Category Archives: history

Cockacoeske: an Early Virginia Politician by Linda Harris Sittig

Posted on February 1, 2020 by lhsittig@verizon.net

You may be aware that the state legislature of Virginia recently voted to finalize passage of the Equal Rights Amendment, better known as the ERA. Virginia is now the 38th state to ratify the amendment that would guarantee equal rights … Continue reading →

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Grace Caudill Lucas: the Book Woman by Linda Harris Sittig

Posted on January 1, 2020 by lhsittig@verizon.net

I have always been in awe of libraries, and therefore also with librarians. From the bibliophiles of my childhood, who introduced me to Nancy Drew to the librarians of my teen years who helped encourage my love of historical fiction, … Continue reading →

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Phyliss Latour Doyle: the Knitter Was a Spy by Linda Harris Sittig

Posted on December 2, 2019 by lhsittig@verizon.net

The knitter was a spy, or the spy was a knitter? Phyliss Latour Doyle belongs to a unique group in history — steganographers, who hide secret data within ordinary pieces of everyday life, like a knitted scarf. While the term … Continue reading →

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Maggie Canavan – Third Generation in Threads of Courage by Linda Harris Sittig

Posted on October 31, 2019 by lhsittig@verizon.net

Maggie Canavan only heard about the sweatshops of Greenwich Village when she read this newspaper article on the infamous Triangle Factory fire. On a chilly March morning in 1911, 146 young women left their tenements in New York’s Lower East … Continue reading →

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Harriet Pullen Who Answered the Call of the Wild by Linda Harris Sittig

Posted on October 2, 2019 by lhsittig@verizon.net

What I have learned from the 90+ women I have researched for this blog, is that all of them faced adversity, and striving to overcome the obstacles is what forged them into becoming strong women. Harriet Pullen is no exception. … Continue reading →

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A Mother’s Day Perspective by Linda Harris Sittig

Posted on May 2, 2019 by lhsittig@verizon.net

May is the month of Mother’s Day, an appropriate time to honor mothers everywhere. But I would like to pay special tribute to those Native American mothers whose children the federal government relocated for assimilation purposes. To understand this travesty, … Continue reading →

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Gladys Vandenberg: the Final Salute by Linda Harris Sittig

Posted on June 5, 2017 by lhsittig@verizon.net

In 1948 Gladys Vandenberg was walking down a quiet lane in Arlington Cemetery with her husband, Air Force Chief of Staff Hoyt Vandenberg, at her side. During their walk, they chanced upon a funeral and saw to their dismay that … Continue reading →

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Margaret Getchell: First American Retail Executive by Linda Harris Sittig

Posted on January 1, 2017 by lhsittig@verizon.net

Most of us have visited a department store, at least once. You may be the type of shopper who darts from one section to the next, hopping on the up/down escalator or squeezing into a crowded elevator in pursuit of … Continue reading →

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Leila Denmark: A Doctor in the House by Linda Harris Sittig

Posted on January 1, 2016 by lhsittig@verizon.net

Leila Daughtry Denmark had the incredible distinction of being the oldest practicing physician in the United States when she closed her office at the age of 103. Yes, you read that correctly. But it is her full story that makes … Continue reading →

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Ann Eliza Young by Linda Harris Sittig

Posted on December 2, 2015 by lhsittig@verizon.net

This month I am highlighting a controversial woman who refused to be silenced. Ann Eliza Young went up against the most powerful man of her times. He was the leader of her church, the undisputed head of the pioneer territory, … Continue reading →

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