Today kicks off Women’s History Month, which is celebrated throughout the month of March. Nobody can work on their family history and genealogy and not be confronted with the imbalance between the history of men and the history of women. The mere fact that women are so difficult to find because of the historic practice of taking on their husband’s surnames is enough, but there are other factors, as well. For instance, I only have to examine the history of my own ancestors to see that European and American women, until fairly recently, worked at outside jobs but their occupations rarely resulted in careers. Sometimes they worked outside the home for decades, but often, once women married, they quit their jobs and began to have children.
When I wrote the poems and short stories in my chapbook Kin Types I consciously tried to bring the lives of these “invisible” women to life. Here is a 53 second video my daughter made of the book last summer.
As you probably realize, the research and the writing itself was a labor of love. The book is available through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Finishing Line Press. If you click through the next image, it leads to the Amazon site.
There are other wonderful poems about women and history. Here is a favorite poem by the late great Adrienne Rich. I am only posting the beginning and then you have to follow the link for the rest because WordPress does not allow for the specific formatting that some poems need.
This poem investigates the life of Caroline Herschel, the younger sister of astronomer William Herschel. Although she had to do a lot of her brother’s bidding during her life, she eventually learned to love astronomy and became an esteemed astronomer after discovering several comets. There are an unknown number of women like this throughout history because most of them were not rewarded during their lifetimes as Caroline Herschel was. For instance, how much did Vivian Eliot help her husband T. S. Eliot with his writing? Einstein’s first wife Mileva Maric was also a physicist and might have co-authored the Theory of Relativity with Einstein, but she got no credit.
Planetarium
Thinking of Caroline Herschel (1750—1848)
astronomer, sister of William; and others.
A woman in the shape of a monster
a monster in the shape of a woman
the skies are full of them
a woman ‘in the snow
among the Clocks and instruments
or measuring the ground with poles’
in her 98 years to discover
8 comets
Continue here: Planetarium
The Family Kalamazoo 
Luanne, is Zudweg a family name? I found a reference in my grandmother’s scrapbook.
Oh my goodness. Zuidweg, yes. I’m sure it’s the same. That is so cool. Can you send me a pic?
how can I attach a picture?
do you want it in an email?
Yes, please! You have my email, right?
I just left a comment on Janice Webster Brown’s blog making the same point—how women’s lives were so hidden because so few had careers and were known only as wives and mothers. Whenever I do find a woman who had a career, I try to emphasize it—like with Bossie O’Brien. But alas, most of the “good” stories are about men—too far into the 20th century.
But your poems do a wonderful job of paying tribute to the contributions that women did and always have made to our society.
Thanks, Amy! It is really saddening to see how difficult it is to even “imagine” the lives of our female ancestors into life, if that makes any sense. I remember learning in history class that the whole notion of women staying home and being homemakers really only became a “thing” after WWII, but I think that is ridiculous. Over and over I see that women are listed in census reports with an occupation before they marry and after they marry they are homemakers. I suspect that some of these homemakers actually did work for pay or work in family businesses for no pay but after they married they were viewed as homemakers. Homemaking itself must have been quite the job in the days before our modern inventions. I really feel that the majority of women are invisible to us in our history. HERSTORY is what we need.
Yes, I agree! I remember reading a book in a women’s history course I took in college (the first year it was offered—and it was viewed quite skeptically by many) that described the daily life of a homemaker in the 19th and early 20th century—before there were vacuums and irons and washing machines and dryers and dishwashers—or even indoor plumbing. It was backbreaking work. Add to that cooking and preserving food and probably taking care of livestock and gardens for food, and you have one very long day. And I haven’t even mentioned caring for the brats…I mean, kids.
Oh wow, I would LOVE to take that course! I’ve never heard of anything so cool!
You mean a women’s history course? It helped that I went to a college that had been all women, though it went co-ed the year before I got there.
A course that actually handles the work women did in and around the home in those days without glossing over it.
It was a great course—that was only one of the books we read, but it’s the one that sticks out most clearly in my memory of the course. It might have been just been one essay in a collection of essays. But I remember discussing how women had to beat rugs with sticks and how I suddenly appreciated vacuum cleaners!
