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  • Mary Jane Ashley Abel

    Mary Jane Ashley Abel (1867–1957) Mary Jane Ashley was born in Richmond Center and died in Canandaigua, New York. She was a member of the Political Equality Club where her sister Alice Ashley was President. There were only 15 club members in 1906 when they agreed to help Harriett May Mills, the President of the New York State Women's Suffrage Association in Syracuse bring the issue of suffrage to their group in Honeoye. Mary Jane was 41 in 1906 when the Honeoye Political Equality Club was formed. She was Captain of the First Election District of Richmond, and in 1909 served a term on the Executive Committee of the Ontario County Woman Suffrage Association. That same year she attended the State Convention as a delegate. Her daughter Theresa, at age six, was recognized in 1910 as the youngest member of the Club. Lakeview Cemetery Memorial ID #62579133 West Lake Road, Honoeye, NY 14471 Ontario County Learn More

  • Cora Staffin

    Cora Staffin (1866–1956) Cora was the Recording Secretary of the Erie County Political Equality League--an organization of Erie County women’s clubs. In 1904, there were ten women’s clubs under the umbrella of the Erie County organization. Cora attended annual conventions in 1912 and 1913. After the passage of the 19th amendment, Cora was a member of the Collins Town Election Board. She was also Noble Grand of the St. Clair Rebekah Lodge, an Odd Fellows women’s auxiliary, whose ceremony and lectures are based on women in Biblical history who exemplified the nobility and character of women. Collins Center Cemetery Section B. Lot 177 C NY-39, Collins Center, New York, 14035 Erie County Learn More

  • Edith Lawrence Black Bailey

    Edith Lawrence Black Bailey (1869–1912) Edith's suffrage work included a stint as the acting president of the Equal Franchise Society, a home for upper-crust women who were uncomfortable with the increasingly public, rabble-rousing suffrage work that was coming into fashion in New York. Though Edith came from wealth, she was drawn to more vigorous public organizing. In 1909, she spoke at a rally at Madison Square, introduced by Harriot Stanton Blatch. In addition to publishing other works, Edith wrote a tract called "Some Ideals of Suffrage." Her speech at the 1909 rally gives a clue to her suffrage politics: [Suffragists are housekeepers who] do not want to confine our housekeeping to our own homes. We feel that there is housekeeping for us in the streets, in the prisons, and on our school boards. There are old and young bachelors on the school boards, and there ought to be a mother or two." Reynolds (Cross River) Cemetery ​ Cross River Road, Cross River, NY 10518 Westchester County Learn More

  • Evanetta Hare

    Evanetta Hare (1862/63–1938) Evanetta played a prominent role in the New York State suffrage movement and the local movement in Troy. In 1894, she attended the New York State Woman Suffrage Association (NYSWSA) convention in Ithaca and was named a press officer representing Rensselaer County. She was a founding member of the Political Equality Club of Rensselaer County and served a stint as the club's vice president. In 1913, she earned an appointment from NYSWSA as chairman of the Empire State Campaign Committee for the eleventh district in the Keene Valley region. As a district chair, Evanetta coordinated publicity for the 1915 referendum vote in her region and led a conference and school for suffrage workers where she collaborated closely with National American Woman Suffrage Association president Carrie Chapman Catt. Evanetta spoke frequently in favor of suffrage and proved a formidable opponent in debate against anti-suffragists. Just days before the November 2, 1915 referendum vote in New York, she engaged in a memorable clash with Margaret M. Crumpacker of the National Association Opposed to Woman Suffrage. In her eloquent defense of suffrage, Hare described a woman's right to vote as "part of the eternal forward march of the human race toward complete democracy." Evanetta labored diligently for the improvement of salaries and working conditions for teachers in the Troy area as another extension of her activism. She was elected treasurer of the Troy Teachers Association in the 1890s and later chaired the legislative committee for the Teachers' Welfare League of New York State, spearheading lobbying efforts in Albany on behalf of teachers. Additionally, she was a founder and an administrator of the Troy Teacher's Pension Fund. Until her death at the age of 75, Evanetta Hare maintained active membership in countless community organizations, particularly the welfare of women and children, including those concerned with improving housing conditions in Troy. (Courtesy of AlexanderStreet.com) Oakwood Cemetery ​ 50 101st Street, Troy, NY 12180 Rensselaer County Learn More

