National Extension Homemakers' Council

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Interview with Saundra Zook - OH 430

Saundra Zook

IN PROCESSING

Interviews with extension members and agents throughout the country documenting the history and development of the extension movement in the U.S. The interviews describe homemaking, child bearing and family management in the small towns and rural areas where they live. They also discuss the role of extension homemakers groups in their lives.
Interview with Myra F. Daniel and Lillie M. Badgley - OH 477

Lillie M. Poor Badgeley, Myra F. Daniel, National Extension Homemakers Council, and Voices of American Homemakers

This interview was conducted with Myra F. Daniel (1894-1988) Lillie M. Poor Badgley (1896-1997) of the Montana Extension Homemakers Club by Aileen Stoner on April 9, 1982. In this interview Mrs. Daniel and Mrs. Lillie Badgley discuss their childhood, both being born in the late 1890’s, what it was like growing up on the farm, and the early days of their married life. Mrs. Daniel and Mrs. Badgley discuss their involvement with the Montana Extension Homemaker’s Club, and how life changed with advances in both technology and machinery for farms.

This interview was conducted as part of a three-year oral history project titled Voices of American Homemakers, funded by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and organized by the National Extension Homemakers Council (NEHC). The project resulted in approximately 200 interviews with women across the United States, documenting their experiences in the early homemaker’s club movement.
Interview with Irene Landry Clause - OH 503

Irene Landry Clause, National Extension Homemakers Council, and Voices of American Homemakers

Irene Landry Clause (1915-2002) was born and raised in Labadieville, Louisiana and was a member of the homemaker’s club for 38 years. In this interview, she reflects on club life, homemaking, childbearing, and family management in the small towns and rural communities where she lived. She also discusses the important role that Extension Homemakers groups played in the lives of women during that time. This interviewer became ill, so Mrs. Clause conducted the interview self.

This interview was conducted as part of a three-year oral history project titled Voices of American Homemakers, funded by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and organized by the National Extension Homemakers Council (NEHC). The project resulted in approximately 200 interviews with women across the United States, documenting their experiences in the early homemaker’s club movement.
Interview with Anna E. Coburn - OH 412

Anna E. Jensen Coburn, National Extension Homemakers Council, and Voices of American Homemakers

Anna E. Jensen Coburn (1906-1998) was born and raised in Nebraska and was a charter member of the D to Day Extension Club. She was active member of the Extension Homemakers for over 48 years. In this interview, Anna Coburn discusses the history of the club and its impact on her life as a homemaker. Coburn recounts the early days of the club, including the types of lessons offered and the social activities. She also reflects on how Extension activities have been helpful to her over the years, as well as the ways in which homemaking has changed since the early 20th century. Coburn also shares personal anecdotes about her childhood, married life, and experiences with changing technology and social norms.

This interview was conducted as part of a three-year oral history project titled Voices of American Homemakers, funded by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and organized by the National Extension Homemakers Council (NEHC). The project resulted in approximately 200 interviews with women across the United States, documenting their experiences in the early homemaker’s club movement.
Interview with Gladys A. Huey Fox - OH 505

Gladys A. Huey Fox

IN PROCESSING

In this interview Gladys A. Huey Fox (1902-1994), a former rural schoolteacher, sits down with Mrs. Michalek and recounts her early involvement with the Homemakers group, driven initially by the need to provide transportation for neighborhood women. The narrative details the group's activities, ranging from dressmaking and sewing machine clinics to child development and speech lessons, highlighting the practical skills and personal growth fostered by the organization. The interviewee also discusses her various leadership roles within the Homemakers, her travels to national meetings, and her observations on social changes, including women's suffrage, the flapper era, and the challenges of the Depression. Her experiences provide a glimpse into the life of a rural woman in the early to mid-20th century, emphasizing the importance of community, education, and personal development.
Interview with Helen Merrill - OH 420

Helen Hutchinson Merrill

IN PROCESSING

Helen Hutchinson Merrill (1905–1996) was interviewed as part of The Voices of American Homemakers Oral History Project (1981–1983). Funded by a major grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities and administered by the National Extension Homemakers Council (NEHC), the three-year project documented the experiences of 196 women from across the United States, preserving representative oral histories of rural homemakers during the first half of the twentieth century.

