Jenny’s Underground Life

American Woman

This flow traces Jenny’s life after William’s arrest, from improvised anonymity through political work and imprisonment to a tentative return.

increasing

Bearing strength in each event

decreasing

William’s Arrest William’s Arrest from "American Woman". William’s Arrest A Sudden Separation William is arrested at the workshop while Jenny is at home, leaving her to flee with what she can carry.

William’s Arrest from "American Woman". William’s Arrest A Sudden Separation William is arrested at the workshop while Jenny is at home, leaving her to flee with what she can carry.

William’s Arrest A Sudden Separation William is arrested at the workshop while Jenny is at home, leaving her to flee with what she can carry. Their shared political life breaks apart without a plan for what happens if only one of them is captured. The Beginning of Hiding Rob Frazer helps Jenny escape, beginning the underground life that will define her next years.

A New Name at Wildmoor A New Name at Wildmoor from "American Woman". A New Name at Wildmoor A Random Destination Jenny arrives in New York State with little money and takes a job at Wildmoor under the name Iris Wong.

A New Name at Wildmoor from "American Woman". A New Name at Wildmoor A Random Destination Jenny arrives in New York State with little money and takes a job at Wildmoor under the name Iris Wong.

A New Name at Wildmoor A Random Destination Jenny arrives in New York State with little money and takes a job at Wildmoor under the name Iris Wong. The house offers shelter and work, but Dolly’s irregular wages leave Jenny economically dependent. Life in a Small World She builds routines around restoration, local newspapers, and a post office box in Red Hook.

Refusal to Surrender Refusal to Surrender from "American Woman". Refusal to Surrender A Possible Exit William’s letters encourage Jenny to consider surrender during the Watergate scandal.

Refusal to Surrender from "American Woman". Refusal to Surrender A Possible Exit William’s letters encourage Jenny to consider surrender during the Watergate scandal.

Refusal to Surrender A Possible Exit William’s letters encourage Jenny to consider surrender during the Watergate scandal. She consults a lawyer in Peekskill, but learns that political change offers no amnesty for fugitives. A Choice Deferred Jenny refuses to name friends and does not turn herself in, remaining in hiding as the national situation changes.

Return to Berkeley Return to Berkeley from "American Woman". Return to Berkeley A New Household Jenny and Pauline return to the Bay Area and settle in a modest apartment with help from old acquaintances.

Return to Berkeley from "American Woman". Return to Berkeley A New Household Jenny and Pauline return to the Bay Area and settle in a modest apartment with help from old acquaintances.

Return to Berkeley A New Household Jenny and Pauline return to the Bay Area and settle in a modest apartment with help from old acquaintances. Jenny begins to recover the value of ordinary work and companionship while remaining wanted. A Different Kind of Politics The group shifts toward women’s education and mutual support rather than the armed plans that defined the farmhouse.

A Tentative Future A Tentative Future from "American Woman". A Tentative Future A Room of Her Own Back in Berkeley, Jenny chooses a bright dining-room nook over a conventional dark bedroom.

A Tentative Future from "American Woman". A Tentative Future A Room of Her Own Back in Berkeley, Jenny chooses a bright dining-room nook over a conventional dark bedroom.

A Tentative Future A Room of Her Own Back in Berkeley, Jenny chooses a bright dining-room nook over a conventional dark bedroom. The decision signals her renewed willingness to want a concrete comfort for herself, rather than treating desire as political failure. An Uncertain Reunion Rob Frazer finds her at work, while William and Pauline remain absent from her life.

Three years before the 1974 search

Late October 1972

Winter 1973

After the cross country flight

Two years after Jenny’s release