Tag Archives: feminism

Clubs and women’s moral superiority

Posted on August 1, 2019 by

When the New York City Press Club gave a reception welcoming Charles Dickens to the U.S. in 1868, journalist Jane Cunningham Croly applied for a ticket. The all-male club treated her request as a joke. The invitation they eventually extended … Continue reading →

Posted in genealogy, history, women's rights | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

I hope my great-grandmother isn’t mad at me

Posted on July 22, 2019 by

Dear Great-grandmother Mary, I hope you’re not upset. You might actually be flattered that I used you as the model for Flora Bergholtz, one of the protagonists in my historical novel, Women of To-day. In 1911, Flora joins a women’s … Continue reading →

Posted in genealogy, history | Tagged , , , , , , | 8 Comments

The rich legacy of childless women

Posted on December 11, 2013 by

Rummaging through my family tree, I always feel a bit sad when I come across childless women. In the context of genealogy, it seems regrettable that they lack descendants to honor them. On the other hand, in the 19th and … Continue reading →

Posted in genealogy, history, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | 6 Comments

Charlotte Perkins Gilman: The Byrdcliffe Connection

Posted on August 22, 2013 by

I share a common ancestor, Abraham Dickerman, with the feminist writer Charlotte Perkins Gilman, who lived from 1860 to 1935. Abraham’s great-great-grandson was the Yale-educated minister Lyman Beecher, father of 13 children, including abolitionist preacher Henry Ward Beecher, feminist educator … Continue reading →

Posted in genealogy, history | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments