“Behind the Lines: Unsung Women of the American Revolution” was a full-weekend lecture series held in mid-March in Portsmouth, hosted by the Brigade of the American Revolution and sponsored by the Debra Najecki Endowment at Portsmouth Friends Church. The conference brought together dozens of authors and historians to highlight the crucial, often overlooked roles women played in the fight for independence—as spies, soldiers, diplomats, poets, and strategists.
Featured figures included writer and poet Mercy Otis Warren, disguised soldier Deborah Sampson, and political advisor and confidante Abigail Adams. Author Eve LaPlante, a descendant of both Anne Hutchinson and Louisa May Alcott, shared historical and personal insights from her 2004 biography of Hutchinson, American Jezebel. Her presentation explored the life of Hutchinson, a Founding Mother of Portsmouth in 1638, and, through her descendants, a foremother of the American Revolution.
Another standout presentation was delivered by historian and author Dr. Carol Berkin, whose book Revolutionary Mothers: Women in the Struggle for America’s Independence examines how women across racial and cultural lines interpreted revolutionary ideals. Berkin highlighted how white, African American, and Native American women made complex choices about loyalty during the war, noting that many African Americans and Native Americans sided with the British, who promised—but ultimately failed to deliver—freedom.
Modern-Day Rhode Island Women Historians
As Women’s History Month concludes, WUN “Voices” recognizes local women historians who are uncovering and sharing the stories of real-life people and events that took place right here in Rhode Island.
Portsmouth resident Laurie Greaney is one such historian. After a full academic career teaching science, and with a lifelong interest in genealogy, she has become a leading voice in Revolutionary and genealogical research in the region. Greaney said “I think both genealogy and science draw on the same interests and strengths – documentation, data, curiosity and love of investigation – and answering questions no one has answered before.”
Greaney noted that while Rhode Island once had nearly 40 Daughters of the American Revolution (D.A.R.) chapters in the mid-20th century, that number had declined to just eight by 2024 — and none were located in Portsmouth. Given the town’s historical significance as the site of Rhode Island’s only Revolutionary War battle, Greaney founded a new chapter, the Battle of Rhode Island Chapter, in January 2025.
“As the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence approached, I felt Rhode Island needed a chapter in Portsmouth,” she explained.
Greaney further explained where her interest in genealogy and history coincide, “D.A.R. is a lineage society, so the generational links from an applicant to a person who supported the efforts of American Independence have to be proven by documentation.” In addition to lineage, Greaney emphasized the organization’s broad definition of a “Patriot,” which includes not only soldiers but also those who supported the cause in other ways—supplying goods, transporting troops, nursing the sick, sewing clothing, paying taxes, or pledging loyalty. Today, the D.A.R. continues expanding its research to better document African American, Native American, female, and other underrepresented patriots.
Greaney’s involvement with the Rhode Island D.A.R. Chapters began in 2015 with her sister’s encouragement for Greaney and their mother to join the Phebe Greene Ward Chapter in Westerly, and she soon became a volunteer genealogist assigned to the Beacon Pole Hill Chapter in Cumberland.
The Battle of Prudence Island
Greaney’s personal interest in local East Bay history deepened after she and her husband purchased a home on Prudence Island a decade ago. There, she discovered an ancestral connection to one of the island’s earliest settlers and began researching its past.
Her work led her to the Battle of Rhode Island Association and an article penned by Robert Grandchamps which shared details about the little-known Battle of Prudence Island. In January 1776—three months before the battles of Lexington and Concord—a small group of about 20 islanders, members of the 2nd Company of Portsmouth, and 11 enslaved men resisted a British raiding party intent on seizing livestock and hay.
“This small group held off a British landing party of several hundred men on the first day,” Greaney explained. “On the second day, with reinforcements, they forced the British back to their ships with very little to show for it.”
The encounter demonstrated that even relatively untrained local militia had both the will and ability to resist British forces and protect their land and property. It may also represent one of the earliest instances of enslaved African Americans taking up arms against the British in defense of the American colonies.
To commemorate the event, Greaney’s D.A.R. chapter has applied for a Pomeroy Foundation marker, which will be installed at the southern end of Prudence Island near the site of the British landing.
You can view Greaney’s full presentation, hosted by the Portsmouth Historical Society’s #RI250 Lecture Series this past January, commemorating the 250th anniversary of the Battle of Prudence Island almost to the day, via video here.
Follow in the Footsteps of Revolutionary Rhode Island
Efforts to bring Rhode Island’s Revolutionary history to life continue beyond lectures, books, and research. In collaboration with the Battle of Rhode Island Association, North Kingstown entrepreneur Michelle Girasole has created an interactive, GPS-guided statewide experience that blends history with real-time exploration.
“This is not a map—it’s a series of GPS-driven walking and driving tours,” said Girasole, founder of Fresh Adventures and creator of the project. “We’re acting as the storyteller, gamemaster, and experience host, guiding participants through Rhode Island’s extraordinary Revolutionary history in a way that’s immersive, fun, and accessible to all ages.”
The 10-week #RI250 history adventure begins May 3rd with a kickoff event at the General Nathanael Greene Homestead. Participants can then explore key Revolutionary sites across eight Rhode Island communities at their own pace. The app tracks progress on a statewide leaderboard, adding a competitive element with prizes awarded at the end of the program. To register yourself or a team, visit www.RI250Quest.com.
Through lectures, research, and innovative experiences like Greaney’s work and Girasole’s RI250 Quest, Rhode Island’s past is being rediscovered and shared with a new generation.
Michele Gallagher is an advocate of local businesses, community leaders, and non-profits and is the founder of City-by-the-Sea Communications.