Empowering Unsung Women in History
Today more than ever we understand the importance of voting in the United States. A hundred years ago, however, women were voting for the first time across the country. Some states, including California, had already given women the vote. In 1920, though, women in every state across the nation would vote. My great great grandmother,… Continue reading 100th Anniversary of Women Voting
Luis Maria Peralta Adobe, San Jose, CA San Jose is the oldest city settlement in California. It was founded in 1777 when 66 settlers were sent there from San Francisco by the Juan Bautista de Anza expedition. The Luis Maria Peralta adobe is the oldest building in San Jose. Nestled amongst high rises and trendy… Continue reading Local History: The Peralta Adobe
The Last Aloha, by Gaellen Quinn, is the story of Hawaii's last queen, Queen Liliuokalani, and the power brokers that brought her kingdom to its knees so it could become part of the United States. This is a story most people don't know. King Kalakaua, the last king and Liliuokalanai's brother, could read and write,… Continue reading The Last Aloha
This photo is of my grandfather's sisters, Ethelwyn and Gladys. I wasn't born yet when they visited in the 1950s from Scotland. This would have been nothing more than a picture of old women in my family album without my grandmother's story about them. Their brother, Aubrey, died of tuberculosis. Their parents only had enough… Continue reading Tell Your Story
American Princess: A Novel of First Daughter Alice Roosevelt, by Stephanie Marie Thornton, is the story of President Theodore Roosevelt's daughter. I admit that I really didn't know he had a daughter prior to finding this book. The novel does exactly what historical fiction should do. It takes the public record of a rebellious girl… Continue reading American Princess: A Novel of First Daughter Alice Roosevelt
