Welcome to Erin Mankie's Cabinet of Curiosity's, a production of I Heart Radio and Grimm

and Mild.

Our world is full of the unexplainable, and if history is an open book, all of these

amazing tales are right there on display, just waiting for us to explore.

Welcome to the Cabinet of Curiosity's.

Josephine Garris was born in Ohio in 1839, but she was raised in Indiana.

She had a modest life growing up, but flowing through her veins was the knack for inventing.

Literally, her father John was a civil engineer, and her grandfather invented the first

patented steamboat in the US.

Although little is known about her upbringing, we do know that Josephine eventually married

a man named William Cochran in October of 1858.

William had gone off the California to try his luck with the gold rush, but returned

home empty handed the year before he and Josephine tied the knot.

He eventually became a successful merchant and a politician within the Democratic Party.

And they had two daughters, named Halle and Catherine.

William's fortune continued to grow, and in 1870, the family moved into a sizable

home just outside of Chicago.

It was perfectly suited for hosting dinner parties with other members of the city's

elites, but there were two big problems that Josephine still faced, even with all that

money.

First, her husband had a nasty drinking problem, and it was affecting their family life.

And second, despite her elevated status, she was still in charge of cleaning up after

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