Out of Obscurity

Here is a random, partial curated list of biographies of women from 1640 – 1900, published from varied sources:

• A Place of Her Own: The Legacy of Oregon Pioneer Martha Poindexter Maupin . Martha’s year and country of birth: 1844?, USA. Author: Janet Fisher
• The Sligo-Leitrim World of Kate Cullen (1832-1913). Country: Ireland.  Author: Hilary Pyle.
• The Wicklow World of Elizabeth Smith 1840 – 1850.  Country: Ireland.  Authors: Dermot James, Seamas O Maitiu.
• The Presumptuous Dreamers: A Sociological History of the Life and Times of Abigail Scott Duniway: 1834 – 1915 .  Country: USA.  Author: Helen Krebbs Smith.
• Book of Ages: The Life and Opinions of Jane Franklin (Benjamin Franklin’s youngest sister). Year and Country of birth: 1700’s, USA.  Author: Jill Lapore.
• Through Her Eyes – A New History of Ireland in 21 Women .  “From the oldest woman in Ireland, whose bones were found beneath the Poulnabrone dolmen, to the modern-day founder of a 3D printing company, this book introduces us to amazing women whose stories were shaped by the centuries in which they lived.”  Author: Clodagh Finn.
• My Mischling Family (Feb. 2021: book is currently being written).
• The Married Widows of Cornwall: The story of the wives ‘left behind’ by emigration. Author: Dr. Lesley Trotter.
• The Women of Ville-Marie: Pioneers of Seventeenth-Century Montreal. Author: Susan McNelley.

Also, an interesting article about the changing nature of historical biographies is available here from History Today.

There’s also a book about the history of women’s lives prior to 1700.  Check out Dr. Sara Reed’s Maids, Wives, Widows: Exploring Early Modern Woman’s Lives 1540 – 1714.

Jo Bell, Tania Hershman, and Ailsa Holland have written On This Day She: Putting Women Back Into History One Day At A Time.

Writer Gail Collins has written America’s Women: 400 Years of Dolls, Drudges, Helpmates, and Heroines. “America’s Women tells the story of more than four centuries of history. It features a stunning array of personalities, from the women peering worriedly over the side of the Mayflower to feminists having a grand old time protesting beauty pageants and bridal fairs.”

For those who read historical novels, there is America’s First Daughter by Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamdie.

Additional books about women’s lives:

• Writing Women’s Lives: An Anthology Of Autobiographical Narratives By Twentieth Century American Women Writers. “Representing fifty….writers, this collection of autobiographical narratives reflects the diverse intersections of race, class, religion…..in every region of the United States over the course of the twentieth century.” Susan Cahill, Editor
• First Mothers: The Women Who Shaped the Presidents, by Bonnie Angelo. “…..the daily lives, thoughts, and feelings of the remarkable women who played such a large role in developing the characters of the modern American presidents.”