Search this site

Elizabeth Dilts Blake (1845–1930) Elizabeth, known as "Libbie", was described as a very capable woman, interested at all times in the welfare of the community in which she lived. “Mrs. Blake, who is president of the Women’s Suffrage Society, says there is no law against voting, now, (and) that no inspector can find a statute against receiving the vote of any woman (who) will present one.” Neapolitan Record, 8/19/1885 Rose Ridge Cemetery ​ 8344 County Road 33 (West Hollow Road), Naples, NY 14512 Ontario County Learn More

Rosalie Gardiner Jones (1883–1978) Rosalie was an Oyster Bay socialite and suffragist known as "General Jones." She exemplified both her ideology of doing the work and leading her "soldiers of the suffragette movement" by organizing numerous women marches and individual efforts to raise awareness on women's voting issues. Her suffrage marches and wagon trips included a protest march from New York City to Albany, another through Ohio, numerous tours through Long Island in a yellow "Votes for Women" wagon, and a New York to Boston wagon trip and march. General Jones's most publicized march—from New York City to Washington, D.C.—ended on March 3, 1913, the day before the inauguration of President Woodrow Wilson. Her small band of suffrage "Pilgrims" joined the "Women's Rights Procession," which included 9 bands and 26 floats, and at least 5,000 marchers parading down Pennsylvania Avenue, led by women from countries that had enacted woman suffrage. This protest is not only known as the most effective demonstration for women's voting but also was instrumental in shifting the debate into a national issue, one that would need to be resolved by a constitutional amendment rather than state referenda. *courtesy alexanderstreet.com St. John Espiscopal Church Ashes scattered outside mother's tomb, hillside cemetery above the church. Route 25A Laurel Hollow, Syosset, NY 11724 Suffolk County Learn More

Rhoda J. Palmer (1816–1919) The only person who signed the Declaration of Sentiments who lived long enough to vote in 1918, Rhoda lived in a progressive household. Her father was an anti-slavery activist. She remembered “slaves coming to our home and then they would be sent on to another abolitionist, and so on, until they reached Lake Ontario.” She also recalled hearing a speech by the famous abolitionist Sojourner Truth. Rhoda, along with her father, was in attendance at the first Women’s Rights Convention in Seneca Falls in July of 1848. She was one of the signers of the Declaration of Sentiments. New York State enacted a women’s suffrage law before passage of the Federal Amendment which granted women the vote. Because of the New York law, Rhoda Palmer realized a long-held dream and voted in November, 1918, at the age of 102. Quaker Cemetery ​ Nine Foot Road, Waterloo, NY 13165 Seneca County Learn More

Mary Post Hallowell (1823–1913) Mary was a leader in the suffrage movement. She became an anti-slavery activist as a young woman, and in 1842, joined the newly-formed Western New York Anti-Slavery Society (WNYASS), a group which her parents had helped to found. After she married, her home, like that of her parents, provided a refuge for fugitive slaves as part of the network of the Underground Railroad. Mary’s fight for suffrage and equality for women spans over sixty years. She was present at the first women's rights Convention held in Seneca Falls in July of 1848 and a signer of the Declaration of Sentiments. In the aftermath of the Civil War, Mary supported revisions to the 14th Amendment that would allow women, as well as African-American men, the right to vote. Mary attempted to vote in the presidential election of 1872 and was unable to register. She later donated to Susan B. Anthony’s defense after Susan was arrested for voting. She was also present at the founding meeting of Rochester's Women's Political Club (later the Political Equality Club) in Susan's home in December of 1885. Mary's suffrage activities were buttressed by a close personal friendship with Susan B. Anthony. Ida Husted Harper, Susan's biographer, describes the home of William and Mary Hallowell as a place where the "doors never were closed" to Susan. Mount Hope Cemetery Range 1, Lot 40 E 2/3 1133 Mount Hope Avenue, Rochester, NY 14620 Monroe County Learn More

Helen Burr Cogswell Peckham (1860–1932) Helen was an earnest believer in women’s suffrage from a young age. She wrote and spoke to advocate for enfranchisement in NY and other states. She was an officer of the New York State Woman Suffrage Association. From the book Families of Western New York, by William Richard Cutter. Forest Hill Cemetery ​ High Street, Attica, NY 14011 Wyoming County Learn More

Maude Lena Cook Babbitt (1873–1946) Maude lived in Gorham for the duration of her life. Along with additional Babbitt family members, she joined the Ontario County League of Women Voters in 1919. 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

Addie Wilkins Jackson (1875–1938) Addie was an African-American woman who was a leader in New York State women's clubs. From 1913–1920, she was the Financial Secretary of the Empire State Federation of Women's Clubs. It had 4,000 members. The organization's mission was to empower women and children in New York State. In 1913, the Federation voted in support of women's suffrage. In addition, Addie was a Tarrytown and Westchester County political activist, who held the role of president and chairwoman for many organizations. Sleepy Hollow Cemetery Plot 44 540 N Broadway, Sleepy Hollow, NY 10591 Westchester County Learn More