A member of the Extension Homemakers for fifty-one years, Mrs. Merrill reflects on her family background, rural lifestyle, and experiences as a homemaker. She discusses the activities and significance of her local Extension Homemakers club, describing its role in education, community service, and social life. The interview also explores changing patterns of homemaking, family life, and community involvement, offering insight into the daily experiences of rural women and the lasting impact of the Extension Homemakers organization on their lives and communities.
Interview with Lillian McCullom Steury - OH 480

Lillian Pearl McCullom Steury, National Extension Homemakers Council, and Voices of American Homemakers

Lillian Pearl “Lillie” McCullom Steury (1902-2004), born and raised in Missouri, was an active member of the Missouri Extension Homemakers Club for more than 47 years. In this interview, she reflects on club life, homemaking, childbearing, and family management in the small towns and rural communities where she lived. She also discusses the important role that Extension Homemakers groups played in the lives of women during that time. This interview was conducted as part of a three-year oral history project titled Voices of American Homemakers, funded by a 1983 grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and organized by the National Extension Homemakers Council (NEHC). The project resulted in approximately 200 interviews with women across the United States, documenting their experiences in the early homemakers club movement.
Interview with Linner Lester Arnett - OH 467

Linner Lester Arnett, National Extension Homemakers Council, and Voices of American Homemakers

In her interview with Mrs. Dean (Mildred) Reeves, Linner Lester Arnett (1916-1994) [Mrs. Irby Preston Arnett] discusses her first meeting of the homemaker’s club in 1940. Mrs. Arnette talks about the rise in nutritional information for food, something that was not thought of until the Fair Packaging and Labeling Act (FPLA) in 1967. Mrs. Arnette lists the offices she held – all offices in her local club, served as district chairman, state secretary, and member of the Virginia Extension Homemaker’s Alumni. Mrs. Arnette describes growing up in Glade Springs, VA, her grandparents, working on the farm at 5 years old, and her 11 siblings. She discusses how she enrolled in school at four years of age and how she would “ride to school in a surrey with the fringe on top.”

This interview was conducted as part of a three-year oral history project titled Voices of American Homemakers, funded by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and organized by the National Extension Homemakers Council (NEHC). The project resulted in approximately 200 interviews with women across the United States, documenting their experiences in the early homemakers club movement.
Interview with Dorothy Tolley - OH 518

Dorothy Brokaw Barnett Tolley

In Processing

This interview with Dorothy Brokaw Barnett “Dot” Tolley (1914-2010), conducted in Springdale, Arkansas, traces her lifelong engagement with Extension Homemakers Clubs from her early membership in Alton, Illinois in 1944 to her active participation in the Growing Fifty-Niners Club in Washington County, Arkansas. Dot reflects on the evolution of homemaker programs over the decades, from food-focused lessons and practical demonstrations—like “getting exercise while doing housework”—to more varied, family- and community-oriented topics in later years.

Dot shares vivid memories of her early life on a farm in Madison County, Illinois, where she grew up in a close-knit family of five daughters without modern conveniences. Her recollections include one-room schoolhouse education, Depression-era thrift, church-centered social life, and homemade holiday traditions. She describes how her upbringing instilled values of frugality, respect for others’ property, and strong family bonds.

Throughout the interview, Dot emphasizes the personal growth and leadership skills she gained through homemakers clubs, including her role as district program director. She also recounts humorous incidents, such as struggling to deliver a lesson on housework exercises while stifling laughter. Her storytelling is rich with detail—from threshing feasts and roller skating around the block to her father’s folk remedies and love of poetry and music.

Dot’s narrative offers a warm, detailed portrait of 20th-century rural and small-town life, highlighting the enduring impact of Extension Homemakers in fostering education, creativity, and community among women across generations.