Women's History Commons^™

Cora Ann Westmoreland, Kelli Johnson

Oral Histories – NPS AACR Civil Rights In Appalachia Grant

Kelli Johnson conducting an oral history interview with Cora Westmoreland.

This oral history is part of the National Park Service African Americans Civil Rights History and Appalachia Grant Program.

"Our Women Are Made Of The Right Stuff": Gender, Politics, And Conflict In Civil War West Virginia, Amanda Romain Shaver

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

“’Our Women Are Made of the Right Stuff:’ Gender, Politics, and Conflict in Civil War West Virginia” examines the lives and contributions of white West Virginia women and argues that they were not merely victims of the war, but dynamic participants whose opinions were influential and whose actions determined the ability of both the Union and Confederate armies to wage war in Appalachia. Striking a balance between the antebellum standards of “True Womanhood” and the emerging ideals of the women’s rights movement, West Virginia women became politically engaged in both the statehood movement and the Civil War. They transformed their …

Creating A Female Athlete: The Power Of Societal Reimaging And Advertising In The All American Girls Professional Baseball League, Kaitlyn M. Haines

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The All American Girls Professional Baseball League introduced an acceptable form of female sport to the United States during World War II. The All American Girls Professional Baseball League’s feminine image and high standards of the league provided a new quality team sport that the ever popular softball diamonds of industrial recreation had failed to reach. One of the reasons for their success was the attention to detail in the visual representation of the baseball league. Appearing in a time of heightened advertising and branding, a visual representation of the League was created to fit within the societal norms of …

0770: Carrie Eldridge Collection, Marshall University Special Collections

Guides to Manuscript Collections

Carrie Eldridge is a genealogical researcher in Chesapeake, Ohio. This collection contains photocopies of many county record books of the Appalachian areas of West Virginia, Virginia, Ohio, and Kentucky, ranging from the American Revolution until the end of the Civil War. The collection also contains high quality photographs of one room school houses of Cabell County, West Virginia, an audio cassette oral history, books, and pen nibs.

To view materials from this collection that are digitized and available online, search the Carrie Eldridge Collection here.

Knights In White Satin: Women Of The Ku Klux Klan, Kelli R. Kerbawy

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The Ku Klux Klan is often thought of as a male-dominated organization; however there is evidence that women contributed to Klan efforts and participated in their own group, Women of the KKK. This study analyzes women’s involvement within the KKK during the 1920s. Women’s participation in early progressive movements, including temperance and suffrage, served as a catalyst for women’s involvement with the KKK. This paper explores women’s roles in the Ku Klux Klan as leaders within the WKKK. From earlier social movements, women gained knowledge needed to promote and expand the WKKK and other white supremacist women’s organizations. This paper …

Elizabeth Kee : A Clarion Voice Of And For The People Of Southern West Virginia 1951-1964, Shari A. Heywood

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Elizabeth Kee served as the first woman to represent West Virginia in the House of Representatives from 1951-1964. Newly available sources: taped interviews with her son, Jim Kee, from 1978 and 1980; a complete copy of Elizabeth Kee’s entries into the Congressional Record; copies of many of her “Keenotes” columns from the late 1950s and early 1960s; and correspondence between Elizabeth Kee and veterans from West Virginia from 1961-1963 allow a more complete picture of Kee to emerge. Elizabeth Kee was not only a hardworking politician, who laid the groundwork for future programs like the War on Poverty, she was …

Emily Greene Balch: Crusader For Peace And Justice, Tara S. Lambert

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Emily Greene Balch was the second American woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize and worked throughout her lifetime to better the world for her fellow humans. As one who was shaped by the Progressive Movement in both character and action, she has nonetheless never received the historical spotlight given to other workers of her time such as Jane Addams. A survivor of protest against war, she has been virtually ignored despite her many activities and writings on behalf of peace, suffrage, and social reform. Even Mercedes M. Randall, who wrote the only biography of Balch, fails to fully examine …

0698: W.Va. Chapter Daughters Of Founders And Patriots Of America Records, 1983-2000, Marshall University Special Collections

Guides to Manuscript Collections

This collection consists primarily of scrapbooks and correspondence created by the W.Va. Chapter Daughters of Founders and Patriots of America between 1971 and 2000. Scrapbooks contain photographs of members, many identified, as well as clippings about group activities. Also in the collection are treasurer records, member applications, minutes, and yearbooks and member lists from this time period.

Belles Among The Bluffs : The Experiences Of Women During The Siege Of Vicksburg, Shannon Ewing Sexton

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Throughout the retelling of the great battles and campaigns of the Civil War, there remains a voice that often goes unheard. It is the voice of those citizens who could not become political officials or military heroes but who often served their section of the country just as passionately and bravely. It is the women of the Civil War era who too often get lost amid the descriptions of battle scenes and war time politics. During the war, these women endured great loss and deprivation, which warrant their being described as "war heroes."

0681: Virginia Talbott Quay Papers, 1918-1984, Marshall University Special Collections

Guides to Manuscript Collections

This collection consists of several formats and topics of materials related to the activities of Virginia Talbott Quay, including a scrapbook of newspaper clippings dating between 1930 and 1950 about social and cultural events as well as the activities of lineage societies, including the United Daughters of the Confederacy. Other materials relate to her work with several lineage societies, including the U.S. Daughters of 1812 and Daughters of American Colonists. Also included in the collection are World War II materials such as a paper soldier cap, a pledge to sell bonds, and newspaper clippings. Other portions of the collection include …

0685: United Daughters Of The Confederacy. W. Va. Division Records, 1898-2004, Marshall University Special Collections

Guides to Manuscript Collections

Includes minutes, rosters of Confederate veterans, programs of meetings and proceedings of state conferences of women’s organization established to promote historical, benevolent, educational, patriotic and memorial objectives and honor the men and women of the confederacy.

