Searching for 350 American Women Volunteers

Meet historian Elodie Moriau. Elodie Moriau has conducted research for the Franco-American Museum of Blérancourt since her time at the University of Paris La Sorbonne, studying American History in 2021. For the last few weeks, she has been investigating the stories of the 350 remarkable American women who volunteered alongside Anne Morgan and joined the Comité Americain pour les Régions Dévastés (CARD – American Committee for Devastated Regions) during the First World War in France.

How did you realize there was a need to tell the stories of these 350 American women volunteers?
Elodie Moriau: The head curator of the Franco-American Museum of Blérancourt, Valérie Lagier, noticed no recent, accurate work on the subject, namely the 350 American women who came to work as humanitarian aid workers alongside Anne Morgan between 1917 and 1924. How could we still ignore these women's dedication and extraordinary work a century later? They came to France at a dismal time in its history and volunteered to rebuild the Aisne region north of Paris. They brought relief to the most devastated area by war. So, I asked questions:  Who were they? Where did they come from? What did they accomplish, and what became of them? Some of them led an extraordinary destiny. It was the case of Lucile Atcherson Curtis, the very first female diplomat at the State Department.

There were no documents left at the Château de Blérancourt?
EM: We only found some incomplete lists and the photographic archives commissioned by Anne Morgan to document their work. Unfortunately, people and places are not always identified.
I took the project head-on during my six-month internship and immersed myself in the research. I found several archival funds and launched the first set of research at major American universities such as Harvard, Yale, and Princeton. Having succeeded in recreating the genealogy of several women, I eventually met descendants who shared their grandmothers' stories with me.

What did you do with these interviews and archives?
EM: We worked on these archives in France and realized that it was our duty to pay tribute to these women. We wanted to honor their memory through an exhibition and a book to bring their stories to life to a large audience. So, the museum's centennial in 2024 will be the ideal occasion to do it.

But you are still doing research, aren't you?
EM: I found new sources that led me to this second journey.
I have also been working at the University of Kentucky over the past few weeks to refine our knowledge of the work of Mary Breckinridge, CARD's outstanding nurse and midwife, who went on to create the Frontier Nursing Service. I accessed testimonies of several people who knew Mary Breckinridge and shared CARD anecdotes. At the York Historical Society in Maine, I found the archives of Elizabeth Perkins, who worked with the CARD as a publicist and editor of the weekly "Under Two Flags" newsletter. The York Historical Society in Maine possesses all her archives and an untouched CARD uniform, which they would be delighted to lend the museum for the 2024 exhibition! They have also donated original archive items to the museum, such as unpublished photos and press clippings. The Library of Congress in Washington finally provided me with a great source of resources through newspaper articles from the period.

Did you find what you were looking for?
EM: The expectations of my trip were surpassed by these enriching encounters, as much for the possibilities and projects ahead. For example, I met Lisa Ann Britton, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, who works on the Chemin des Dames and devotes part of her course to Blérancourt and the CARD. Promoting Blérancourt and its history is one of our shared objectives: to honor the memory of these strong, committed women and to celebrate the friendship between the United States and France. This week, I will meet UPenn students at several seminars to tell them about the Franco-American Museum of Blérancourt and inspire them to join the adventure.

How did you realize there was a need to tell the stories of these 350 American women volunteers?
Elodie Moriau: The head curator of the Franco-American Museum of Blérancourt, Valérie Lagier, noticed no recent, accurate work on the subject, namely the 350 American women who came to work as humanitarian aid workers alongside Anne Morgan between 1917 and 1924. How could we still ignore these women's dedication and extraordinary work a century later? They came to France at a dismal time in its history and volunteered to rebuild the Aisne region north of Paris. They brought relief to the most devastated area by war. So, I asked questions:  Who were they? Where did they come from? What did they accomplish, and what became of them? Some of them led an extraordinary destiny. It was the case of Lucile Atcherson Curtis, the very first female diplomat at the State Department.

There were no documents left at the Château de Blérancourt?
EM: We only found some incomplete lists and the photographic archives commissioned by Anne Morgan to document their work. Unfortunately, people and places are not always identified.
I took the project head-on during my six-month internship and immersed myself in the research. I found several archival funds and launched the first set of research at major American universities such as Harvard, Yale, and Princeton. Having succeeded in recreating the genealogy of several women, I eventually met descendants who shared their grandmothers' stories with me.

What did you do with these interviews and archives?
EM: We worked on these archives in France and realized that it was our duty to pay tribute to these women. We wanted to honor their memory through an exhibition and a book to bring their stories to life to a large audience. So, the museum's centennial in 2024 will be the ideal occasion to do it.

But you are still doing research, aren't you?
EM: I found new sources that led me to this second journey.
I have also been working at the University of Kentucky over the past few weeks to refine our knowledge of the work of Mary Breckinridge, CARD's outstanding nurse and midwife, who went on to create the Frontier Nursing Service. I accessed testimonies of several people who knew Mary Breckinridge and shared CARD anecdotes. At the York Historical Society in Maine, I found the archives of Elizabeth Perkins, who worked with the CARD as a publicist and editor of the weekly "Under Two Flags" newsletter. The York Historical Society in Maine possesses all her archives and an untouched CARD uniform, which they would be delighted to lend the museum for the 2024 exhibition! They have also donated original archive items to the museum, such as unpublished photos and press clippings. The Library of Congress in Washington finally provided me with a great source of resources through newspaper articles from the period.

Did you find what you were looking for?
EM: The expectations of my trip were surpassed by these enriching encounters, as much for the possibilities and projects ahead. For example, I met Lisa Ann Britton, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, who works on the Chemin des Dames and devotes part of her course to Blérancourt and the CARD. Promoting Blérancourt and its history is one of our shared objectives: to honor the memory of these strong, committed women and to celebrate the friendship between the United States and France. This week, I will meet UPenn students at several seminars to tell them about the Franco-American Museum of Blérancourt and inspire them to join the adventure.