Ellen Hardin Walworth

Ellen Hardin Walworth (October 20, 1832 – June 23, 1915) 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 organization's first secretary general. She was the first editor of the DAR's official magazine, American Monthly Magazine. In 1893, during a speech at the World's Columbian Exposition (Chicago World Fair), 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 women's suffrage.

During the Spanish–American War, Walworth and other influential women established the Women's National War Relief Association to offer aid to the war effort. Walworth, the impetus behind the organization, was the Director-general of new association.

In her personal life, Walworth was a victim of domestic violence with tragic consequences when her son, Frank, killed his father after years of intervening to protect his mother. Walworth studied law to gain the knowledge to overturn the conviction of her son for killing her abusive former husband.

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.

Walworth's husband was an "unstable person" with a "violent temper" who physically assaulted her. Following the conviction, Walworth "devoted herself to securing his release which she achieved in 1877 on the ground of insanity." Walworth studied law to gain the knowledge needed in order to overturn the conviction of her son. Her paper, "Field Work By Amateurs" was presented at the August 1880 Conference in Boston and published in Proceedings of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. In the paper, Walworth passionately advocated for more popular science work done by and with amateurs, especially more participation by women.

Community service During the final decades of the 19th century and early into the 20th century, membership in community organizations was an important part of professional and social life in the United States. Being a woman, Walworth by normal conventions, was excluded from membership in many prominent organizations. To overcome this issue, women either pressed to join these organizations, or established alternative organizations. Walworth did both, with the Daughters of the American Revolution being a notable example of women creating a new organization after being excluded from membership in prominent patriotic lineage organizations. Walworth was active in the Saratoga Monument Association, and for 18 years she was the only female trustee in the organization. She was chair of the committee on tablets, and undertook the task of researching the battles and soliciting funds to place a marker at each site.

Daughters of the American Revolution After being excluded from the Sons of the American Revolution, a men's patriotic lineage organization, a group of women in the nation's capital, including Walworth, formed their own organization, the Daughters of the American Revolution, in October 1890. The memorial was sculpted by Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney and is located at Constitution Hall in Washington D.C. A marble bust of Walworth was sculpted by Adelaide Johnson and was put in Memorial Continental Hall, Washington, D.C to honor her. Walworth is included in biographic books and papers about women who were trailblazers. In 2002, Allison P. Bennett wrote a biography about Walworth called Saratoga Sojourn: a biography of Ellen Hardin Walworth. The book primarily covers the time period and events from when Walworth relocated to Saratoga with her mother, her domestic life with Mansfield, her son's murder of his father, and her mission to overturn his murder conviction. Along the way Bennett tells about the life of a woman who was ahead of her times with her interests and accomplishments as a businesswoman, writer, historian, women's rights activist, and community organizer.

The Walworth Memorial Museum is housed in the Saratoga Springs History Museum. The seven room museum includes material about the lives of Ellen Hardin Walworth and her family.