Update from MA Alum Whitney Snow

The history department is pleased to have received an update from alumna Whitney Snow, MA 2008, who is now pursuing a PhD at Mississippi State University in the fields of Nineteenth-Century United States, Post-Civil War South, Women's Studies, and Agricultural/Rural/Environmental History.

Whitney has served as Teaching Assistant for two Early U.S. courses and one Modern U.S. course and as instructor of record for one Modern U.S. course.

She also had an article published: "Slave Owner, Slave Trader, Gentleman: Slavery and the Rise of Andrew Jackson," The Journal of East Tennessee History 80 (2008): 47-59. Pictured here is an image of Andrew Jackson published in the article.



We are very proud of Whitney and wish her much continued success!

Congratulations to Fall 2009 History Graduates

The history department congratulates its most recent graduates, who received their degrees Friday December 18 and Saturday December 19, 2009. Alan Backer received an MA degree in History, and William "Bill" Bailey III, Alyson Buck, Rachel Hillman, Lewis Martin, Elizabeth "Beth" Simmons, Casey Smith, Dawn Suiter, and Christopher Weed received BA degrees in history, with Hillman, Martin, Simmons, and Suiter receiving Class B, History and Social Sciences, Grades 6-12 teaching certification.



Pictured here are Rachel Hillman with her daughter, Dawn Suiter and Beth Simmons, and Bill Bailey at the Liberal Arts commencement ceremony.

Congratulations to Sam Thomas on New Publication on Midwives

The history department congratulates assistant professor Sam Thomas on his new article, "Early Modern Midwifery: Splitting the Profession, Connecting the History," published in the Journal of Social History 43, No. 1 (2009): 115-38.

In this article, Sam analyzes documents from church courts to demonstrate that in early modern England a midwife's social status was key to her success as a medical practitioner. The wealthier a woman was, the better she could do the work of a midwife. He also examines changing perceptions of midwifery, arguing that in the early 1700s men and women began to view midwifery as a science, and thus a field for men rather than women.

See here a document that Sam interprets, an affidavit claiming that a midwife is 'ordinarily addicted to Lyeing, sweareing, and cursing.'

Alumnus Susanna Leberman publishes book of love letters

Susanna Leberman, who received both her BA and MA degrees from the department, recently edited a booklet of letters showing the life of Mabel Hughes, a local school teacher. Susanna found the letters while working at the Huntsville-Madison County Public Library. The letters are from two of Mabel's beaus, who were "wooing her by mail." The letters, which include several from a sailor in the merchant marine, reveal amazing passion and show the literacy of a bygone era. Susanna added a narrative that puts the letters in the context of life in Huntsville in the early decades of the 20th Century and selected photos. Mabel's story became part of a recent theater production at Merrimack Hall; Susanna was a historical consultant for the play. You can buy the book at the main branch of the library in the archives on the third floor.

Ancestry.Com Grant for "Real People, Real History" Public History Project

The department congratulations professor John Kvach on receiving an "Ancestry Institution" award to support the "Real People, Real History" public history project on the Civil War in Madison County, funded in part by the History Channel. For more on this project, see the below blog entry .

The grant will give all 250+ local high school students as well as the UAH students involved in the project full access to Ancestry.com. This award will allow students to explore census, land, legal, local, military and personal records and newspapers. The award is worth $155.40 per person for the year and there will be about 265 people associated with the project, bringing the value of the award in terms of services provided to $41,075.

Congratulations to Dr. Kvach and his public school and library colleagues. We look forward to seeing the end result of this exciting endeavor!

Fieldnotes from History Alum and Fulbright Scholar Jennifer Staton

The history department was very proud of Jennifer Staton, class of 2009, who won a highly-competitive Fulbright fellowship to work as an English Teaching Assistant in Germany for academic year 2009-2010.

Since early September, Jennifer has been teaching at the Grundschule Klein Hehlen (a primary school), in the city of Celle, helping with the English classes of grades
1-4.

In an email to the UAH history department, Jennifer reports that, “It's so much fun, even though I don't believe I'll ever be able to fully understand Kinderdeutsch. The children seem to look forward to my visits to their class, and I'm instantly recognized by them when I'm out in the courtyard (and then some; I must get "I saw you yesterdaaaay!" at least once a day, since they see me walking in the afternoons). It makes me feel like I must be doing something right while TA-ing, since they are fairly proficient at learning the lessons. The teachers are also friendly and obliging, and the headmistress, Frau Katrin Doehrmann, has especially made me feel welcome to the school (she also teaches four of the English classes I assist). Everyone has helped me so much.”



Jennifer, reflecting on her time at UAH, stated that, "Being a part of the Fulbright program is definitely a life-changing experience, but I look back on the application process at UAH and still thank everyone involved in this grant. This includes the History Department. . . . Even though I'll change in many ways because of this grant, I won't forget the great experience I had as a history undergrad at UAH."



Pictured here see a photograph of the town of Celle featuring the bicycles everybody rides; a picture of the Grundschule Klein Hehlen; and a picture of Jennifer enjoying herself in her free time in Germany.

We wish Jennifer continued success during her year in Germany!

Huntsville Times Article on Dr. John Kvach's History Channel Grant

The Huntsville Times recently published an article detailing the work of assistant professor John Kvach, in cooperation with area secondary school teachers, the Huntsville Public Library, and UAH and high school students, to document the history of the Civil War in Madison County, Alabama. The project was one of 11 projects chosen out of 535 applicants for funding by the History Channel.

For furthur details, please see the Huntsville Times article and the blog posting below from 31 July 2009.

Pictured here see John with his sons Tom and Ben.

We look forward to seeing how this project evolves and applaud the cooperative effort involving so many facets of the historical community in Madison County, Alabama.

Book on Civil Rights Movement Published by UAH History Alum John W. McKerley

John McKerley, one of our graduates who earned a Ph.D. in history from the University of Iowa in 2008, has co-edited his first book, Foot Soldiers for Democracy: The Men, Women, and Children of the Birmingham Civil Rights Movement, through the University of Illinois Press. Dr. McKerley is a member of the faculty of the University of Maryland in College Park, where he is a faculty research associate and assistant editor of the Freedmen and Southern Society Project.

Pictured here see John and his wife Heather after his dissertation defense.

Congratulations, John!