A Common Life

Episode 51: A Voice From the Progressive Era with Sue E. Barnes

Cover of "A Common Life: a Voice from the Progressive Era" by Sue E. Barnes

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Tucked away under a layer of dust lies a stack of handwritten papers, a century old. They are disheveled, out of order, their thin corners curling up with age. Some might call them trash. But to Sue Burns, this seemingly worthless bundle of dust is a treasure - an entire life, just waiting to be told. Sifting through the now disintegrating pages, Sue pauses, running her finger across one line in particular. The words faded and smeared with age, it reads “it is but a common life.” And perhaps it was, after all, you’ve probably never heard of the woman who wrote those words. But did you know, even common lives have a tendency to be extraordinary? Let’s fix that. 

Hello, I’m Shea LaFountaine and you’re listening to History Fix where I discuss lesser known true stories from history you won’t be able to stop thinking about. This episode kicks off women’s history month here in the US and it’s going to be a little different than a typical episode. Yes, I always try to find lesser known stories to share with you rather than rehash things you’ve already heard a million times. But, this one is on a different level of lesser known. This is the story of an ordinary person, someone you’ve probably never heard of, a woman living in a particular time and place. A woman who went to great lengths to record history as it was happening to her. A common life she called it, but I think you’ll find it was anything but. 

And this is a big deal, this voice, this window into the life of someone living over a hundred years ago, most notably because she was a woman. I’ve talked about this before - how hard it is to research historical women. Their stories so often went unrecorded and their achievements, although great, were typically behind the scenes. They are not the action stars of history. They are the crew, the cameraman, the writer, the director, the army behind the scenes making it all happen. But that part isn’t in the movie. You don’t even think about it when you’re watching the movie. And that’s women’s history. When we do find some shred of evidence, something written down, it’s usually through the voice of a man, tainted somewhat by a male perspective. Think about Pocahontas and how much John Smith chose to butcher her story. Think about the wives of Henry VIII, the twisted lens through which history has cast them. Think about Ada Lovelace, if she had had her own voice, if her story wasn’t completely dampened by the men who dominated the computer science field, how much sooner would that technology have been available. Think about Hazel Scott and the way the all male panel on the House Un-American Activities Committee chose to erase her from history completely because they could, because they controlled the narrative. And think about Lisa del Giocondo, the Mona Lisa, whom we know almost nothing about save for her face painted by a man.    

So when I came across this book “A Common Life: A Voice From the Progressive Era” and I learned the story behind it, how it all came about. I had to know more. I’m in a Facebook group for finding podcast guests. I don’t get on there very often but, you know, looking for someone who’s cut open a dead body for the body snatchers episode that’s pretty niche and thank you Dr. Jeff Sankoff for responding to my post. I also reached out to find someone in the genetics or fertility world willing to talk about eugenics but it was crickets on that one. Anyway, I stumbled upon a post recently by a woman named Sue E. Burns that read quote “I'm Sue. My great-great-grandmother kept a diary from 1888 until she died in 1922 at age 79. I took her words and did a deep dive into the story behind what she wrote to create context for her diary entries. Her first-person account of her life provides a front-row seat to the pivotal time in history known as the Progressive Era. Her diary provides insights into her personal experiences during World War I, diagnosis and treatment of diseases in a pre-antibiotic era, the skills she needed to provide for herself and manage her farm after her husband died, and all the day-to-day activities required by her life. I routinely give presentations and interviews about her diary, my research into it, and the book I published that pulls it all together. I find the information appeals to those interested in womens' lives and stories, diaries and journals in general, the historical era, rural life at the turn of the 20th century, or the intersection of all of these.” end quote. And I was like, um yes, me, pick me! So I sat down to chat with Sue about her great-great-grandmother’s story and the book she wrote about it “A Common Life: A Voice from the Progressive Era” And, in honor of preserving women’s history, I’d like to share that with you today. 

[Sue Barnes interview]

I found myself quite moved by a few of the things Sue shared about Mary. Yes there were big events, the first flight and World War I, but what moves me even more is the silent struggle she faced that no one got to see. Six children in 8 years on a farm in rural Iowa without electricity or modern medicine when you, as the mother, are fully responsible for their upbringing and the management of the household. That is a powerful accomplishment. A husband suffering for years, wishing for death while you try your best to comfort him, lift his spirits, while simultaneously taking on his duties, learning how to run a farm, manage finances, still be a mother to your children who are losing their father. That is a powerful accomplishment. Struggling with your own mental health throughout all of it, struggling with depression, just waiting for heaven, at a time when it was taboo to talk openly about mental health. There was no therapy, there was just keep it to yourself or end up in an institution like your son in law.  Just keep it to yourself and survive it. That is a powerful accomplishment. There’s nothing common, nothing ordinary about any of that. 

Mary Anne Mosher Briggs was not an action star, not like Captain John Smith, King Henry VIII, Charles Babbage, or Leonardo da Vinci. Her accomplishments were behind the scenes, off camera. She raised 6 children, she kept them alive, helped shape the people they became, ran the farm that sustained them. And then those 6 children had their own children, passed all of that on to them, and so on and so on. They are us. Mary helped forge the next generations. No she didn’t run a country or paint a famous masterpiece, but her accomplishments through overwhelming struggle, her perseverance, are no less impressive. And the only reason we even know about them, is because she chose to write them down, her own form of therapy, and her great-great-grandaughter, one of the fruits of her labor, chose to preserve them and share them with the world. But there are women everywhere leading these remarkable lives. I’m a firm believer that if women stopped doing the things that they have always done, civilization as we know it would absolutely crumble. So, in honor of women’s history month I’d like to leave you with this: behind every powerful man, throughout time, stood an even more powerful woman - his mother, his wife, his daughter, whoever it may be. We don’t often get to hear their stories but rest assured, they were extraordinary. 

Thank you all so very much for listening to History Fix and a huge thank you to Sue for all she has done to share Mary’s story. If you’re interested in reading “A Common Life: A Voice from the Progressive Era,” by Sue E. Burns, you can find it on Amazon and I will link that in the description for you. Be sure to follow my instagram @historyfixpodcast to see some images that go along with this episode and to stay on top of new episodes as they drop. I’d also really appreciate it if you’d rate and follow this podcast on whatever app you’re using to listen, that’ll make it much easier to get your next fix.