The Adelaide Branch Biography Project


News banner, December 27, 1913
News banner, December 27, 1913

Click here for more information on a forthcoming biography by Tom Rue of the life of Progressive Era public school teacher and feminist writer, Adelaide M. Branch (1873-1948); how and why she changed her name in 1914 to Mary A. Douglas, a free-thinking woman whose life was changed by traumas. She didn't just survive, but flourished as an independent feminist author based in New York City and later in Washington, DC, with the mentorship and aid of Upton Sinclair and others who were prominent in the progressive movement of the time, as well as of the James N. Jarvie Commonweal Service later in her life.

Where There's A Will...

HONESDALE, PA — August 8, 2026 — Wayne County Historical Society (WCHS) Executive Director Carol Dunn (left) and WCHS Archivist Sarah Swendson (right) met today with donor Tom Rue (center) for the signing of a deed of gift conveying a contemporaneous Register-certified copy of the 1813 Last Will and Testament of Delaware River pioneer Daniel Skinner Sr. Purchased by Rue on eBay to protect it from private collection loss, the 213-year-old manuscript is notable for its clear federal-era penmanship by county register Eliphalet Kellogg and its three-dimensional embossed seal. It will now be permanently preserved in the WCHS archives, making it accessible to researchers, the public, and members of the Skinner family. Ms. Swendsen shares in the video (below) that she herself is a direct lineal descendant of Daniel Skinner Sr., her 7G grandfather.
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