Women's History Research

"A history of Kansas City would indeed be a barren chronicle without an account of the splendid spirit with which its women have, from the earliest period of its development, taken up their share in the establishment and expansion of its social and governmental activities." — Miss Anna C. Gilday from Kansas City, Missouri: Its History and Its People.

Missouri Valley Special Collections holds a wide range of reference materials on Kansas City women. For a general search, search the following Subjects and Item Types: Books, Biographies, Magazine Articles, Newspapers, Digitized Photographs and Women Who Made History Coloring Books.

Hint: If there is a particular woman you're interested in learning about, try searching their last name in the search bar.

Special Collections

Below is a list of collections that describe Kansas City women and the legacy that they left behind. Collections can be viewed in the Missouri Valley Room. Learn more about planning a visit to our research room.

Vertical Files

Files that contain newspaper clippings and general information can be viewed in the Missouri Valley Room.

Below is a curated list of vertical files for Kansas City women. You can also view our entire list of vertical files on this site.

MVSC Vertical Files

  • Atkins, Mary
  • Barnes, Kay Waldo
  • Betz, Annette
  • Bluford, Lucile
  • Brown, Esther (Mrs. Paul)
  • Canary, Martha Jane (Calamity Jane)
  • Carstenson, Blanche and Cecil
  • Chambers, Annie
  • Chick, Joseph (Mr. and Mrs.)
  • Chick, William (Mr. and Mrs.)
  • Chouteau Family
  • Civil War–Women
  • Clutter Family
  • Coates, Kersey (Mr. and Mrs.)
  • Cockefair, Mrs. Carolyn B.
  • Coe, Carol
  • Combs, Loula Long
  • Constant, Alberta Wilson
  • Cook, Daisy
  • Couzins, Phoebe
  • De Angelo, Dory
  • Dietrich, Sheila Kemper
  • Dillon, Susan
  • Dunmire, Delbert and Debbie
  • Dunn, Edna Marie
  • Earhart, Amelia
  • Esterly, Rose
  • Franklin Ada C. and Chester A.
  • Fried, Suellen
  • Graham, Alice Berry, Dr.
  • Graves, Ginny
  • Guinotte, Joseph and Aimee
  • Harlow, Jean
  • Harris, Nellie McCoy
  • Henze, Helen Rowe
  • Hill, A. Ross Mrs.
  • Hook, Mary Rockwell
  • Jepson, Sarah Turner
  • Jordon, Paula
  • Kauffman, Julie Irene
  • Kirkwood, Laura Nelson
  • Lee, Julia
  • Little Sisters of the Poor
  • Lykins, Johnston and Mattie
  • MacMorris, Daniel (Mr. and Mrs.)
  • Maye, Marilyn
  • McCaskill, Claire
  • McCoy, FamilySEEQVF
  • McGee Family
  • McIlrath, Patricia, Dr.
  • McIntryre, Minnie
  • Nielsen, Alice
  • O'Hare, Kate Richards
  • O'Neill, Rose
  • Ortmann, Henry W. (Mr. and Mrs.)
  • Pavlova, Anna
  • Peters, Nelle E.
  • Piatt, Juanita Elkins
  • Prudhomme Family
  • Rand, Sally
  • Reed, Nell Donnelly (Mrs. James A. Reed)
  • Richardson, Katherine Berry, Dr.
  • Richerson, Modesta Dorsett
  • Robidoux Family
  • Royster, William E., Mrs.
  • Satterlee, Benjamin, Mrs.
  • Shanklin, Barbara
  • Shelley Family
  • Sibley, George and Mary
  • Stackhaus, Aggie
  • Starr, Belle
  • Stockwell, Gale
  • Sykes, Velma West, Mrs.
  • Talley, Marion
  • Whitney, Carrie Westlake, Mrs.
  • Wilde, Elizabeth
  • Williams, Mary Lou
  • Women
  • Women in Business
  • Women–Missouri