If you ever run across the essay, please send it to me! I would love to read it. Can you imagine all the physical labor? It’s a wonder that their biceps aren’t bulging in those old photos ;)!
I wonder if I kept that book….I will take a look. It may be yellow or turned to dust!
OOh, it would be great to find out what it is!
It’s always fascinating to learn about pioneering women in various fields that no one ever taught us about. Thanks to books like “Hidden Figures,” we’re learning all sorts of things that women did. Unfortunately, there is still a long way to go. History needs to be told and shared from all vantage points.
And I should add that I very much enjoyed reading Kin Types!
One of my favorite books as a kid was a biography of Marie Curie. But then I always loved reading biographies of women. I probably read every one of my junior high library women’s biographies! Hidden Figures, good point! I agree with you that “history needs to be told and shared from all vantage points.” Yes!
And thanks about Kin Types!
Luanne-
Enjoyed this post, as usual a great start to the day (and women’s history month). My adoptive family comprises my family tree, as I was (symbolically) “born again” when I was five, removed from the orphanage and brought into a forever family. My tribute to my adoptive parents is FROM CALCUTTA WITH LOVE, a book which is being brought back into print by Pajarito Press in 2019.
Enjoy your blog-cation!
Oh great, Elaine! When you’re ready to promote it, let me know by email, ok? I still need to read that one, but want to discuss maybe a guest blog post or interview or something for the book. I am finding a growing number of adoptees who are doing genealogical study, by the way. Sometimes they are doing their adoptive trees and sometimes they focus their work on their birth trees after getting enough information, and there are others who maintain two trees!
Wonderful post, Luanne. We have it much easier today than our female ancestors…yet we still find things to complain about. I mean really, is doing a load of laundry that difficult? Toss the clothes into the machine, pour some detergent and hit start. I remember my grandmother telling childhood stories about having to lug all of the clothes to a creek and scrub everything by hand…even in the winter. Kin Types was a great read!
That is exactly what I always think when people complain about laundry. We have it so easy if we have our own washer and dryer. Now, if you have to go the laundromat and use it yourself, that’s another matter, IMO. Hauling it in the car, finding a place to park, and all that dirt and dust everywhere, yuk. Not to mention all the change needed (I’ll bet that has changed and people use cards). Or the very scary dark basement apartment building laundry room. Hate those too. But I’ve had my own washer and dryer so long that I know I am one of the very privileged people in this world! It’s almost magical how dirty laundry is when you put it in and how it is when it comes out of the dryer! And, as Amy, mentioned, beating rugs with sticks before there were vacuums!
Thank you re Kin Types, Jill!
We are a nation of complainers! Don’t even get me started on the difficulties of loading a dishwasher…oh brother! xo
Hahaha. In this house, I am supposed to be less efficient at loading the dishwasher than my husband. That’s fine. I will let him keep reloading and then unloading ;).
But the other side of this is once it became easier to keep homes (and people) clean, the standards of cleanliness also went up, which also gave women–or their servants–more work to do.
Love getting your history specialist’s viewpoint on this! That is really something to think about. Standards of cleanliness going up. And was that driven by the ability to do so, new hygiene information, or what?
There were several things going on, depending on which era you’re discussing. 🙂
I am thinking of probably 1900 to 1960.
That’s a big time span–pre WWI era to post WWII. I think before both wars, wealthy women had servants who could keep houses clean and serve meals, but during the wars, poorer women could find jobs in factories and “war work” that would pay more. Even back in the 18th century, white cuffs and collars are a sign of gentility, even if the people themselves seldom bathed, but they had servants who could wash these items that needed to be white–and doing laundry was a back-breaking arduous chore. It was a display of gentility to have white clothing–cuffs and such. I think there is a belief in hygiene that comes in in the 19th century–“godliness is next to cleanliness,” the food reformers like Graham, cold baths, etc. And foreigners were often considered to be dirty and full of germs–and they ate weird food that was unhealthy. 🙂 The vacuums cleaners and new appliances come about in the 20th century, but I think in the post WWII period they really take off with the growth of suburban areas. So houses are supposed to be neat and clean all the time–the women doing that while the men are at work and the children at school. I think the standard for cleanliness goes up. Of course, this is the middle class. Things are always different for poor women who always work outside the home and for the very wealthy.
