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Excerpts from "A Record of the Doings of the Hawley Female Charitable Society"

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In the years surrounding the Revolutionary War, Americans, and most notably women, organized themselves in unprecedented numbers. Through group action ranging from participating in boycotts to staging spinning bees, women saw their potential to impact society at large. Following the Revolution, some women wanted to carry their success forward. Like many Americans, they felt hopeful about their future and strove to improve their lives and the lives of others. As can be seen in this document, women formed societies, which like men's, drew up constitutions, elected officers, and held regular meetings. Reverend Jonathan Grout, an active member of the Hampshire Missionary Society, hosted this meeting of the Hawley Female Charitable Society at his home. This society report says the women voted to contribute money to his organization. The Hampshire Missionary Society was instrumental in assisting migrants leaving Hampshire County, Massachusetts (of which Hawley was a part until 1811) establish churches and schools in the frontier towns (like Ohio).

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