*Women Studies IDENTIFIERS *West Virginia
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DOCUMENT RESUME ED 298 012 SO 018 3'2 AUTHOR Hensley, Frances S., Ed. TITLE Missing Chapters II: West Virginia Women in History. INSTITUTION West Virginia Women's Commission, Charleston.; West Virginia Women's Foundation, Charleston. SPONS AGENCY West Virginia Humanities Foundation, Charleston. REPORT NO ISBN-0-9617031-0-5 PUB DATE 86 NOTE 217p.; Photographs may not reproduce clearly. For volume 1, see SO 018 311. PUB TYPE Historical Materials (060) Collected Works General (020) EDRS PRICE MFOI/PC09 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS *Biographies; *Females; Individual Characteristics; *Personal Narratives; Role Models; *State History; *Women Studies IDENTIFIERS *West Virginia ABSTRACT This collection of essays chronicles tha contributions of 14 West Virginia women active in individual an group endeavors from 1824 to the present. Because the achievemen , of these women are absent from previous histories of West Virginia, their stories constitute missing chapters in the state's history. Some of these women made contributions in traditional feminine roles while others achieved success ia professional and public fields. The lives and careers of these West Virginia women prove that they have not been merely Passive observers of history, but active participants in the process. Although not all the women are West Virginia natives, thJy have all had a share in the state's development. They merit recognition in West Virginia history, not just to correct an imbalance in historical writing, but to provide positive examples to other women. The women chronicled are: Livia Simpson Poffenbarger; Aunt Jenny Wilson; Val Sayre Hammond; Mary Elizabeth Behner Christopher; Elizabeth Kee; Naomi M. Garrett; Ann Kathryn Flagg; Rebecca Tendael Wood Littlepage; Agnes Greer; Anna Maria Reeves Jarvis; Minnie Holley Barnes; Gertrude Humphreys; Genevieve Starcher; and Ruth Ann Musick. One organization, the West Virginia Farm Women's Club, is also included. A bibliography follows each biography,, and black and white photographs are included. (APG) 30000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000(xxxxxxxxx * Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made * * from the original document. * )00000000000000000000000000moo0000000000000000000000000000(300000000000( U S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION "PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE THIS Chace o Eche-atonal Reaellith and Improvement MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) 1C..0 13a.(soMCI.2_ g/Thosdocument has been reproduced as received from the person or organization originating it 0 Minor changes have been made to improve reproduction quality Points of view or OptniOnS stated in th.sclortr TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES meet do nut necessarily represent ()theist INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC." OERI positron or policy Missing Chapters II 1), bo West VirginiaWomen'sCommission d) 2 MISSING CHAPTERS II WEST VIRGINIA WOMEN IN HISTORY A project of the WEST VIRGINIA WOMEN'S COMMISSION and the WEST VIRGINIA WOMEN'S FOUNDATION and the HUMANITIES FOUNDATION OF WEST VIRGINIA, a state program of the National Endowment for the Humanities PROJECT EDITOR:Dr. Frances S. Hensley PROJECT DIRECTOR:Barbara Matz PRC....:CT STAFF:Roslyn Holdzkom, Lavonne Sanders, Adrienne Worthy, Evelyn Hansbarger, and Sharon Goodman Book Design by Pat Cahape Copyright© 1986. All rights reserved. ISBN 0-9617031-0-5 4 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Acknowledgements i Preface ii Livia Simpson Poffenbarger (1862-1937) 1 by Nancy Whear Aunt Jenny Wilson (1900- ) 23 by Janet Gamble Greene Val Sayre Hammond (1883-1956) 35 by Estella R. Pomroy Mary Elizabeth Behner Christopher (1906- ) 47 by Bettijane Burger Elizabeth Kee (1899-1975) 61 by William H. Hardin Naomi M. Garrett (1906- ) 73 by Ethel 0. Davie Ann Kathryn Flagg (1924-1970) 37 by Leonard J. Deutsch Rebecca Tendael Wood Littlepage (1824-1896) 101 by Dolly Sherwood with Joanne Hartman Agnes Greer (1880-1972) 117 by Sandra Law Metheney Anna Maria Reeves Jarvis (1832 -1995) 129 by Estella R. Pomroy Minnie Holley Barnes (1899- ) 139 by Sally Sue Witten West Virginia Farm Women's Clubs (1914- ) 151 by Shirley C. Eagan Gertrude Humphreys (1895- ) 165 by Margaret Phalen McKenzie Genevieve Starcher (1902- ) 177 by D. Banks Wilburn and Delmer K. Somerville Ruth Ann Musick (1897-1974) 191 by Judy Prozzillo Byers Editor and Author Biographies 205 5 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The West Virginia Women's Commission and the West Virginia Women's Foundation wish to express appreciation for the continuing interest, support, and contributions of many individuals to this project. Jean Ambros ,, Dr. Harry Brawley, Jim Comstock, Dr. Joyce East, Kitty