In the early years of California’s statehood, Emily Brist Ketchum Bancroft and Matilda Coley Griffing Bancroft had front-row seats to the unfolding of the Golden State’s history. The first and second wives of historian extraordinaire Hubert Howe Bancroft, these two women were deeply engaged members of society and perceptive chroniclers of their times, and they left behind extensive records of their lives and work. Writing Themselves Into History offers a rich immersion in nineteenth-century California, detailing Emily’s and Matilda’s experiences with public life, motherhood, and business against the backdrop of San Francisco’s high society. This book is a valuable resource for anyone with an interest in California’s first decades as a state.

Author Kim Bancroft discusses her new book with fellow author Frances Dinkelspiel (Towers of Gold and Tangled Vines). Additionally, both authors will talk about researching and writing family histories.

Streaming live on the library’s YouTube channel.