A Midwinter Conversation with Dr. Laurel Thatcher Ulrich and President & CEO Ryan J. Woods
Thursday, January 29, 2026 6:00 – 7:30 PM ET
Live Broadcast: January 29, 2026
Running Time: 1:07:42
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Join us as we honor Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Dr. Laurel Thatcher Ulrich with an American Ancestors Lifetime Achievement Award in American History. The event features a conversation between Dr. Ulrich and American Ancestors President & CEO Ryan J. Woods on the importance of genealogy within the greater field of history and how forgotten stories enrich the human narrative.
Hear from the woman who coined the celebrated phrase “well-behaved women seldom make history,” and discuss the influence every person and their story has on history.
Dr. Laurel Thatcher Ulrich’s Notable Works:
- A Midwife’s Tale: The Life of Martha Ballard Based on Her Diary, 1785–1812, which inspired the novel The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon
- Well-Behaved Women Seldom Make History
- Good Wives: Image and Reality in the Lives of Women in Northern New England, 1650-1750
- And much more!
Lifetime Achievement Award Recipient
Laurel Thatcher Ulrich is 300th Anniversary University Professor emerita at Harvard University. She is the author of seven books including A Midwife’s Tale: The Life of Martha Ballard Based on Her Diary, 1785–1812 and Well-behaved Women Seldom Make History, exploring the popular phrase which she coined. She has received numerous awards and honors, including the Pulitzer Prize for History in 1991.
In conversation with Ryan Woods
An educator and historian, Ryan Woods is President & CEO of American Ancestors. For nearly two decades, he has led the development of award-winning experiences for exploring family history, heritage, & culture.