Lucy Earle Sprague (1851/52–1903) Lucy was active in a number of organizations in Rochester that were known to support woman suffrage; including AME Zion Church and Susan B. Anthony Club. The prominent activist Hester Jeffrey organized the Susan B. Anthony Club for Colored Women in Rochester and served as its first president. The club drew many members from the AME Zion Church, including Lucy. She and Jeffrey were colleagues and supporters in their church work as well as in their suffrage and civil rights activism. They both sought to bridge the divide between black and white suffrage activists. At the 1903 celebration of Susan B. Anthony's birthday, club members joined other special guests in presenting Anthony with an enamel green and white pin in the shape of a four-leaf clover bearing the initials of their club. In general, the Susan B. Anthony Club for Colored Women met to discuss the importance of obtaining woman suffrage, but the members also sought to get young black women admitted to the University of Rochester. The first young black man had graduated from the university in 1891. When Lucy died in 1903, she was still fulfilling her duties for both the church and the club. Mount Hope Cemetery Range 1, Surnames L-Z, Lots 101-280 1133 Mount Hope Avenue, Rochester, NY 14620 Monroe County Learn More

Katherine Bell Lewis (1848–1930) Katherine was a supporter of women's suffrage. She was a member of the Geneva, NY Political Equality Club. She was an associate of Carrie Chapman Catt and in 1903 invited her to speak at Geneva's Smith Opera House. Over 1,000 tickets were sold to the event. A newspaper article "A Sketch of the Life of Mrs. Catt" includes extensive reference to a letter that Katherine wrote to the Buffalo Commercial newspaper to address anti-suffrage sentiment. In 1908, she contributed $10,000 to the National American Women's Suffrage Association in honor of the anniversary of Susan B. Anthony's death. It was the largest contribution made up to that time to the organization. The Bell Memorial Library in Nunda, NY (her birthplace) is named after her. Mount Hope Cemetery Section F, Lot 47 1133 Mount Hope Avenue, Rochester, NY 14620 Monroe County Learn More

Cora Calhoun Horne (1865–1932) In her autobiography, singer-actress Lena Horne remarked that "the part of me that responds to causes or to injustices, or issues fighting comments on all kinds of issues, that part of me is the creation of my proud, activist grandmother, who never seemed to be afraid of anything". Horne's grandmother, Cora, was a community leader and suffragist in Brooklyn in the first decades of the 20th century. She was a leader in the Urban League, the YWCA, and the NAACP, and a vocal advocate of women's suffrage in the heated years of the New York state campaign. During World War I, Cora led a Red Cross unit making and repairing bandages, in connection with the Brooklyn YWCA. A detailed essay about Cora's life reports that, "in recognition of her contributions, Cora was appointed to the mayors Victory Committee." Cora continued actively participating in the National Association of Colored Women and the NAACP and by 1918 was also involved with the Brooklyn League on Urban Conditions and the Big Brother and Big Sister Federation, organizations in which she would hold many leadership positions and with which she would continue working until the end of her life. Among these, Cora served as editor-in-chief of the Empire State Voice, the newsletter of the New York Federation of Colored Women's Clubs. The Evergreens Cemetery ​ 1629 Bushwick Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11207 Kings County Learn More

Roxana Bradley Burrows (1853–1922) Roxana assumed the presidency of the Lucy Stone Club and in 1904 was elected vice president of the Allegany County Political Equality Club, a county-wide organization devoted to the passage of woman suffrage and affiliated with the New York State Woman Suffrage Association (NYSWSA). In 1907 Roxana was elected president of the Political Equality Club and would lead the county suffrage organization until the passage of the suffrage amendment in 1917. She served as recording secretary and Chair of the Legislative Committee for NYSWSA in 1910 and 1911. Roxana became the Assembly District Leader covering all of Allegany County when the Political Equality Club reorganized into the Allegany County Woman Suffrage Party (ACWSP) before the 1915 state-wide woman suffrage referendum. In June 1917, she announced at the annual ACWSP convention that there was a chairman in each election district and an enrollment of 5,000 women in force of suffrage in the county, an impressive number given that there were a little over 40,000 inhabitants in the county at the time. Roxana was a member of the Andover Baptist Church, the Andover Hawthorne Club and active in the Woman's Christian Temperance Union. She also served on the Allegany County Republican General Committee from 1920 until her death. *courtesy alexanderstreet.com Valley Brook Cemetery ​ NY-RT 417, Andover, NY 14806 Allegany County Learn More

Mary Elizabeth Redfield Bagg (1823–1898) Mary was a director of the Association for the Advancement of Women; she represented New York State in this national organization and attended the 13th Annual Congress in October, 1885. Without a doubt, Mary "did the work", fighting for equality in her time. And yet her story is still untold. If you know more about Mary Elizabeth, you can help us tell her story. Please use our Add a Suffragist form to submit your information. Oakwood Cemtery Sect 3 plot 21 940 Comstock Avenue, Syracuse, NY 13210 Onondaga County Learn More

