Author Archives: lhsittig@verizon.net

The Criteria for a Strong Woman

Posted on April 1, 2025 by lhsittig@verizon.net

by Linda Harris Sittig April is the yearly anniversary of this blog. So, I am now embarking on year #14!  When I started the blog, I did so because I had discovered an ancestor, Ellen Canavan Nolan. In 1862, she, … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 3 Comments

Pauline Boty: Popping Art in the ‘60s

Posted on March 1, 2025 by lhsittig@verizon.net

by Linda Harris Sittig Mention Pop Art, and many people think of Andy Warhol and perhaps his Campbell Soup painting. Or Roy Lichtenstein and his bold comic book figures. But what about Pauline Boty. Who? Exactly. Pauline Boty was one … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 6 Comments

Hattie Briggs and the Women Who Founded P.E.O.

Posted on February 1, 2025 by lhsittig@verizon.net

by Linda Harris Sittig It was January, 1869. The Civil War had just ended four years earlier. While women were still decades away from getting the right to vote, educational opportunities for women were beginning to increase. January in Iowa … Continue reading →

Posted in short biographies, strong women, women who made a difference | Tagged , | 3 Comments

Penelope Barker: and the OTHER Tea Party

Posted on January 1, 2025 by lhsittig@verizon.net

by Linda Harris Sittig Many of us know about the Boston Tea Party, which took place on December 16, 1773. On that day, Patriots, known as the Sons of Liberty, disguised themselves as Indians and tossed 340 chests of English … Continue reading →

Posted in women who made a difference | Tagged , , | 13 Comments

Elizabeth Ware Packard: Silent No More

Posted on December 2, 2024 by lhsittig@verizon.net

by Linda Harris Sittig I will soon be finishing my 13th year of Strong Women in History and embarking on year number 14. That means I have researched and written on the lives of over 150 mostly unknown but powerful … Continue reading →

Posted in short biographies, women who made a difference | Tagged , , | 11 Comments

Agnès-Marie Valois: The Angel of Dieppe

Posted on November 1, 2024 by lhsittig@verizon.net

by Linda Harris Sittig Dieppe? Never heard of it? I’m not surprised. Yet, for the Allied forces, it was one of World War II’s worst military disasters. DIEPPE, FRANCE On August 19, 1942, an Allied landing force of over 6,000 … Continue reading →

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Helen Augusta Blanchard: She Sewed the Future

Posted on October 1, 2024 by lhsittig@verizon.net

by Linda Harris Sittig Image by Pexels from Pixabay BEFORE I START THIS MONTH’S STORY, I WANT TO PAY TRIBUTE TO ALL THE FIRST RESPONDERS WHO ARE STILL HELPING THE VICTIMS OF HURRICANE HELENE. I grew up in an era when many women … Continue reading →

Posted in short biographies, strong women, women who made a difference | Tagged , | 6 Comments

Nellie Tayloe Ross: How The Governor Wore Heels

Posted on September 1, 2024 by lhsittig@verizon.net

by Linda Harris Sittig As I write this in late August for the September blog, I am well aware that 104 years ago, the 19th Amendment to the Constitution was adopted, giving American women the right to vote. * Then, … Continue reading →

Posted in strong women | Tagged , , | 5 Comments

Elizabeth Van Lew & Antonia Ford: The Spies Next Door

Posted on August 1, 2024 by lhsittig@verizon.net

by Linda Harris Sittig While I research and write about Strong Women, I am always touched by how they follow their convictions even when it means trading a safe lifestyle to pursue their goals. And this surely was the case … Continue reading →

Posted in strong women, Uncategorized | Tagged | 1 Comment

Margaret Chase Smith: Not Holding Back

Posted on July 1, 2024 by lhsittig@verizon.net

by Linda Harris Sittig What if you lived during our history when political events tore the nation apart (not referring to now), and ugly rumors and aspirations ruined careers and lives? Would you have the courage to speak up? Would … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 12 Comments