100 years of women voting The First Berlin Women Voters Research by Cathy Nelson Sarah Caliandri, Nelson, Librarian Emeritus, President Berlin-Peck Memorial Library Berlin Historical Society Kate Wall, Berlin Town Clerk Lorraine Stub, Secretary, Berlin Historical Society 1 Title photographs: Top: Freda and Ethel Lund atop Lamentation Mountain Left: Lillie Lindquist Right: Marie Stange Center: Pearl Woods Gate, 1st woman voter Oct. 4, 1920 Bottom: Inez Williams December 2020 2 100 years of women voting One hundred years ago, our grandmothers and great-grandmothers won the right to vote. It began in July1848 when 300 women gathered in Seneca Falls, New York for a convention that started the campaign to allow women to vote. The Women’s Rights Convention was led by Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Lucetia Mott, Mary McClintock, Mary Coffin Wright, and Jane Hunt. Many were also part of the anti-slavery cause. Susan B. Anthony met Elizabeth Cady Stanton in 1851 and soon dedicated her life to women’s rights and anti-slavery. Elizabeth died in 1902 and Susan died in 1906. When these ladies died, they still could not vote. Meanwhile, the question of women voting was a worldwide issue. The first country to allow women to vote was New Zealand in 1893. New Zealand: 1893 Australia: 1902 Finland: 1906 Norway: 1913 Denmark: 1915 Russia: 1917 Canada: 1918 Armenia: 1919 Estonia: 1920 In 1893 Connecticut women were given the right to vote on Board of Education issues. In 1909 Connecticut women were given the right to vote on library issues. In Berlin, over the years, there probably were discussions and support for the women’s vote. There was an active anti-slavery group in the 1840s. Otherwise, there is no documentation or stories until August 1914 when a noted suffragist came to town and gave a talk. In January 1915 the Men’s Lyceum had a debate on “Shall women vote?” where the winning sentiment was affirmative. In March 1915 a suffrage petition was circulated around town and received more than a hundred signatures. “The local petition bears the names of some of the most prominent people of the town.” (New Britain Herald, March 3, 1915). In May 1915 Dr. Griswold put in The New Britain Herald his opinion against the woman’s vote. In August 1915 another suffragist came to speak. It all began with a small notice in the newspaper. “It is rumored this morning that some of the women of Kensington were contemplating forming a suffrage society.” New Britain Herald November 3, 1915. Two weeks later, on November 19, sixteen women met at the Brandegee house on Worthington Ridge. There was no report of refreshments served, although there were probably delicious treats available, and no musical entertainment. Instead a group of women united for a common cause: to change the constitution of the United States to allow women the right to vote. They named their group the Berlin Equal 3 Suffrage League. They elected: President: Adele Murray, Vice-President Amelia Green, Treasurer: Elizabeth Wickwire, Secretary: Irene Viets, with Board of Directors: Katherine Brandegee, Helen Rohm, Louise Fiske, and Maude LeClair. The attendees included: Florence Brandegee, Emily Brandegee, Agnes LeClair, Bertha Warren, Anna Reid, Helen Rohm, Joanna Murray, Lucy Smith, Louise Fiske, and Florence Aspinall. A few weeks later, Florence Griffith, Mary Carbo, Katherine Ryan and Bertha Ryan joined. There were meetings and speakers, parades in New Haven, a booth at the September 1916 Berlin fair, petitions, meetings in Hartford with the statewide organization. With each defeat in Washington DC, the group pressed on. Finally, on May 21, 1919 the 19th amendment was passed by the US House of Representatives, followed on June 4, 1919 with passage by the US Senate. Thirty-six states were needed to ratify. On August 18, 1920, the state of Tennessee became the 36th state to ratify. On August 28, the whistles of the American Paper Goods factory, Berlin Construction Company, and various brickyards and bells of the various churches announced to the town that the suffrage amendment had gone into effect. This celebration was organized by Amelia Green. New Britain Herald, August 28, 1920 The State of Connecticut was the 37th state to ratify the amendment on September 24, 1920. At the time the Connecticut State Assembly met every other year (in odd years). Governor Holcombe was an anti-suffrage and did not call for a special session until the Amendment was already ratified. Finally, on September 9, 1920, Holcombe called for a special session. Other anti-suffrage Republicans include: State Senators George McLean (Simsbury) and Frank Brandegee (from New London – no direct relationship with the Brandegee family in Berlin). The sentiment was that while “not all women wanted to vote, now that it is here, we will. Now