0632: Dolores Imogene Dowling Papers, 1942-1994, Marshall University Special Collections

Guides to Manuscript Collections

Huntington, West Virginia, civic leader; Second World War veteran. Papers consist primarily of Dowling’s scrapbooks and memorabilia related to her service as an army nurse with the 1st Mobile Army Surgical Hospital (M.A.S.H.) unit; included are photocopies of certificates and letters related to her civic activities and election to the Huntington Hall of Fame.

0609: Association Of Southern Women For The Prevention Of Lynching Records [Microfilm], 1930-1942, Marshall University Special Collections

Guides to Manuscript Collections

The papers of the Association of Southern Women for the Prevention of Lynching include correspondence, reports, pamphlets, legislative materials, and meeting minutes that trace the Association’s activities to address the problem of lynching of African Americans through public education rather than federal government intervention. Each format is not divided neatly into series and is available on multiple reels. Also in the collection is a guide covering in more detail what content is on reel, titled, The Commission on Interracial Cooperation papers, 1919-1944 and the Association of Southern Women for the Prevention of Lynching papers, 1930-1942 : a guide to the …

0546: High School Bowl Questions, 1985-1991, Marshall University Special Collections

Guides to Manuscript Collections

Questions used in the local Hi-Q, or High School Bowl, competition televised locally using area high schools as contestants Dr. Cusick was a coordinator.

0535: Southern Women And Their Families In The 19th Century [Microfilm], 1694-1991, Marshall University Special Collections

Guides to Manuscript Collections

The Southern Women and Their Families in the 19th Century: Papers and Diaries Collection consists of microfilm copies of selected collections at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill’s Southern Historical Collection and the Virginia Historical Society related to southern women and their families during the nineteenth century. Topics relate to women in the South and include descriptions of plantation and family life, domestic relations, and travel, and formats include diaries, correspondence, and other papers. Given the unique and diverse nature of the materials on microfilm, the collections are unable to be completely described in the finding aid alone. The …

0528: Rick Whisman Collection, 1862-1935, Marshall University Special Collections

Guides to Manuscript Collections

Huntington, West Virginia, resident. Collection includes a Civil War letter by Charles Sayre; legal papers from the law offices of Brown & Brown in Boyd County, KY, and oversized photographs depicting the Daughters of the American Revolution and the United Daughters of 1812 Society grapples in Washington, D.C. as well as printed material.

0503: Westmoreland Chapter Nsdar Records, 1988, Marshall University Special Collections

Guides to Manuscript Collections

This collection contains the original draft and working papers for the publication, "Wayne County, West Virginia, cemeteries, vol. 1”, published by the Westmoreland Chapter of the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution. Working papers include information, inventories, and directions for cemeteries in Wayne County.

0418: Whittaker-Glanville Family Papers, 1856-1985, Marshall University Special Collections

Guides to Manuscript Collections

Papers consist primarily of diaries, newspaper clippings, correspondence, genealogies and photographs of five families: the Glanville-Carter families of St. Louis, Mo.; the Whittakers of Preble County, Ohio; Dorothy Whittaker Atkins of Huntington, West Virginia.; and the Heacocks of Bucks County, Penna.

A significant part of the collection are the diaries of Annie Heacock, a teacher at the Penn School for freed slaves in Beaufort, South Carolina, 1864-1869. Other diaries include the Civil War diary of John Whittaker, a surgeon in the 81st Ohio Volunteer Infantry.

To view materials from this collection that are digitized and available online, search the Whittaker-Glanville …

0260: Alice Blondina Carder Sauer Papers, 1855-1979, Marshall University Special Collections

Guides to Manuscript Collections

This collection is split into two series: Carder and Sauer family materials as well as materials related to Alice’s work in the Point Pleasant Chapter of the WVDAR. Some materials, such as the newspaper clippings and to a lesser extent correspondence, are mixed DAR and family materials. In box order, the collection contains the following:

Newspaper clippings cover subjects related to the Carder and Sauer family as well as Alice’s participation in the NSDAR. NSDAR participation focuses on the coordination of local and state events surround the bicentennial of the Battle of Point Pleasant as well as local history events. …

Oral History Interview: William Allen Cross, William Allen Cross

0064: Marshall University Oral History Collection

In his interview, William Allen Cross discusses Prohibition and bootlegging in Huntington, West Virginia. Mr. Cross was a theater manager for the Keith Albee Theater (referred to as the State Theater) in Huntington, WV. Although he did not make moonshine, he was a buyer during Prohibition. He discusses how bootleggers sold their whiskey and provides locations for stills. Mr. Cross also focuses on how to make moonshine, whiskey, and wine. He reminiscences about “the Strip” between 10^th and 11^th Streets in Huntington, WV, that served from 1925-1945 as a red-light, gambling, and bootlegging district. In the audio clip …

0064: Marshall University Oral History Collection, Marshall University Special Collections

Guides to Manuscript Collections

Tape recordings and transcripts of oral interviews with residents in the West Virginia-Ohio-Kentucky Tri-State region regarding such topics as farming, schools, health care, folk customs, and many others related to life in this Appalachian region.

To view materials from this collection that are digitized and available online, search the Marshall University Oral History Collection here.