This isn’t a very good explanation, but I can point you to other works, if you’re interested. I also just came back from a wine tour. . .:)
Yes, things are always different for the very rich and the very poor.
It’s an odd thing about the white clothes. My paternal grandmother who would have considered herself a poor worker can be spotted in at least one photo wearing all white. Who cleaned that outfit for her? Even her shoes were white (was that even a thing?)! I’m guessing around 1920. And my mother’s relatives–I have photos of young women wearing white dresses around the same period. They did not have servants that I know about–at least there are no servants on any census records.
Well, pre-1920’s, women did wear a lot of undergarments, so those could be washed, while the dresses/outwear that then didn’t touch the skin didn’t have to be, unless they were visibly soiled. I don’t know about the white. That does seem impractical, doesn’t it? But perhaps it was summer, and so they were dressing for the season, dressed for the photos, or whatever.
It seems so impractical. In one of the photos of my grandmother in white she is wearing an apron that is the style of a smock over her dress (probably blouse–shirtwaist–and skirt). My understanding is that anybody who thought of herself as “ladylike” would wear white in summer?
Well, I guess the apron did help to protect the dress. And if you’re going to have layers and layers of fabric on in the summer, I guess white is cooler than a dark color. 🙂
And no air conditioning! 🙂
Exactly!
One of my closest friends is a direct descendant of William and Caroline Herschel, and I have known their story all my adult life… there are still connections and commemorations she and her family attend even now after several centuries…Followed up the link, thank you Luanne…
Hope you are feeling better when you’ve had a rest…
Oh my goodness, I am surprised that they are still commemorations they attend! Do you think your friend has ever seen this poem before, Valerie? I’m getting better. I just have to stay mindful and take care of my health and I’ll be fine.
So true! Women were and are the real strength. I love the trailer!
Thanks, Jennie! I will let my daughter know!
You’re welcome, Luanne!
Excellent contribution. Great choice of soundtrack by your daughter, Luanne
Thanks so much, Derrick. I like the music, too!
Great post Luanne. The you tube trailer is fabulous and I am so glad you posted it. I’d love a sequel to your book…any thing in the works?
Thank you! I’ll tell my daughter you like it! Well, my husband said that Entering the Pale should bring about Kin Types II, so who knows!
Sounds perfect!
I’m fascinated by the women who came before me. In their own small ways, they paved the way for the women of today.
They sure did!
I was reading this post the other day when one of my cats jumped up on the kitchen counter–and peed on it. I mean WTF! So, I’m just getting back to it. I think maybe I had seen the trailer before, but it’s really great. And yes, to all the stuff you said about the history of women so often being hidden–well, you know, I’ve written books about that. 🙂 And I am also fascinated by the women who came before me.
I think my mother would have liked to have gone to an art school, or recently she said she had wanted to study fashion design, but her parents thought that wasn’t practical, and sent her to a secretarial school, so she could maybe work in an office before she got married. I guess now that I think of it, immigrants probably considered that a good job for a woman, and a step up from factory or piece work. But in any case, the war came, so everything changed.
Oh no. UTI? I know that when any cat of mine has ever done such a thing (although kitchen counter is a new one, even to me hahaha) it’s a UTI or somebody is being harassed near the litter boxes. Good luck figuring it out! Thanks re the trailer–letting daughter know! I am posting this link to your books. I hope it’s a good link. I know that your books are mainly the sort people check out at the library, is that right? Are there ones that are in an affordable range? https://www.amazon.com/Merril-D.-Smith/e/B001HOHXH6
He once randomly urinated on the dining room table, and we took him to the vet’s, but there was nothing wrong. He’s not the type of cat you take to get looked out unless you have to. Hahaha. So I don’t think anything is wrong. I’m wondering if he saw another cat outside and just decided then and there to mark his territory. He’s a little weirdo. Who knows?
