National Women's History Museum - Resource for Family Historians
Biff Barnes
Sometimes junk mail can be interesting.
Recently we received a request for a donation to help construct a National Women’s History Museum on the Capitol Mall in Washington D.C. It’s a wonderful project, but what was really interesting is what already exists: The National Women’s History Museum website.
We are always looking for resources to recommend to people seeking to add depth and context to their memoirs and family histories. The National Women’s History Museum site is certainly such a resource. It defines its mission as to “…illuminate the role of women in transforming society…”
The site offers biographical sketches of hundreds of women in 28 categories. There are chronologically organized features like This Week in Women’s History and features on particular historical eras like Reforming the World: Women in the Progressive Era or Partners in Winning the War: Women in World War II.
The Museum site has a blog focusing on events in women’s history. The Most recent post is a tribute to former First lady betty Ford who passed away recently.
What I found most interesting was the interactive sections organized topically around the roles of women in society throughout our history. Women in Education, Women in Industry, Women with a Deadline: Female Printers, Publishers and Journalists, The Evolution of Nursing and Profiles in Motherhood are among the many categories.
A family historian or memoirist seeking to enrich her portrait of women in her family by providing details of an ancestor’s time and place will find this website a wonderful resource.