  • Mabel Rosalie Barrow Edge

    Mabel Rosalie Barrow Edge (1877–1962) Born Mabel Rosalie Edge, she preferred "Rosalie". She was a socialite who committed her life to activism, becoming an influential environmental advocate. Rosalie was the daughter of Harriet Bowen Woodward and John Wylie Barrow, a wealthy British importer and accountant who was a first cousin to Charles Dickens. After marrying Charles Noel Edge, a British civil engineer, in 1909, she spent several years traveling throughout Asia. In 1915, after settling in New York, Rosalie joined the Equal Franchise Society, an organization founded by women of wealth to channel energies of the upper class into social activism. Rosalie became involved in the movement for women's voting rights, giving speeches and writing pro-suffrage pamphlets. In 1916, she was elected as the secretary-treasurer of the New York State Woman Suffrage Party under the leadership of Carrie Chapman Catt. In the 1920s, Rosalie turned her focus to environmental conservation, eventually establishing the Hawk Mountain Sanctuary. The Rosalie Edge Society is named for their founder who is considered one of the most important conservationists of the 20th Century. Woodlawn Cemetery ​ 93 Union Avenue (County Road 69), New Windsor, NY Orange County Learn More

  • Anna Elizabeth Dickinson

    Anna Elizabeth Dickinson (1842–1932) Anna was the first woman paid to campaign for political candidates, even though she couldn't vote for them. In thanks for her work getting Republicans elected in the 1860s, she was invited to address Congress. On January 16, 1864, with President Lincoln and Mary Todd present, Anna addressed a joint session of Congress. Speaking for more than an hour without notes, Dickinson critiqued Lincoln's generosity to Confederate states and his meager protection for those formerly enslaved. Grandly, she closed by endorsing Lincoln for a second term, as "the Hour" called for a steady hand. After the war, Anna toured nationally, delivering a repertoire of 22 different lectures on women's suffrage and the rights of all African-Americans. At the height of her career, she made the equivalent of approximately $400,000 annually in today's dollars. Anna was one of the most famous suffragists of the day, so the movement's leaders couldn't ignore her, but they couldn't control her either. Both the National and the American Woman Suffrage Association invited her to join their boards, but she wasn't a joiner. Anna did provide the movement with some financial support, though. Her image is the frontispiece of Volume II of the History of Woman Suffrage, with her inscription: "The world belongs to those who take it." Bio by Rachel B. Tiven. Slate Hill Cemetery ​ South Church Street, Goshen, NY, 10924 Orange County Learn More

  • Gabrielle Stewart Mulliner

    Gabrielle Stewart Mulliner (1872–1919) A lawyer, Gabrielle advocated for women in the court system and appealed to the Governor to set up separate courts for women and women's issues. Gabrielle was noted as a leader in women's affairs and was referred to as a prominent suffragist. She was reported to have called anti-suffragists "traitors to the home" and "cowards." Gabrielle authored a pamphlet entitled "New York Laws of Interest to Women", read at the November 11, 1908 convention of the New York State Federation of Women's Clubs and published by the Federation in 1908. She was active in the Woman Suffrage Party from its inception in 1909. She served as chairman of the Legislative Committee of the New York State Federation of Women's Clubs, during which time she was successful in establishing a Women's Court, a separate court for the trial of women under arrest. Gabrielle was a member of the New York County Lawyer's Association, Equal Franchise Society, Women's Republican Club, National Civic Association, National Society of Patriotic Women, and Daughters of the American Revolution. *courtesy alexanderstreet.com Sleepy Hollow Cemetery Lot 2617, Section 33 540 North Broadway, Sleepy Hollow, NY 10591 Westchester County Learn More

