Helen (Matthews) Lewis (1924 - 2022)

Born 2 Oct 1924 in Nicholson, Jackson, Georgia, United States

Ancestors

Wife of Judd Walter Lewis — married 13 Sep 1947 (to 2 Jul 1974) in Virginia, United States

Died 4 Sep 2022 at age 97 in Abingdon, Washington, Virginia, United States

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Biography

Helen (Matthews) Lewis is Notable.

Helen (Matthews) Lewis was a part of the Appalachia & Women's Rights Movement.

Helen Matthews Lewis (October 2, 1924 – September 4, 2022) was an American sociologist, historian, and activist who specialized in Appalachia and women's rights.

Helen was born in 1924. She passed away in 2022. Daughter of Hugh Presley Matthews and Maurie Harris.

Often referred to as the leader of inspiration in Appalachian studies, Helen Matthews Lewis linked scholarship with activism and encouraged deeper analysis of the region. Lewis shaped the field of Appalachian studies by emphasizing community participation and challenging traditional perceptions of the region and its people.

She is known as the "grandmother of Appalachian Studies" as her work has influenced a generation of scholars who focus on Appalachia.

Career in Appalachian Studies

• Highlander Research and Education Center, education staff: 1977–1980, 1985–1993, 1995–1997; director: 1978–1979[3]
• Appalshop, director of Appalachian history film project: 1980–1984
• National Academy of Sciences, member of committee on underground coal mine safety: 1980
• Berea College, director of Appalachian Center: 1993–1995

Publications

• Colonialism in Modern America: The Appalachian Case, Appalachian Consortium Press, 1978, with Linda Johnson and Donald Askins[

• Remembering Our Past, Building Our Future, Ivanhoe Civic League, 1990, with Suzanne O'Donnell

• It Comes from the People: Community Development and Local Theology, Temple University Press, 1995, with Mary Ann Hinsdale and Maxine Waller

• Mountain Sisters: From Convent to Community in Appalachia, University Press of Kentucky, 2003, with Monica Appleby

Sources

• "United States Census, 1930," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:3WJT-WPZ : accessed 29 April 2023), Helen Matthews in household of Hugh P Matthews, Nicholson, Jackson, Georgia, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 6, sheet , line , family , NARA microfilm publication T626 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2002), roll ; FHL microfilm .
• "United States Census, 1940," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K7LB-QQ9 : 8 January 2021), Helen Matthews in household of H P Matthews, District 879, Forsyth, Georgia, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 58-5, sheet 3B, line 59, family 56, Sixteenth Census of the United States, 1940, NARA digital publication T627. Records of the Bureau of the Census, 1790 - 2007, RG 29. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2012, roll 673.
• https://www.newspapers.com/clip/111800836/the-virginian-pilot/

See Also:

• https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helen_Matthews_Lewis
• https://www.kentuckypress.com/9780813134376/helen-matthews-lewis/