Ann Mashburn was once again raised as a British subject by her American-born parents, who in turn raised her as a woman. When her parents finally returned to America in the hope of finding their son and daughter a nationality, Ann met with an unwelcome separation washer. Though her parents tried everything to rekindle their relationship with her, Ann remained elusive, choosing to elude them altogether. Eventually her parents’ marriage failed and they divorced, but in her mind, there would be no reunions until she came to the United States to remarry. This was in 1875.
Ann Mashburn had always harbored a strong dislike towards her step-mother’s nationality, which was Irish. As an adult, she never wavered from her view that Irish was her enemy and that she would one day marry an American of the same nationality. However, when the time came for Ann to remarry, despite her best efforts, the groom’s father had other ideas. He insisted that Ann marry him instead, arguing that the bride was much younger than the groom and therefore would be a temptation to the groom to strayed.
Ann was quite hurt and indignant at her step-mother’s reaction, to say the least. After being told by the groom’s father that his position concerning their marital status was incorrect, Ann decided to seek legal help from the American government to secure her place in the newly created United States of nationality. Ann’s case was turned down by the courts, but she ignored her disappointment, determined to win her place in the land of dreams. Her perseverance finally paid off when the US Congress formally recognized American citizenship at the 1820 convention in Baltimore. Ann was finally allowed to relocate to the nation with her husband and soon became a naturalized American citizen.