Author Description

This collection of essays chronicles the contributions of 14 West Virginia women active in individual and group endeavors from 1824 to the present. Because the achievements 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 in 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, they 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)