Janet Sheeres: The Wives (and Lives) of Early Dutch Pastors

Grand Rapids Public Library 111 Library NE, Grand Rapids, MI, United States

Join us for a riveting account of the stories of early local pastors’ wives! When Janet Sjaarda Sheeres was editing a 700-page tome on early synod minutes of the Christian Reformed Church (1857-1880), she realized that she had waded into an all-male world, where women’s concerns were seldom considered and their stories never recorded. Sheeres immediately […]

THE SECOND LINE OF DEFENSE: GRAND RAPIDS WOMEN AND THE GREAT WAR

Meeter Center Lecture Hall

Calvin College History Colloquium! Upon U.S. entry into WWI, national women's groups transformed their organizational structures for war work. Grand Rapids women were among midwestern leaders whose pioneering efforts have been too long neglected. Get ahead of history--credit them!

Elaine Weiss – The Woman’s Hour: The Great Fight to Win the Vote

Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum

The nail-biting climax of one of the greatest political battles in American history; the fight to ratify the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, granting women the right to vote. Following a handful of remarkable women who led their respective forces into battle, along with appearances by Woodrow Wilson, Warren Harding, Frederick Douglass, and Eleanor […]

Bring Your Ancestors to Life with Archival Resources

Grand Rapids Public Library 111 Library NE, Grand Rapids, MI, United States

Discover how to use archival collections to go beyond basic facts and dates and learn more about who your ancestors were. Julie Tabberer will illustrate how to think creatively and find primary sources that may contain unexpected information. Archives hold unique and rich material that can be particularly helpful for researching women and people of […]

History Detectives: Sleuthing for Local History

Grand Rapids Public Library 111 Library NE, Grand Rapids, MI, United States

A day-long event made up of six programs exploring various aspects of Grand Rapids history. Presented by area historians and members of historical and cultural organizations, topics are varied and reflect the unique heritage of West Michigan. Topics include: Lawrence C. Earle is Grand Rapids’ First Artist African American Women in Turn-of-the-Twentieth Century Grand Rapids […]

“INTELLIGENT SAINTS”: THE BENEVOLENT ORIGINS OF HOSPITALS AND NURSING IN GRAND RAPIDS

Meeter Center Lecture Hall

Known for its thriving medical institutions, it may surprise many that the very existence of a medical field in Grand Rapids is the result of the efforts of three different groups of charitable nineteenth-century women. Founders and leaders of medical charities in this city’s early history, these women were gradually pushed from the center of […]

Second Line of Defense: Grand Rapids Women and the Great War

Lowell Area Historical Museum

You have another chance to catch this program and its tremendous visuals! World War I had a surprising impact on women and they, in turn, had tremendous impact on the war -- far greater than is generally known. This program will tell the story of American women as citizens during the largest wartime mobilization of […]

GGRWHC Annual Reception!

John F. Donnelly Conference Center at Aquinas College

Then & Now: The 2018 Completion of a 1918 Collection Join us for our signature women's history month event - the GGRWHC reception and brief annual meeting! Mingle with friends new and old during our cocktail hour, get an update on our year-in-review, and stay to learn about and celebrate the work behind the now-digitized […]

“The Abandoned Bride” – A Documentary

Grand Rapids Public Library 111 Library NE, Grand Rapids, MI, United States

Twenty years after their Grandfather Del Havens died, sisters Lynne Doele and Dr. Deb Havens discovered a secret that stunned their entire family: a box of pictures and post cards from their grandfather’s post-World War I service in Europe. Among them were sad messages from a mysterious woman named Dora Gallner, claiming to be his […]

Fifth Annual Midwestern History Conference

Ralph W. Hauenstein Center, GVSU downton campus

Once again we will present at the MHA Conference. Admission is free, open to the public, and includes a complimentary lunch on both days - click here to RSVP. Our programs this year conclude a three-year GGRWHC project illustrating women's initiatives to register women for work during WWI and to create a home defense. Most […]