Women in the Revolutionary War

Most stories told about the American Revolution are of the accomplishments of men, However the war could not have been a success without the efforts of women. Women had critical roles from boycotts of British goods and manufacture of American goods to managing farms and even fighting on the battlefield.

Historians have tended to overlook the accomplishments of women and girls to the detriment of a comprehensive view of history and humankind. Often women’s stories are viewed with doubt and given little validity in comparison with stories of male accomplishments. They are overlooked, unrecorded and therefore not remembered. The truth is that men’s actions alone did not cause the American Revolution, It was with vital support from women, children, indigenous peoples, French troops and others that led to American independence.

The women who were wives of the Patriots who came to found Hudson after the war, likely made sacrifices and may have contributed to the war effort. These early Hudson women included:

• Eunice Bunker (1741-1803) former first Lady of Hudson
• Heroine Jenkins Talman (1767-1836) former First Lady of Hudson
• Lydia Hussey Coffin (1764 - 1811)
• Priscilla Brown Mirick* (1764-1834)
• Mary Rawson Allen* (1763-1801)
• Ruth Smith Dayton* (1751-1801)
• Elizabeth Greene Mansfied (1766-1831)
• Eunice Coffin Paddock (1732-1785)
• Dinah Folger Jenkins (1745 - 1821)
• Keziah Richardson Greene* (1741-1831)

*denotes they are buried in Hudson cemetery