Thanks for the link to my books. Most of them are reference books, so they are expensive, but there are a few that are monographs or edited collections that are more affordable. I guess many are now also available as e-books, which are less expensive, too.
I need to read your work, Merril!
Your kitty is definitely a weirdo, but then, what cat is not, each in a different way ;)?! Tell him this cat lady said to knock it off!
Hahaha. I’ve been talking to him. 🙂
Good luck with that.
🙂
Thanks for sharing this post. “Kin Types” is great women’s history. Rich’s woman is more of an “exceptional woman”….and she, too, is vulnerable to invisibility. When I think of those times before 1950, say, I think of women being used up and replaced by a new model. Of course this stll happens…..
Good point. In my project I tried to capture moments in the lives of “regular” women. They were exceptional to their families and maybe their friends, but in the great scheme of the world not exceptional. They were like most of us! When you speak of women being used up and replaced, I wondered about that with Amy Cohen’s latest blog post. She’s a regular reader over here, and her exceptional! blog focuses on her mainly German Jewish family history. She shared about a woman ancestor divorcing past age 60 and he, although 18 years her senior (Amy, I hope I have that right!!!) remarried and had a child!
Good points, Luanne! It’s a wonderful gift you have of bringing your ancestors to life in poetry and also in your blog posts. Here’s to some great women, you included!
Aw, you are so sweet, Carla. Back atcha!!!! Hope I get to see you before too long!
We are still “moving,” so I am behind on all else, but happy that the home is more organized and manageable!
This is such an ordeal for you, Carla! I hope you are getting in some writing time. Or at least submissions?
I have some submissions due! Not much writing time, but small portions of time here and there. I will write an email soon with updates.
Great post, Luanne. I love the trailer too! Thank you so much for following my blog 🙂
Your blog is beautiful, Clare! Thank you–I’ll tell my daughter you like the trailer!
Thank-you so much, Luanne xo
Because I can’t abide TV, my wife and I read aloud before bed time. One of the books was ‘The Georgian Star’, by Michael D. Lemonick. It is a biography of William and Caroline Herschel. William started out as a musician, a good one. Six of his many symphonies are on a CD, ‘Sir William Herschel’ (CHAN 10048, Chandos Records Ltd), and they are quite good. After moving to England to seek a steadier income, he became interested in astronomy as a hobby. He taught himself astronomy, and telescope making. After a while his sister Caroline joined him, to escape the rather menial role that seemed to be her lot in Germany. William asked questions that no astronomer had asked before. He asked about the *distribution* of stars – he mapped the directions on the sky of all of the stars he could see, to see whether there was pattern. His was the first attempt at mapping the Milky Way a laborious task, even for just the stars that were bright enough and close enough for him to see. His novel questions re-directed astronomy, and transformed astronomy into the subject that it is today. The ‘Georgian Star’ was a name that he proposed for the planet (now called Uranus) that he had discovered, to flatter King George III. Eventually, the flattery worked: Herschel’s astronomical work was eventually funded by the King, and Herschel was able to cease teaching and composing and performing music, and could instead pursue astronomy full time. William and Caroline discovered a number of comets, some jointly, and later some discovered by Caroline individually. Herschel’s son John also became a prominent astronomer, and a later astronomer, Draper, used mainly the lists of objects mapped by William, Caroline, and John to develop the first major catalog of non-solar system objects, the New General Catalog’ (NGC). NGC numbers are still used today. For example, NGC 1265 is now known to be a supermassive black hole at the center of a galaxy; it produces two enormous back-to-back jets of untra-relativistic charged particles.
Fascinating story. Thank you for the details! I know so little about science itself, but have always loved the stories of science. So who claims the work of the Herschels–England or Germany?
England – all their astronomical work occurred there.
Thank you, thank you, thank you for this splendid kickoff to Women’s History Month! You’re the best, my friend – one of my favorite women to read and a woman I admire most of all for the honor she gives her family’s history.
Onward.
You are so kind to say that, Sheila. What a great month it is!
Luanne, thank you for the wonderful meditation on the roles and hidden history of women. Great insight! 🙂
Thanks, Theresa!
🙂