By Rick Geffken
There will be a spotlight on the history of notable Monmouth County women at the county’s annual Archives and History Day, to be held Saturday, Oct. 12 at the Monmouth County Library Headquarters in Manalapan.
“Four Centuries of Monmouth County Women” will focus on extraordinary women, said Christine Giordano Hanlon, Monmouth County clerk, some of whom had an impact on the women’s suffrage movement will be highlighted.
“These presentations will provide great background to accompany this year’s Archives and History Day catalog which profiles more than 50 notable Monmouth County women with a wide variety of achievements,” said Hanlon. Archives Day brings together researchers, scholars and historical society members from many of the 53 municipalities in the county. With backgrounds as professional genealogists, amateur historians, authors and writers, the group discusses new findings, books and events of various historical topics. The informal discussions are lively and the featured speakers and break-out sessions are well-attended.
Walter D. Greason, associate professor and chair of the department of educational counseling at Monmouth University, will lead the first public program at 9:30 a.m., From the Pines to the Waves: Wealth, Leadership and Historic Preservation. The presentation will focus on the economic patterns of land-use and local governance, especially those in Monmouth County, that have historically shaped New Jersey.
At 10:45 a.m., Melissa Ziobro, specialist professor of public history at Monmouth University, will focus on the marriages between American women and men of European nobility during the Gilded Age in her presentation, American Women and Royal Marriages: New Jersey’s Real-Life “Lady Coras.” Ziobro has been studying the history of these so-called “dollar princesses” for several years. Among them was the 16-year-old Florence Hazard from Shrewsbury who married an Austrian price in 1899.
The day’s final presenter will be Carol Smith Levin, performing at 1 p.m. as Lillian Feickert, an early president of New Jersey Woman Suffrage Association. Her presentation will focus on the suffragists’ sustained efforts to restore women’s voting rights and their involvement on the national stage.
The event is free and open to the public. Attendees can purchase books, historical maps and other documents, in many cases directly from the authors and creators.
The complete Archives Week program can be viewed online at the Monmouth County Clerk’s Archives Division at monmouthcountyclerk.com/ archives.