Ramos Collection Vertical Files

  • Biography A-E
  • Biography F-I
  • Biography J-P
  • Biography R-Z
  • Black Women
  • Carter, Mrs. Willa
  • Cook, Mr.& Mrs. H.O.
  • Davis, Dorothy H. (Mrs. Dowdal)
  • Davis, Leta O.
  • Ferguson, Pauline
  • Franklin, Mrs. C.A.
  • Graves, Mr. & Mrs. Robert
  • Green, Martha
  • Greene, Rhonda Kaye
  • Harris, Dr. Aurellia I.
  • Hayhurst, Ella Weeks (conducted first black school in KC)
  • Henderson, Mrs. Dorretta (Local chairman of N.W.R.O)
  • Jackson, Mrs. Wilton (Della Elaine)
  • Jones, Capitola
  • Jones, Mr. And Mrs. Lige (Foster Parents)
  • Jones, Mrs. Thomas (grandchild of Frederick Douglass)
  • Jones, Pam (Dancer Representing Dance Theater of Harlem)
  • Lillard, Dorothy
  • Lindley, Mrs. Pat (black woman lawyer)
  • Locke, Ruby
  • Mayberry, Mrs. Burt A.
  • Meek, Edward & Fannie L.
  • Minor, Mrs. Irene
  • Moten, Rev. & Mrs. F.F.
  • Myers, Rev. & Mrs. S.S
  • Parks, Mrs. J. Lewis
  • Perkins, Lois Payne
  • Shaw, Olivia Watkins
  • Slaughter, Rosalee
  • Smith, Birney Father and Mrs.
  • Smith, Russel & Winfred
  • Starkes, Ardella
  • Stovall, Donnie & Marily
  • Turner, Mrs. Alonzo
  • Watrous, Mary L.
  • Wilkerson, Harriet (Former Slave)
  • Williams, Bettye Hughes
  • Williams, Hazel Browne
  • Williams, Rev. And Mrs. John H.
  • Williams, Rev. And Mrs. John W.
  • Williams, Margaret
  • Wilson, Mrs. Fannie (Former Slave)
  • Zachery, Melba

Women's Clubs Collections

"The Women's Clubs are now the intermediaries as it were, between the plane of the home and the planes of the business and the political world." — Miss Anna C. Gilday

Women's clubs gave women new opportunities to engage with the world beyond their homes. The Women's Christian Association, founded in 1870 by suffragist Sarah Chandler Coates, was the first organization of its kind in Kansas City. As the city grew, so did the number and diversity of women's organizations. In 1893, educator and activist Josephine Silone Yates founded the Women's League of Kansas City, a group of African American women dedicated to self-help and community improvement. Over time, many other clubs formed across the city, each advancing its own mission and expanding women's influence in civic life.

Below is a list of MVSC women's club collections:

Blog Posts

Below is a curated list of Kansas City women's stories written by MVSC staff. 

Genealogy Tips

The Kansas City Public Library offers access to online databases for genealogy research. Patrons living in the Kansas City area with a library card can access newspaper archives for the Kansas City Call, The Kansas City Star and Times, and other titles via Newspapers.com. Patrons will need to visit the library to access Ancestry Library Edition. Below is a list of recommendations for conducting women's genealogy research here in the Missouri Valley Room.

Maiden Names

After marriage, it was common practice for women to take up their husband's name, being referred to as "Mrs." Examples include Mrs. F.F. Moten or Mrs. J. Lewis Parks. This can make it difficult to track down the ancestry of women.

  • Search the husband's name on findagrave.com. The wife may be listed with her maiden name.
  • Search Ancestry Library Edition for a marriage certificate using the husband's name. The wife's maiden name will be listed on it.
  • Search our newspaper databases for a wedding announcement using the husband's name. The wife's maiden name may appear in it.
  • Search our newspaper databases for an obituary with the husband's name and the term "Mrs." in front of it. Example: "Mrs. Birney Smith."

Education

The Kansas City, Missouri Public School Collection (SC 23) is housed at Missouri Valley Special Collections in addition to information on private schools in the area. We also have a wide range of yearbooks and school newspapers.

Occupations and Clubs

Was your female ancestor working and/or had an active social life? When piecing together their story, it can be easy to overlook the places and activities that were important to their livelihood. Here is how you can find more information at Missouri Valley:

  • Check Ancestry Library Edition for census records and directories to see if it lists an occupation.
  • Search their name in our newspaper databases to see if any clubs or organizations come up; Search this site to see if there's information on the clubs or organizations.
  • Some of our club collections contain membership lists. If you know your ancestor was part of a club, you can search the collection for their name.
  • Search Library Catalog to see if an organization published a book; Search to see if the organization was mentioned in a newspaper or magazine. You may also want to check out WorldCat, an online database that searches for collections in other parts of the world.

Contact Us

Need additional guidance or information? We're here to help. Please Contact us.