her.
Professionally, after taking on the stage name of "Oakley", Annie traveled west with Butler, and gave shooting exhibitions to entertain the public. She became so well-known, she became the top earner out of any performer on the Western fold. After impressing the most imposing and famous of individuals, like Sitting Bull, Buffalo Bill, Queen Victoria, King Umberto I, and Kaiser Wilhelm II, she quickly became a national celebrity with her name being plastered across both America and Europe.
Aside for her deadeye ability to strike a target, Annie's inner strength helped her survive a difficult childhood, and while her strong integrity, dignity, and propriety served her well throughout her life, she quietly proved to be just as superior to most men in the shooting range. Purehearted, clever, and "superhumanly" headstrong, it was Annie's modesty and reserved elegance that made her a very appealing yet likable individual. From her humble roots as Phoebe Ann Moses, to taking center stage as Annie Oakley, this remarkably-dazzling folk heroine was remembered to be one of America's greatest western legends and icons. As various targets were thrown in the air, she was able to use five different guns, and shoot every single one in ten seconds; even better, she could shoot the end of a cigarette, split the edge of a playing card, and leave holes in tossed coins. Expert shooters then and now continue to marvel at her abilities.