Ida Louise Dildine (1846–1928) Ida is noted in a book on Binghamton's Growth and Development as having been born in Candor, NY. In the work "English Women's Review of Social and Industrial Questions," she is noted as one of the signers of a 1886 letter to Pope Leo XIII, thanking him for sanctioning women taking part in politics. In that letter she is cited as secretary of the Women's Suffrage Party of New York State. Ida signed a petition to urge voting against Leslie Russell, NYS Attorney General, who opposed women's rights and whose recommendation was blocking women's rights legislation in New York State. In 1887, at 41 years of age, she received a diploma from New York College and Hospital; she became a physician, perhaps in connection with the above activities. Spring Forest Cemetery ​ 51 Mygatt Street, Binghamton, NY 13905 Broome County Learn More

Sarah David Bills Fish (1798–1868) Sarah was among Rochester's most prominent early suffragist and abolitionist advocates. The Fish Family, including Sarah's husband Benjamin, and their daughters Catharine Stebbins and Mary Curtis, were involved in organizing all kinds of anti-slavery and suffrage activities. Their home was an early way-station on the Underground Railroad. Sarah was a member of the Rochester Female Anti-Slavery Society and served a term as its secretary. In 1842, she joined the Western New York Anti-Slavery Society and served on its Executive Committee. She wrote for Frederick Douglass' North Star newspaper. Sarah and her daughter Catharine participated in the First Women's Rights Convention in Seneca Falls in 1848. Sarah helped organize the second women's rights convention two weeks later in Rochester, and delivered an address at this convention. She was part of the radical group that recommended that the Rochester convention elect a female president, and her group prevailed, selecting Abigail Bush as chair. Mount Hope Cemetery Section M Lot 101 1133 Mount Hope Ave, Rochester, NY 14620 Monroe County Learn More

Harriet Clark Tiffany (1853–1926) Possessing a contralto voice of great natural beauty, Harriet was constantly in demand as a concert singer in addition to acting as soloist in churches. Though her home and family were her chief interest, she found time to take an active part in every movement with which the women of her greater community were identified, and gave active and tireless effort to the cause of women's suffrage. Forest Hill Cemetery O/40 55 Lambert Avenue, Fredonia, NY 14063 Chautauqua County Learn More

Julia Morton Dodson Sheppard (1841–1912) A prominent citizen of Yates County, Julia headed her county's representation to the New York State Woman's Suffrage Association. She was a correspondent of Susan B Anthony, hosting her at the Sheppard's home during the 1894 amendment campaign. Susan B Anthony was a frequent speaker at both the residence and the Sheppard Opera House in Penn Yan owned by Julia's brother in law. On one occasion, Julia and Senator John Sheppard hosted a birthday celebration for Miss Anthony. Information taken from Selected Papers of Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B Anthony by Ann D Gordon. Lakeview Cemetery ​ 426 Court St, Penn Yan, NY 14527 Yates County Learn More

Mary Coolidge (1845/6–1922) Mary was "an enthusiastic temperance and suffrage worker" who was President of the Political Equality Club of Phelps and the Civics Club of Clifton Springs. She hosted many civic gatherings for women and attended the State Convention in Geneva. Mary was also active in Clifton Springs Grange and worked with the local orphan asylum. Sauquoit Valley Cemetery ​ 2585–2581 County Rd 20, Sauquoit, NY 13456 Oneida County Learn More

Frances Gertrude Goodnow Cobb (1862–1922) Frances was active in the Victor Equal Suffrage Association and her church St Pauls' Universalist Church, where according to her obituary in the Victor Herald, Jan. 6, page 5, she was "an interested and willing worker in all its societies". Notably she was a Matron of Eastern Star in 1917. Her husband Frank E. Cobb was also active in Women's Suffrage as was her sister, Alice Goodnow. If you know more about her, you can help us tell her story. Please use our Add a Suffragist form to submit your information. Boughton Hill Cemetery Old Ground, Section D, Row 7, Lot 18, Grave 3 1518 NY-444, Victor, NY 14564 Ontario County Learn More

Eva S. Jacobs (1879–1919) Eva was a member of the Empire State Federation of Womens Clubs, lead and supported by Black women. Few records exist of her life as a clubwoman. She served as a delegate in 1913 when the club endorsed suffrage, and a 1914 newspaper notice reveals that “Miss Eva Jacobs, Mrs. W.H. Williams, Miss Beatrice Jackson, Mrs. Addie Jackson left Friday to attend the Federation of Women’s Clubs.”. Eva was an acquaintance of Mrs. Addie Jackson, financial secretary of the Federation, who also resided in her town. Sleepy Hollow Cemetery ​ 540 North Broadway, Sleepy Hollow, NY 10591 Westchester County Learn More

Lulu Alma Edsall Serven (1873–1941) At the resignation of Mrs. Robert Leber, Lulu Serven became the Chair of the Nyack Civic and Suffrage Club, 1917. She hosted "Ballots for Both" events at her home in Pearl River, NY. Oak Hill Cenetery Grandview Lawn 140 North Highland Avenue, Nyack, NY 10960 Rockland County Learn More