Emma Willard

Elizabeth Cady Stanton: A Revolutionary Life

February 22, 2026 by Editorial Staff 2 Comments

Elizabeth Cady Stanton was a singular leader, thinker, and organizer whose fight for women’s emancipation stretched from the 1840s to her death in 1902, a full fifth of America’s history. Yet her legacy is marked by controversy.

In a new biography, Elizabeth Cady Stanton: A Revolutionary Life (Basic Books, 2026) historian Ellen Carol DuBois paints a fresh portrait of this complex woman whose work helped make contemporary feminism possible. [Read more…] about Elizabeth Cady Stanton: A Revolutionary Life

The Barryville Family School for Young Ladies

April 2, 2023 by John Conway 1 Comment

Chauncey Thomas was one of the most prominent residents of the Upper Delaware River Valley in the 19th century, a successful entrepreneur who, among other accomplishments, built the first suspension bridge connecting Barryville in the town of Highland, Sullivan County, NY and Shohola, PA, and envisioned the Shohola Glen Amusement Park that was eventually built by bluestone magnate John Fletcher Kilgore and attracted tourists from far and wide.

One of Thomas’ first and most ambitious projects was undertaken with his first wife, Margaret Bross Thomas, and was ultimately unsuccessful. It was the Barryville Family School for Young Ladies. [Read more…] about The Barryville Family School for Young Ladies

Spotlight: Oakwood Cemetery in Rensselaer County

March 7, 2023 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

Oakwood Cemetery in eastern Lansingburgh, within the northeast section of the City of Troy, is a place to honor loved ones, contemplate nature, explore art and architecture, and discover the rich history of Upstate New York.

Founded in 1848, Oakwood is one of America’s largest rural cemeteries, commanding a spectacular panoramic view of the Hudson Valley with trails, ponds, and waterfalls. Oakwood’s picturesque 300 acre landscape and stately monuments make it a popular spot for runners, dog- walkers, families, nature lovers, and history buffs. [Read more…] about Spotlight: Oakwood Cemetery in Rensselaer County

Jermain Family Philanthropy Helped Shape The Capital District

September 20, 2021 by Peter Hess 2 Comments

John Jordan left Edinburgh, Scotland in 1755 arriving in White Plains, colony of New York, the same year. Edinburgh had been the family home since Jordan’s father and grandfather fled France for Scotland following the St. Bartholomew’s Day massacre of French Huguenots in the late 1600s. John struck out on his own and decided to immigrate to America.

John married Mary Ann Daniels, a young woman of Dutch descent, and in 1758 they had a son, John Jordan, Jr. With the outbreak of the American Revolution in 1775, John Jordan, Sr. and his wife left New York and helped found the loyalist colony of St. John, New Brunswick, just across the Maine border. Their 19-year-old son, John Jr., stayed behind. [Read more…] about Jermain Family Philanthropy Helped Shape The Capital District

Trailblazing Women: Emma Willard

March 16, 2021 by Editorial Staff 2 Comments

Emma Hart Willard (1787 – 1870) was a women’s rights activist who dedicated her life to education. Preceptress at Vermont’s Middlebury Female Academy as a teenager, she founded Troy Female Seminary in 1814, the first school for women’s higher education (renamed Emma Willard School in 1895). [Read more…] about Trailblazing Women: Emma Willard

Emma Willard

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