Frazier, Evelyn Harris, Nancy Matthews, Dr. Dennis O'Brien, Dr. Judith Stitzel, and Dr. Otis Rice were members of the Humanities Committee and often served as humanities scholars for community presentations. Special thanks are given to: Dr. Brawley, Dr. East, Ms. Frazier, Ms. Matthews, and Dr. Rice for editing; David Holdzkom for technical assistance with the copy; Dr. Frances Hensley for serving as historical and project editor; Jean Beasley, Jane Farmer, Ruth Goldsmith, Marjorie Oakley, Becky Romero, and Peg Wilkinson, Commissioners of the Women's Commission, for proofreading; and Dr. Charles Daugherty and Susan Kelly of the West Virginia Humanities Foundation. This project was partially funded by the West Virginia Humanities Foundation and the West Virginia Federation of Business and Professional Women's Clubs. 6 i PREFACE In Search Of The Missing The essays in this collection chronicle the contributions of West Virginia women in indo, idual and group endeavors spanninga period from 1824 to the present. Because the contributions of these women are absent from previous histories of West Virginia(1), their stories truly constitute "missing chapters" in the state's history. In their absence from written history, these West Virginia women share a condition with their sisters in the other 49 states, and, inoeed, in the rest of the world. Traditional history, with its focus on politics, diplomacy. war, and great economic change, has been the province of a few "great men." Not until the development of social history as a legitimate specialty within the discipline did historians begin to challenge this narrow interpretation of history. By ceasing to focus exclusively on the famous and the infamous, on the exploits on the battlefield and deliberations in high office, social historians began to explore the entire range of human enterprise. As a result, they discovered the variety that has characterized the American experience and shaped the unique development of the nation. Slaves, shopkeepers, immigrants, farmers, and laborers are among those whose contributions to and experiences in American society have been scrutinized by social historians. And yet, even in these laudable efforts to offer a more balanced historical picture, the emphasis has generally been on working-class males. The unique contributions and experiences of women remained "hidden from history" until the emergence of women's history as a separate and distinct specialty.(2) Traditional historians defended their exclusion of women from written history by claiming that there were no women involved in the significant events in American history. Indeed, one historian claimed that history has been "pretty much a stag affair."(3) Spurred on by the interest generated by the rebirth of the women's movement in the 1960s, some historians began to reject the traditional definition of historical "significance," especially in relationship to the experiences of women in American history. In addition to establishing the credentials of women who were prominent (although mostly unrecorded) figures in America's past, women's historians claim significance for the non-famousthe female counterparts of the social historians' "common man." To establish the significance of women who were not public figures, historians of women have stressed the historical importance of pre- dominantly female occupations (nursing, teaching, textiles) and female- dominated inst itutions (family, church) and activities (charitable organi- zations, coin' unity service). Indeed, some historiansuse the term 7 ii "women's culture" to describe the predominantlyfemale milieu in which most women throughout American historyhave lived and worked.(4) This women's culture, defined and shaped by women,encompassed the contemporary societal demands regarding women'sroles, responsibilities, and restrictions. Within this culture, separatefrom but parallel to the prevailing patriarchial society, women exerted considerableinfluence on their families and communities. From theperspective of the women's culture, women were not passive, in spite of thelegal and economic barriers to their full and equal participationin American society. Although one must be careful not to exaggerate the powerand autonomy women derived from the women's culture, the concept is useful inplacing the experiences of many women in historical context. The West Virginia women whose lives are chronicledin the following pages fit both definitions ofwomen's significance in history. The contributions of some of the women were in the realmof traditional "feminine" pursuits identified with women's culture; thecontributions of others were made in the professional and publicfields. The primary identification of women throughoutAmerican history, and the nucleus of women's culture, has beenthat of wife and mother. Society has traditionally designated home management(and often home industry)