  • Susan Fiske Rumsey

    Susan Fiske Rumsey (1857–1941) Susan's close friend, Carrie Chapman Catt, was a frequent guest at Susan's house on Buffalo's "Millionaire Row." Susan presided over many women's suffrage meetings at her house. In 1908 the National American Woman Suffrage Association held it's annual convention in Buffalo, celebrating the 60th anniversary of the first Woman's Rights Convention at Seneca Falls. She was an active member of the local suffrage group that organized that meeting. In 1909 Susan spoke on behalf of the Western New York Federation of Women's Clubs at a hearing on woman suffrage before the New York state legislature in Albany. In 1913 Susan was elected a Director of the New York State Woman Suffrage Association. In November 1915 she was elected an officer of the New York State Woman Suffrage Party, which organized the 1917 referendum campaign that eventually led to New York women gaining the vote. Forest Lawn Cemetery Section X, Lot 1, Space 19 1411 Delaware Avenue, Buffalo, NY 14209 Erie County Learn More

  • Rhoda Lynn Price

    Rhoda Lynn Price (1827–888) Rhoda attended the State suffrage convention held in Saratoga Springs in July 1869. The goal of the convention was to create a permanent organization for the State of New York. Rhoda was elected to be a member of the Executive Committee, joining several other representatives from Syracuse. Without a doubt Rhoda "did the work" of suffrage in her day, and yet in regards to herself there's still much left to say. If you know more about Rhoda, you can help us tell her story. Please use our Add a Suffragist form to submit your information. Oakwood Cemetery Sect 12 plot 103 940 Comstock Avenue, Syracuse, NY 13210 Onondaga County Learn More

  • Anna Babbitt Sidman

    Anna Babbitt Sidman (1877–1956) Anna was an educator and an active member of the Gorham Presbyterian Church. Along with her mother, Hannah and sister-in-law, Maud, she became involved in local and county efforts to support women. Anna was a member of the Ontario County Political Equity Club. This organization of men and women discussed local issues as well as women's rights. From 1919-1920, Anna is listed as a member of the Ontario County League of Women Voters. If you know more about her, you can help us tell her story. Please use our Add a Suffragist form to submit your information. Gorham Cemetery ​ Route 245, Gorham, NY 14561 Ontario County Learn More

  • Delia C. Kenyon

    Delia C. Kenyon (1858–1945) Delia graduated from Rochester Business School, moved to Mendon, NY where she initially took a job as a secretary and bookkeeper at a local mill. She remained in the milling business and ultimately advanced to form a partnership with Roscoe and Samuel Tomkinson. The firm of Tomkinson, Kenyon and Tomkinson (TK&T) leased a mill on North Main Street. Although the mill had its difficulties (it burned down in 1901 and the inside had to be rebuilt), by the First World War, TK&T was exporting flour to France. In addition to her flourishing business, Kenyon was involved in a variety of community activities. She was a long-term member of the Honeoye Falls School Board. She helped to establish the Mendon Public Library and served as the president of its governing board. Delia's commitment to women’s rights is evidenced in the role she played in the Fortnightly Club, circa Feb. 19, 1913. The club, a women’s group established with the purpose of the advancement of women in Honeoye Falls, was formed over one hundred years ago and remains in existence. Delia was instrumental in organizing the Club, and acted as its President. By1914 both the New York State Grange and the Women’s Christian Temperance Union had endorsed the cause of women’s suffrage. A glance at the program for March 31, 1915, a year in which Delia served as President, shows the club’s concern for women’s issues. “The Benefits of Equal Suffrage” was discussed, and women also spoke and heard about “Clara Barton and the Red Cross,” (Barton being a known suffragist) the “Growth of Temperance,” and “The Grange.” The program concluded with a “Roll Call of Women Reformers.” Honeoye Falls Cemetery ​ 214 North Main Street, Honeoye Falls, NY 14472 Monroe County Learn More

  • Minnie G. Brown

    Minnie G. Brown (1872–1956) During her time as the lead soprano soloist at St. Mark's M.E. church, Minnie was dubbed the "human mockingbird." The Empire State Federation (Suffragist) Member sang "By The Waters of Babylon" to eulogize the death of Harriet Tubman. Minnie founded the Musical School Settlement for Colored Children in Harlem and helped organize black musicians, serving as the president of the local musicians' branch of the National Association of Negro Musicians. Maple Grove New Cemetery (also known as New Maple Grove Cemetery) ​ 210 Main Street, Hoosick Falls, NY 12090 Rensselaer County Learn More

