Your Most Obedient & Humble Servant: A Women's History

Woman's Political Future - An Address by Frances E. W. Harper to the Chicago World's Fair, 20 May 1893. In which Harper champions morality, civil rights, and civic duty in Jim Crow America.  Featuring Chole Porche, Ph.D. candidate in the Corcoran Department of History at the University of Virginia. Your Most Obedient & Humble Servant is a production of R2 Studios, part of the Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media at George Mason University.  Find the official transcript here. 

Martha Washington to Eleanor Parke Custis, c. February 1797. In which Washington warns her granddaughter that her dress may not arrive from Philadelphia in time for a Virginia ball.  Featuring Dr. Alexandra Garrett, Assistant Professor of History, St. Michael's College. Your Most Obedient & Humble Servant is a production of R2 Studios, part of the Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media at George Mason University.  Find the official transcript here. 

Deposition of Phillis Tatton, 3rd November 1837 In which Phillis Hinkley Saunders Tatton appeared before the County of Probate in the state of Connecticut in an attempt to secure a pension for her late husband’s service during the American Revolutionary War.

Elizabeth Willing Powel to Elizabeth Parke Custis, February 28, 1816. In which Powel advises Martha Washington's pro-French granddaughter to avoid talking about politics with pro-British family members.  Featuring Samantha Snyder, Research Librarian & Manager of Library Fellowships at the George Washington Presidential Library at Mount Vernon, and Dr. Cassandra Good, associate professor of History at Marymount University and author of First Family: George Washington's Heirs and the Making of America (2023).  Your Most Obedient & Humble Servant is a production of R2 Studios at the Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media at George Mason University. 

Phillis Wheatley to Obour Tanner, October 30, 1773 in which Wheatley discusses faith, her book, and a trip to England. 

Abigail Adams to John Quincy Adams, 16 Febuary 1786. In which Abigail reports from London to her son on dining with wealthy South Carolinians and the tribulations of her daughter Nabby in matters of the heart. Featuring Dr. Miriam Liebman of the Massachusetts Historical Society.  Note: The quoted letters referenced in this episode are available as follows: Abigail Adams to John Quincy Adams, 16 February 1786. Adams Papers, Digital Edition. Massachusetts Historical Society.  Abigail Adams to John Adams, 22 September 1774. Adams Papers, Digital Edition. Massachusetts Historical Society.  Abigail Adams to John Adams, 31 March - 5 April 1776. Adams Papers, Digital Edition. Massachusetts Historical Society.  Abigail Adams to John Adams, 23 December 1782. Adams Papers, Digital Edition. Massachusetts Historical Society.  Abigail Adams to Mary Smith Cranch, 15 August 1785. Adams Papers, Digital Edition. Massachusetts Historical Society.  Abigail Adams to Elizabeth Shaw, 4 March 1786. Adams Papers, Digital Edition. Massachusetts Historical Society.  Abigail Adams to John Adams, 23 May 1794. Adams Papers, Digital Edition. Massachusetts Historical Society.   

Elizabeth Mason to Mary Barnes Mason, 3 March 1811. In which Elizabeth attempts to update her daughter Mary on the latest news from home while her family distracts her.   

Lady Georgiana Spencer and Caroline Howe, a series of correspondences. In which they discuss Lady Spencer’s gambling problem. Kathryn Gehred is joined by early American historian and Fellow of the Royal Historical Society of Scotland Dr. Julie Flavell. 

Sarah E. Nicholas to Jane H. Nicholas Randolph, March 30, 1821 In which Sarah E. Nicholas writes to her sister Jane H. Nicholas Randolph about an incident in the streets of Baltimore. Kathryn Gehred is joined by Amelia Golcheski, the CEO and Executive Director of the Cashiers Historical Society.

We are excited to announce that on September 19 Your Most Obedient & Humble Servant will be back with a new season. We found some great letters to share with you this season that highlight the extraordinary wit of women in the 18th and early 19th centuries. Subscribe wherever you get your favorite podcasts. For more information or to catch up on past episodes, visit www.R2Studios.org.   

