For the Common Good:
the Women Who Shaped Our Nation
“We still--still--have too few histories and too little historical work about women. Women are always at the center of the story, though it sometimes take work to see them. This project to really see them will educate us all.” –Karin Wulf, author & historian
Launching in 2026, For the Common Good film project will tell the vivid stories of nine pioneering women who made important contributions to the founding of America. These women shaped our nation, leading the way forward as businesswomen, religious leaders, educators, and more. By embracing a fuller concept of what it took to shape our nation, we can help make our founding history more relevant, accessible, and inclusive.
Background
In the summer of 2024, the NSCDA/PA self-funded a proof-of-concept project in partnership with You’ll Never Forget Productions to uncover the lives of three founding females. This project, inspired by the NSCDA (National Society) initiative Founding Females 250 by 250 which sought to rectify a key oversight; the organization founded by women did not honor the women who helped shape our nation. The NSCDA/PA has not only embraced this Founding Females initiative but has helped lead the way forward. Since the fall of 2022—utilizing the latest scholarship and local archives—our research has resulted in the addition of 61 females (As of January 2025) added to our register of qualifying ancestors.
We have learned much in this process. Coverture Laws—English common law that considered women as first their father’s and later their husband’s property—affects the process of locating women in the historical record.
While men are conveniently listed on ship manifests, probate records, and countless documents, most often, women are not. It takes time and effort to uncover their stories.
This invisibility does not diminish their contributions. Women’s roles were far greater than generally acknowledged. For the common good, it was an accepted tradition that everyone should do her share in the economy of the community. Our first three subjects did that, and more: Sybilla Righton Masters, an inventor and first American Colonist granted an English patent, Elizabeth Coates Paschall, a healer and business owner/importer whose “recipe” book resides at the College of Physicians and Cedar Grove, her home, is seated in Fairmount Park, and Ann Wood Henry, Pennsylvania’s first female public official, serving as Lancaster Country treasurer.
"For the Common Good" Teaser Reel
Additional stories will feature women such as, Elizabeth Allibone Marsh (a premier schoolmistress known through her pupils’ extant examples of fine needlework); Margaret Mattson (whose trial, prosecuted by William Penn, is known as a turning point for women accused of witchcraft in Pennsylvania); and Dinah of Stenton (whose life—after being manumitted from the Logan family—highlights free-Blacks in Pennsylvania).
Project Advisors
Samantha Dorsey, principal Heirloom Consulting, solving cultural heritage and non-profit problems by serving as an auxiliary staff member, walking well-communicated paths toward shared goals.
Sharon Ann (Shan) Holt, PhD, Independent historian, author, and teacher who builds community connection and civic vitality around searching understandings and bold presentations of American history.
Laura Keim, M.S. Historic Preservation, M.A. Early American Culture, Stenton Curator, published scholar, and Lecturer at the Weitzman School of Design at University of Pennsylvania
Stephanye Watts, Community Engagement Coordinator Stenton/Historic Germantown, advisor to “Resurrecting Voices: The Philadelphia Black Experience” podcast.
Karin Wulf, PhD, Director and Librarian, John Carter Brown Library, and Professor of History at Brown University, author of three books, including “Not All Wives: Women of Colonial Philadelphia” (2005). Her work examines the history of women, gender, and the family in Early America.
Proof-of-Concept Partners
Historical Society of Pennsylvania (archives featured)
College of Physicians (archives featured)
Museum of the American Revolution (Matthew Skic, Senior Curator)
McNeil Center for Early American Studies (Emma Hart, The Richard S. Dunn Director)
Philadelphia Museum of Art (Alexandra Kirtley, The Montgomery-Garvan Curator of American Decorative Arts)
Newlin Grist Mill (Tony Shahan, Executive Director), filming location
A film premiere is planned for March 2026, along with a series of related events throughout 2026. If you would like to partner with us, please reach out: research@nscdapa.org
We are still fundraising! Would you like to contribute to ensure For the Common Good is available to the widest audience possible? All donations are 100% tax-deductable.
Thank You To Our Funders