  • Helen Probst Abbott

    Helen Probst Abbott (1879–1970) Helen was President of Rochester Political Equality Club and Chair of Monroe County Woman Suffrage Association. She was also one of the founders of the Woman's City Club, a leader in women's civic activities, and served as Vice Chair of the City Manager Committee. Named on the Democratic ticket in 1927, Helen ran unsuccessfully as the first female city council candidate of the East District of Rochester. Very active in civic and political affairs, she occupied the office of chairman of the Christmas Bureau, Council of Social Agencies, was president of the Rochester Branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, and served on the Board of Directors of the YMCA. Her work in organizing the Rochester Woman's City Club attracted the attention of Miss Anne Morgan, founder and the executive director of the American Woman's Association and daughter of financier J. P. Morgan. In 1932, Helen left Rochester for New York City when Anne Morgan appointed her as the executive director of the American Woman's Association (AWA), an organization which helped women invest their own money for leisurely pursuits. Helen directed the activities for over 4,000 women of the AWA, who took part in study groups, lectures, and other activities ranging from art to music and drama. Helen challenged women not to hide behind their roles as homemakers. She reminded women that the modern woman does not have to choose one role over the other, but to embrace the idea that she can have a career and a family. She urged women to get involved in politics and civic matters on a consistent basis and, plan to meet the challenges of modern times and modern freedom. *courtesy alexanderstreet.com Riverside Cemetery Section I William Street, Gouverneur, NY 13642 St. Lawrence County Learn More

  • Lucy Read Anthony

    Lucy Read Anthony (1793–1880) Lucy attended the Rochester Woman's Rights convention in August 1848 and signed the Declaration of Sentiments. She supported her husband's temperance and abolitionist activism, as well as Susan's reform work and decision not to marry. Miss Anthony eulogized her mother. "My mother always said, Go and do all the good you can." Mount Hope Cemetery Section C, Lot 93 1133 Mount Hope Avenue, Rochester, NY 14620 Monroe County Learn More

  • Elizabeth Newell Ferguson Hershey

    Elizabeth Newell Ferguson Hershey (1866–1948) Elizabeth was a lifelong resident of Gorham, NY. Married twice, Elizabeth was buried with her first husband as Elizabeth Ferguson. Elizabeth and her step daughter, Bessie Hershey, were active in suffrage organizations in their area. She is noted as belonging to the Ontario County 1919–1920 League of Women Voters. No other documentation on Elizabeth's participation has been found. Gorham Cemetery ​ Route 245, Gorham, NY 14561 Ontario County Learn More

  • Rhoda Anne Hallock Glover

    Rhoda Anne Hallock Glover (1826–1920) A lifelong resident of Long Island and mother of five, Rhoda spent her later years vigorously supporting the suffrage movement. She was the vice president of the Political Equity League of Queens and Nassau Counties. Rhoda also served as a member of the Nassau County Suffrage Club in Rockville Center and was later named as the permanent honorary president. Well into her 80s, Rhoda rode in suffrage parades along with Edna Kearns and others. The 1913 photo shows her driving her horse drawn carriage in a parade from Mineola to Hempstead. Rhoda was known as Long Island’s oldest suffragist. Old Bethany Cemetery ​ 12605 Main Road (Route 25), Mattituck, NY 11952 Suffolk County Learn More

  • Frank E. Cobb

    Frank E. Cobb (1858–1941) Married to suffrage activist Francis Gertrude Goodnow, Frank himself became active in women's suffrage. His sister-in-law is also active in women's suffrage, Alice E. Goodnow. Frank owned Cobb Drug Store and was probably influential within the community. All three are buried next to each other in Boughton Hill Cemetery, Victor. If you know more about Frank, you can help us tell his story. Please use our Add a Suffragist form to submit your information. Boughton Hill Cemetery Old Ground, Section D, Row 13, Lot 12, Grave 3 1518 NY-444, Victor, NY 14554 Ontario County Learn More