that women have the vote, it will become the custom for them all to go and cast their vote” said a Kensington woman. New Britain Herald, August 31, 1920. Immediately the Berlin Equal Suffrage League began meeting and organizing to encourage women to register and vote. Their efforts were successful as 423 women were registered to vote. In comparison, in 1916 there were a total of 559 votes cast. There were three voting places: Berlin Town Hall on Worthington Ridge, Lyon’s barber shop in Kensington and Woodward’s market in East Berlin. There were two votes. On October 4, 1920 the town elections were held and on November 2, 1920 the federal and state elections were held. On October 4 town elections were held. The Republicans swept the town offices. George Carter was voted First Selectman. Pearl Woods was the first women to vote in Berlin and Bertha Ryan was the first to vote in Kensington. Pearl Woods grew up in town. She was 22 years old, a New Britain High School graduate in 1915, and working as a stenographer at an insurance company. Bertha Ryan was the daughter of Irish immigrants, born in New York, but as a child moved to Berlin. She worked at a factory. She was an early member of the Berlin Equal Suffrage League. On November 2 state and federal elections were held. There were 1058 votes cast in Berlin and 90% of the registered voters came out. Republicans were the clear winners. Frances Deming was the state representative, and Warren Harding was elected President. The first women to vote was Anna Ahrenberg who was at the polls when they opened at 5:30 a.m. Anna Ahrenberg 4 was the daughter of Swedish immigrants, born in New Britain and soon the family moved to Berlin. In 1920 she was age 32 and a newlywed. Important women to the Berlin Suffrage effort The New Britain Herald (October 8, 1920) recognized three women who were critical to the success of the Berlin Suffrage effort: Adele Murray, Amelia Green, and Catherine Brandegee. Adele Murray was a teacher, first in Berlin and then after 1916 in New Britain. She served on the Berlin Board of Education and was recognized as working tirelessly to modernize the schools. Her death in 1926 was page one news. The League of Women Voters established the Addle Murray award for academic achievement for a Berlin high school student. Amelia Green was a voice for justice. Besides the suffrage movement, she was instrumental in bringing the first “Fresh-air” children to Berlin. In addition she was known for her flower gardens, especially dahlias. A walking trail is named in her honor at Timberlin Golf Course. The Brandegee family had a history of contributions to the town. Catherine Brandegee was often quoted in the New Britain Herald on the issue. So who were the Berlin women voters? Today we have a list of 413 women who were made voters. This list was generated by Kate Wall, Berlin Town Clerk with assistance from Sallie Caliandri and Lorraine Stub of the Berlin Historical Society. No information could be found for nine women. The primary source of information was the 1920 census which was made on January 5, 1920. Most of the women were listed in this census. The secondary source was the 1922 City Directory for Berlin & Cromwell. Additional genealogy sources were used including other census years, marriage index for Connecticut, Find-a-grave, and family trees found on Ancestry.com. The median age was 40 years old. Half of the women were over age 40 and half between ages 21-40. The oldest woman was Frances Anna Thompson Goodwin who was born in 1836, age 84. Next was Sarah Churchill born in 1838, age 82. Other older women include: Priscilla Powers (1840), Lucy Smith (1842), Alice Norton (1843), Hattie Clark (1844), Julia St John (1944), Alice Dillings (1944), Emily Barnes (1845) Harriet Root (1845), Harriet Smith (1845). All of these women were born before the Seneca Falls Convention was held. The youngest women were born in 1899: Ruth Bacon Wickwire, Elizabeth Carbo Doherty, Mary Fagan Rose, Loretta Garrity Perkinson, Agnes Holmquist Gaudian, Minnie Kalgren, Edith Lindquist Benson, Mary Schroeder Winchell, Annabel Erickson Tarditti, Hazel Vile Berry, Katherine Whalen Flagg, and Cecilia Gorman. There were 113 women born in Berlin and 145 women born in Connecticut. Thirteen states were represented with most women born in New York and Massachusetts. There were twelve countries represented with 42 women including Sweden (10), Italy (5), Ireland (5), England (4), Denmark (4), Scotland (4), Canada (3), Germany (3), Austria (1), Barbadoes (1), France (1), and Poland (1). There were 85 women born in America, but who represented first generation citizens: Ireland (39), Sweden (20), Germany (9), England (6), Canada (5), Italy (4), Austria (2), All women were white. 5 At the time, an eighth grade education was considered good.