When men in the colonial militia went off to fight in the American Revolution, the women took on many roles at the homesteads. But these stories are little known tidbits of history.
Now, three modern Gloucester women have embarked on a project to highlight stories of real historical Gloucester women who lived during the Revolution.
“After working with middle school students for many years and with recognition of the 250th anniversary of the Revolutionary War, we had an idea to create a series of videos about the women of Gloucester that were left here when the men went off to war, especially since what is taught in school is mostly about the war and soldiers,” Cindi Williams said.
Williams, along with Carol Kelly and Melissa Hobbs, are members of the Gloucester Cemeteries Advisory Committee. They, along with Kathy Clark, have been sharing the untold stories of Revolutionary War women during cemetery tours and at the Sawyer Free Library, and now they want to share their research with students in Gloucester schools.
The educational video project, titled “We Were There,” is being designed, along with curriculum connections, to help students discover the vital roles local women played during the Revolutionary War period. They will try to connect students to accessible historic sites throughout Gloucester where the stories of the women can be found.
“Their roles often are invisible in traditional history texts but there are traces still visible today in our cemeteries and historic sites,” noted Williams, a retired Sawyer Free librarian. “I feel that the eighth-grade girls would particularly benefit from seeing the roles women played.”
The plan is to offer the video to eighth-grade teachers and any other interested educators.
The video will portray five women speaking about their experiences. Cape Ann Media Productions, with Jim Capillo, is producing the video with a grant from Awesome Gloucester. When the video is finished, a copy will be given to the Sawyer Free Library and offered to Gloucester educators. Hobbs, along with her husband Russell, have created other historical presentations, notable for their research and community-based topics.
With the cooperation of Cape Ann Museum, a recent video shoot took place at the White Ellery House which dates to 1710.
It features Hannah Byles, portrayed by Clark. Byles’ gravestone is at the West Gloucester Trinitarian Church where it is preserved along with several others from the Second Parish Cemetery.
Besides Hannah Byles, the other women portrayed in the video are Hannah Fuller, played by Kelly; Lydia Giddings Foster, played by Hobbs; Rebecca Ingersoll, played by Julie Travers; Martha Babson Saville and daughter Martha, played Erica Bavaro and Arlo Ayer, respectively.
“While most Revolutionary War history focuses on men’s battlefield experiences, this project illuminates the essential contributions of Gloucester women who kept households, businesses, and communities running during wartime,” according to the Awesome Gloucester grant application.
One goal of the project is to help students, especially young women, see themselves reflected in Gloucester’s historical continuum.
Gail McCarthy may be contacted at 978-675-2706, or gmccarthy@northofboston.com.