
Helena Gessner 1880 - 1981
Helena Gessner's Biography
Introduction
Name & aliases
Last residence
Birth details
Ethnicity & Family History
Nationality & Locations
Education
Religion
Baptism date & location
Professions
Personal Life
Military Service
Death details
Gravesite & burial
Obituary
Average Age & Life Expectancy
Memories: Stories & Photos
Through sharing we discover more together.

Family Tree & Friends
Helena's Family Tree
![]()
Partner
Child
Partner
Child
|
Sibling
|
Friends
Friends can be as close as family. Add Helena's family friends, and her friends from childhood through adulthood.
1880 - 1981 World Events
Refresh this page to see various historical events that occurred during Helena's lifetime.
In 1880, in the year that Helena Gessner was born, in October, the "Blizzard of 1880" began in North America - considered the most severe winter ever known in the US. Many areas were snowbound throughout the whole winter, which was made famous in Laura Ingalls Wilder's book The Long Winter.
In 1905, at the age of 25 years old, Helena was alive when the Niagara Falls conference was held in Fort Erie, Ontario. Led by W.E.B. Du Bois and William Monroe Trotter, a group of African-American men met in opposition to racial segregation and disenfranchisement. Booker T. Washington had been calling for policies of accommodation and conciliation and these two men, along with the others who attended the conference, felt that this was accomplishing nothing. The group was the precursor to the NAACP.
In 1923, by the time she was 43 years old, Harlem's Cotton Club opened in New York City. Owned by a bootlegger and gangster, it was a 700 seat speakeasy that catered to a "white only" clientele. But most of the entertainers were African-American and featured some of the best entertainers of the time such as Lena Horne, the Nicholas Brothers, Ethel Waters, and Cab Calloway.
In 1977, by the time she was 97 years old, on January 21st, President Carter pardoned "draft dodgers" - men who avoided the draft during the Vietnam War. He fulfilled a campaign promise with the pardon. But it only applied to civilian evaders - the estimated 500,000 to 1 million active-duty personnel who went AWOL were not included.
In 1981, in the year of Helena Gessner's passing, on January 20th, Ronald Reagan became the 40th President of the United States. He ran against the incumbent, Jimmy Carter, and won 50.7% of the popular vote to Carter's 41.0%.
Other Biographies
Other Gessner Family Biographies