  • Lula May Loomis

    Lula May Loomis (1883–1948) Lula May was born in Port Leyden, where she lived her entire life. There she married J. Clark Loomis in 1905, and continued to be active in several community organizations. She was a member of the Port Leyden Woman’s Suffrage Club, often hosting meetings in her home. In 1915, the club proposed starting a “melting pot” for the suffrage cause, encouraging members to donate odd pieces of gold, silver, or other metals. If you know more about Lula May, you can help us tell her story. Please use our Add a Suffragist form to submit your information. Port Leyden Cemetery ​ Pearl Street, Port Leyden, NY 13433 Lewis County Learn More

  • Fannie Barrier Williams

    Fannie Barrier Williams (1855 –1944) “I dare not cease to hope and aspire and believe in human love and justice…” Frances (Fannie) was born in Brockport, NY, to one of only a few black families residing in the overwhelmingly white community. Fannie would look back on her youth as a time of innocence, also believing that these childhood experiences of “social equality” ill-prepared her for the racism that she faced later in life. Her growing awareness of the unfair treatment African American women received led her to pursue a lifetime of activism and strengthened her commitment to improving their lives. In 1870, Fannie became the first African American woman to graduate from SUNY Brockport, then Brockport State Normal School. After graduation, Fannie Barrier went to teach in the Washington D.C. area, hoping to help the freedmen. Life there was very different from what she had experienced and she was “shattered” by the discrimination she encountered. In 1887, she married Samuel Laing Williams, and the couple moved to Chicago where Fannie’s husband opened a law practice with Ferdinand Barnett, husband of Ida B. Wells Barnett. It was in Chicago that Fannie Barrier Williams became one of the most celebrated figures of her time. No longer teaching, Fannie became very active among Chicago reformers. She was director of the art and music department of the Prudence Crandall Study Club, formed by Chicago’s elite African-American community. She worked for the Hyde Park Colored Voters Republican Club and the Taft Colored League. An associate of both Frederick Douglass and Booker T. Washington, she represented the viewpoint of African-Americans in the Illinois Women’s Alliance and lectured frequently on the need for all women - but especially black women - to have the vote. Recognizing the lack of services available to women, Fannie helped to found the National League of Colored Women in 1893 and its successor, the National Association of Colored Women (NACW) in 1896. When she became aware of the lack of African-American physicians and nurses in the hospitals, she helped to create Provident Hospital in 1891, an inter-racial medical facility. Fannie was instrumental in the creation of the Frederick Douglass Center in 1905, and the Phillis Wheatley Home for Girls. The latter became part of a national movement, and the hospital and settlement house still serve the Chicago community today. Fannie was the first African-American and the first woman on the Chicago Library Board, waging a battle for the representation of African-Americans at the Columbian Exposition of 1893 in Chicago. She succeeded in having two staff appointments designated for African-Americans. Fannie herself was appointed as Clerk in charge of Colored Interests in the Department of Publicity and Promotions. She was also invited to present two major addresses, one to the World’s Congress of Representative Women and the other to the World’s Parliament of Religions. In the first, The Intellectual Progress of the Colored Women of the United States Since the Emancipation Proclamation, followed by a discussion and words of praise from Frederick Douglass, Fannie disputed the notion that slavery had rendered African-American women incapable of the same moral and intellectual levels as other women and called on all women to unite to claim their inalienable rights. Brockport Cemetery (aka High Street Cemetery) Lot 415 (West Entrance to the end on right) 79 High Street, Brockport, NY 14420 Monroe County Learn More

  • Maude Cyril Nagle Schmidt

    Maude Cyril Nagle Schmidt (1873 –1947) Maude was a leading voice of the Herkimer County Suffrage Convention back in 1917. She was elected leader of the county organization and was heavily involved with the activities of the Ilion Suffrage Study Club. Always civic minded she became the first woman leader of the Herkimer County Republican Committee along with memberships in the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR), Red Cross, and Ilion Historical Club. She is survived by a daughter, Mrs. Muriel Cornelia Zoller, wife of Supreme Court Justice Abram Zolier, Herkimer. Maude is included in a Herkimer County Historical Society documentary which is included in a link here under "Learn More". Armory Hill Cemetery (AKA German Flatts Cemetery, Ilion Cemetery) Section 3, Lot 5 Benedict Avenue, Ilion, NY 13357 Herkimer County Learn More

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