Eleanor Parke Custis (Lewis) to Elizabeth Bordley (Gibson), 14 May 1798 In which rumors are dispelled, patriotic songs are sung, and girls draw on large mustaches with burnt cork. Many thanks to returning guest Samantha Snyder for coming on the show to talk about this letter! Note: at the time of recording neither Samantha nor my book had come out yet. Now both of them have! Please do check them out. Thank you for your patience while I worked on this episode! Brady, Patricia. George Washington’s Beautiful Nelly: The Letters of Eleanor Parke Curtis Lewis to Elizabeth Bordley Gibson, 1794-1851. Expanded ed. edition. Columbia, S.C: University of South Carolina Press, 2006. “Founders Online: From George Washington to George Washington Parke Custis, 15 A ….” University of Virginia Press. Accessed November 8, 2022. http://founders.archives.gov/documents/Washington/06-02-02-0165. “Founders Online: To George Washington from George Washington Parke Custis, 2 Ap ….” University of Virginia Press. Accessed November 8, 2022. http://founders.archives.gov/documents/Washington/06-02-02-0148. The Papers of Martha Washington. Accessed November 8, 2022. https://www.upress.virginia.edu/title/5473. Women in George Washington’s World. Accessed November 8, 2022. https://www.upress.virginia.edu/title/5720.

The travel diary of Elizabeth House Trist, 1783.  In which Elizabeth House Trist records her journey down the Mississippi River in 1783.  In 1783, Philadelphian Elizabeth House Trist left for Pittsburgh, beginning a journey that would take her down the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers hoping -- after seven years of separation during the Revolutionary War -- to reunite with her husband in Natchez. Trist's travel diary, created at the request of Thomas Jefferson, is the earliest known record of a Mississippi River expedition by a woman. A full 20 years before Lewis and Clark recorded their journey through the same waters, Trist filled her journal with natural history observations not only of the landscape, geography, weather, plants, and animals she encountered but with vivid descriptions of the people she met along the way. Trist's eventful journey was full of hardships and adventures -- including waist-high snow, muddy and icy roads, cramped living conditions, treacherous waters, a whirlpool, mosquitos, and a possible encounter with an alligator. In this episode of In the Course of Human Events, Monticello Guides Lou Hatch, David Thorson, and Holly Haliniewski recount Trist's travels, why Jefferson considered her “amongst my best friends,” and share details of her adventures and the series of tragic deaths that led her to life as one of Monticello's long-term guests.

Phoebe Pemberton Morris to Rebecca Wistar Morris Nourse, 28 February 1812. In which Phoebe Pemberton Morris writes to her sister Rebecca Wistar Morris Nourse about the many social events she is attending in the Federal City, including the birthnight party for the late George Washington, thrown by his stepgranddaughters, Eliza Parke Custis Law and Martha Parke Custis Peter. At the party, Eliza and Martha wear portraits to honor Washington, some lifesize. 

Eliza Monroe Hay to King Louis Philippe of France, 1839 In which Eliza Monroe Hay, James Monroe's daughter, requests assistance from the King Louis Philippe of France because of the aid her parents provided his mother during the French Revolution. Kathryn Gehred is joined by Nancy Stetz, Education Programs Manager at James Monroe's Highland.  

Jemima Grey, Amabel Grey, and Mary Grey to Catherine Talbot, 15 November 1765 In which Jemima Grey and her two daughters, Bell who is 14 and Mouse who is 9, provide a very comical update about their life near Cambridge. Kathryn Gehred is joined by Dr. Natasha Simonova, Gwyneth Emily Rankin Official Fellow and Lecturer in English at Exeter College, University of Oxford.   

