Pennybacker, Percy V., Mrs., 1861-1938

Anna Pennybacker, nee Hardwicke (1861-1938), activist and author, was born in Virginia and moved first to Kansas and then to Texas in 1878. She married Percy V. Pennybacker in 1884 in Tyler, Texas. They had four children, one of whom died in infancy. She lived in Tyler and Palestine and moved to Austin in 1900 after the death of her husband. She remained there until her death. Pennybacker wrote and published A New History of Texas for Schools, which was adopted by the Texas Legislature for use in public schools from 1898 through 1913. Pennybacker was also active in women's club activities, serving as president of the Texas Federation of Women's Clubs, and as president and then board member of the General Federation of Women's Clubs. A pacifist and suffragist, she was involved in the Chautauqua movement and served as a correspondent for several newspapers at the League of Nations meetings in Geneva. She also lectured extensively across the nation.

From the guide to the Mrs. Percy V. Pennybacker Papers, 1878-1938, (Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, The University of Texas at Austin)

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