About This Collection
This digitized selection from the Jean Kane Foulke papers measures 1.4 linear feet and dates from 1850 to 1955, with the bulk of the materials dating from 1900 to 1920. Found within the scanned papers are correspondence, notes, news clippings, and printed materials related to Foulke’s work as a suffragist, community service leader, and organizer supporting the homefront during World War I. Correspondence and printed materials highlight Foulke’s work as a suffragist leader. From 1913 to 1920, Foulke sat on the board of both the Women’s League for Good Government and the Equal Franchise Society of Pennsylvania. She also served as chairwoman of the State Federation of Pennsylvania Women’s committee for rural women. Materials include internal organizational memoranda, membership form letters and mailings, printed ephemera, and 1920 election campaign materials. In addition, Foulke was actively involved with public health issues in Chester County, as documented by correspondence and printed material covering smallpox vaccinations, consumption, a scarlet fever outbreak, and the West Chester sewage system. Materials also document Foulke’s work with The Grange, Acorn Club, Chester County Historical Society, and College Club. Additional folders focus on women’s contributions to the war effort during World War I. These materials document the Women’s Land Army’s efforts to counteract food and farm labor shortages, women’s war work/labor, and other local safety and educational campaigns. The entirety of the Jean Kane Foulke papers is housed and available for research use at the Chester County History Center.