Jannote Roustant to Jean Roustant, 1 July 1745 AND Johanna Fredericha Teller to Ambrosius Teller, 28 May 1798. In which two separate women deal with the fallout of their absent husbands. I'm thrilled to post this episode that I recorded last July with Dr. Lucas Haasis (@LHaasis) and Lisa Magnin, researchers with the Prize Papers Project. This is an incredible project that is going to be a great resource for people studying just about any aspect of history. Resources: The project: https://www.prizepapers.de/ Magnin's work: https://www.prizepapers.de/stories/case-studies/case-study-french-prizes/the-amphitrion/the-diligente-1 Haasis's book: http://cup.columbia.edu/book/the-power-of-persuasion/9783837656527

Sarah Livingston Jay to Samuel Lyon, 14 Nov. 1794 In which the wife of a diplomat writes to a man about a horse, and things get REALLY messy, really fast. Many thanks to my wonderful guest, Robb Haberman, for talking about this letter with me! Further Reading: The letter: https://exhibitions.library.columbia.edu/exhibits/show/john_jay/item/12342 The Jay Papers Volumes on Rotunda: https://rotunda.upress.virginia.edu/founders/JNJY.html The scanned, digitized Jay Papers: https://dlc.library.columbia.edu/jay

Mary Secutor to Eleazar Wheelock, 28 July 1768 In which a woman of the Narragansett tribe politely but firmly departs from Moor's Indian Charity School. Thank you so much to my guest, Dr. Ivy Schweitzer, professor of English and Creative Writing at Dartmouth College, for telling me about this fascinating letter and the wonderful Occom Circle project! Resources: The letter, Mary Secutor to Eleazer Wheelock: https://collections.dartmouth.edu/occom/html/diplomatic/768428-2-diplomatic.html Edward Deake to Eleazer Wheelock, 21 June 1768: https://collections.dartmouth.edu/occom/html/diplomatic/768371-2-diplomatic.html Wyss, Hilary E.. "Mary Occom and Sarah Simon: Gender and Native Literacy In Colonial New England." New England Quarterly, vol. 79, no. 3, 1 Sep. 2006, pp. 387 - 412.

Ellen Wayles Randolph to Martha Jefferson Randolph, 29 March 1819 In which Ellen Wayles Randolph passes quite a few judgments on some ladies in Richmond, and asks an old friend for a favor. My guest this week is the incomparable Danna Kelley, tour guide and house tour supervisor extraordinaire at Thomas Jefferson's Monticello. Further Reading: The Letter: https://tjrs.monticello.org/letter/1498 Alan Taylor, Thomas Jefferson's Education, W. W. Norton & Company, 2019. Thomas Jefferson's Granddaughter in Queen Victoria's England: The Travel Diary of Ellen Wayles Coolidge, 1838–1839 Ellen Wayles Coolidge. Edited by Ann Lucas Birle and Lisa A. Francavilla. Mary Randolph Randolph: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Randolph#:~:text=Mary%20Randolph%20(August%209%2C%201762,books%20of%20the%2019th%20century.

The Testimony of Anne Moody Part the last of Martha Washington's In-Laws! In which Anne Moody explains how she came to own so much silver plate with engravings of parrots. Also featuring: John Custis IV, and this time, he's REAL cranky. Further Reading: "an answer (incomplete) n.d., of Mrs. Anne Moody and Matthew Moody to a bill of complaint of Daniel Parke Custis in an unidentified court in Virginia." http://librarycatalog.virginiahistory.org/final/portal.aspx?lang=en-US My book: https://www.upress.virginia.edu/title/5473 John Custis to William Byrd II, 20 July 1724, ; John Custis to [Thomas Dunbar] 15 January 1724/25, in Custis, John, and Josephine Little Zuppan. The Letterbook of John Custis IV of Williamsburg, 1717-1742. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 2005, pg. 64, 68. John Custis IV Encyclopedia Virginia: https://encyclopediavirginia.org/entries/custis-john-1678-1749/ Daniel Parke Custis in Encyclopedia Virginia: https://encyclopediavirginia.org/entries/custis-daniel-parke-1711-1757/