Your Most Obedient & Humble Servant: A Women's History

Phoebe Pemberton Morris to Rebecca Wistar Morris Nourse, 28 February 1812.

In which Phoebe Pemberton Morris writes to her sister Rebecca Wistar Morris Nourse about the many social events she is attending in the Federal City, including the birthnight party for the late George Washington, thrown by his stepgranddaughters, Eliza Parke Custis Law and Martha Parke Custis Peter. At the party, Eliza and Martha wear portraits to honor Washington, some lifesize.

Abigail Adams to John Quincy Adams, 16 Febuary 1786. In which Abigail reports from London to her son on dining with wealthy South Carolinians and the tribulations of her daughter Nabby in matters of the heart. Featuring Dr. Miriam Liebman of the Massachusetts Historical Society.

Note: The quoted letters referenced in this episode are available as follows:

Abigail Adams to John Quincy Adams, 16 February 1786. Adams Papers, Digital Edition. Massachusetts Historical Society.

Abigail Adams to John Adams, 22 September 1774. Adams Papers, Digital Edition. Massachusetts Historical Society.

Abigail Adams to John Adams, 31 March - 5 April 1776. Adams Papers, Digital Edition. Massachusetts Historical Society.

Abigail Adams to John Adams, 23 December 1782. Adams Papers, Digital Edition. Massachusetts Historical Society.

Abigail Adams to Mary Smith Cranch, 15 August 1785. Adams Papers, Digital Edition. Massachusetts Historical Society.

Abigail Adams to Elizabeth Shaw, 4 March 1786. Adams Papers, Digital Edition. Massachusetts Historical Society.

Abigail Adams to John Adams, 23 May 1794. Adams Papers, Digital Edition. Massachusetts Historical Society.

Eliza Monroe Hay to King Louis Philippe of France, 1839

In which Eliza Monroe Hay, James Monroe's daughter, requests assistance from the King Louis Philippe of France because of the aid her parents provided his mother during the French Revolution. Kathryn Gehred is joined by Nancy Stetz, Education Programs Manager at James Monroe's Highland.

The travel diary of Elizabeth House Trist, 1783.

In which Elizabeth House Trist records her journey down the Mississippi River in 1783. In 1783, Philadelphian Elizabeth House Trist left for Pittsburgh, beginning a journey that would take her down the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers hoping -- after seven years of separation during the Revolutionary War -- to reunite with her husband in Natchez.

Trist's travel diary, created at the request of Thomas Jefferson, is the earliest known record of a Mississippi River expedition by a woman. A full 20 years before Lewis and Clark recorded their journey through the same waters, Trist filled her journal with natural history observations not only of the landscape, geography, weather, plants, and animals she encountered but with vivid descriptions of the people she met along the way. Trist's eventful journey was full of hardships and adventures -- including waist-high snow, muddy and icy roads, cramped living conditions, treacherous waters, a whirlpool, mosquitos, and a possible encounter with an alligator.

In this episode of In the Course of Human Events, Monticello Guides Lou Hatch, David Thorson, and Holly Haliniewski recount Trist's travels, why Jefferson considered her “amongst my best friends,” and share details of her adventures and the series of tragic deaths that led her to life as one of Monticello's long-term guests.