Welcome to A Little HerStory

Women’s rights have been challenged for so long, it’s no wonder that sometimes we sometime feel less than! A few of us were talking the other day about this very thing. Husbands could have their wives committed to an insane asylum just because they didn’t approve of their feelings when expressed. Fathers, of course, were free to do the same thing if they felt inclined. It is no small wonder women learned to stifle their voice! Many women, merely on the whim of a man, were shu

Laura Smith Haviland The cause of abolition ignited her. She was on fire! Laura Smith was born in Kitley, Ontario, Canada, on September 20th 1808. The little Quaker family moved to Lockport, New York, when Laura was just a baby. She grew up in a strong Quaker environment that supported the education of women and other Quaker tenants. While Laura did not have a formal education, an extraordinarily forward-thinking position in an age when most individuals were illiterate, and p

Math is not my forte. I struggle with it, always have. But when the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) movement took off, I was working at South West Open School (SWOS). I didn’t think it would help me attain better math skills, but I saw young women’s eyes light up when they realized they could excel in these formerly male career choices. Some women have always excelled in these fields, but they have remained obscure. These fields have been a closely guarded m

I had never heard of this woman until a wise and learned friend brought her to my attention yesterday, and needed to know more! With a little research, and this is what I found. I want to share it with you this morning. Rosalie Barrow Edge was born on November 2, 1877, in New York City, to Mabel Rosalie Barrow, the daughter of John Wylie and Harriet Bowen Barrow. Her father, an accountant and cousin to Charles Dickens, whom he resembled. Her mother was related to Kiliaen van