How the Stars Aligned in '69: Historical Context for the Founding of the P.E.O. Sisterhood

Most P.E.O .literature regarding its founding begins with stories of several of the “seven founders” being invited to join the newly formed I.C. Sorosis society chapter at Iowa Wesleyan. And, such stories tell us how on Thursday, 21 January 1869, Hattie Briggs and Franc Roads decided upon the formation of a “society of our own.” These stories might lead one to believe that the start of the P.E.O. Sisterhood was practically a form of spontaneous combustion!

But, was it really? Could it be that the founding of P.E.O. came about because of seven different pioneering aspects of the historical context of 1869 as much as it did with the seven different women?

Read How the Stars Aligned in ’69 and learn the true story about the beginning of P.E.O.