Ellen Hardin Walworth

Ellen Hardin Walworth was an American author, lawyer, and activist who was a passionate advocate for the importance of studying history and historic preservation. Walworth was one of the founders of the Daughters of the American Revolution and was the organizations first secretary general. She was the first editor of the DARs official magazine, American Monthly Magazine. In 1893, during a speech at the Worlds Columbian Exposition , Walworth was one of the first people to propose the establishment of the United States National Archives. Walworth was one of the first women in New York State to hold a position on a local board of education, a role that was frequently used to bolster the call for womens suffrage.

Ellen Hardin was born on October 20, 1832, in Jacksonville, Illinois, into the well known Hardin family of Kentucky. She was the oldest of four siblings born to John J. and Sarah Ellen Hardin. Johns father was Martin D. Hardin, a prominent statesman from Kentucky who served in the United States Senate. John Hardin was a lawyer and a member of United States Congress as a member of the Whig Party. Ellen was educated at Jacksonville Academy. Additionally, Ellen was heavily influenced by the wide supply of English literature and history reading materials which were offered in the family library. In 1846, John Hardin joined the United States Army to fight against Mexico and was killed in the Battle of Buena Vista. The family remained in Jacksonville until 1851 when Sarah Hardin married the Honorable Reuben Hyde Walworth, the last chancellor of New York State, and moved the family to Saratoga Springs, New York, to live on the family estate, Pine Grove. Many members of the Walworth family we

Source: Wikipedia