Suffragist, Club Woman, Lecturer, Musician and Poet: Ola Maude (Gordon) Roby of Bristol, New Hampshire (1868-1927)

Posted on 24 August, 2020 by Janice Brown

Photograph of Maude (Gordon) Roby from the “History of the town of Bristol, Grafton County, Vol 2, printed by R.W. Musgrove, 1904. Colorized by the blog editor. photo page 360

She was born Ola Maude Gordon on 22 January 1868 in Bristol NH, to Frank Augustus & Ellen Marantha (Simonds) Gordon. Her father was a carpenter and builder, and manufacturer of mill supplies. She married 28 July 1888 in Bristol, Grafton Co. NH to Austin H. Roby, son of Gustavus & Mary M. (Haywood) Roby.

She was a dynamic and talented woman who used her soprano singing voice, and her charismatic charm to educate and entertain. The newspapers were full of notices of her performances and that she was pro-suffrage.  Continue reading →

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Dr. Anna B. (Dimick) Parker of Gilmanton NH: Physician, Minister, Suffragist, Civic Leader, Club Woman (1868-1931)

Posted on 19 August, 2020 by Janice Brown

She was born Anna “Annie” Mae Dimick, on 27 Feb 1868 in Gilmanton NH, the daughter of William D. & Anna M. (Folsom) Dimick. By the time of her death at age 63 in 1931, this remarkable New Hampshire woman was known in medical, religious, organizational, and political arenas. She had attended local public schools in Gilmanton NH, along with the Gilmanton Academy. This was followed by graduation from the New England Conservatory of Music. In 1907 she completed her medical degree at the Boston Homeopathic Medical College. Not too long afterward she was ordained a minister of the Unitarian church. Continue reading →

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New Hampshire’s Suffrage Anniversary: 18 & 26 August 2020

Posted on 18 August, 2020 by Janice Brown

Women’s Suffrage League Poster of 1915.

Today is a landmark day not only for New Hampshire but for the United States–the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. By a vote of 50-47, Tennessee became the last state needed to ratify the 19th Amendment on 18 August 1920.

Eight days later on 26 August 1920, then-Secretary of State Bainbridge Colby issued a proclamation declaring the 19th Amendment ratified and part of the US Constitution. This amendment protects American women’s right to vote.

That new national amendment declared: ““The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex. Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.”

Note that some states (and territories) already recognized women’s suffrage before 1920, i.e. Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, Montana, Nebraska, New York, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming. Continue reading →

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100 Years Ago: Poems and Prose Of Women’s Suffrage

Posted on 12 August, 2020 by Janice Brown

The desire to vote was a passionate topic among women for many decades. It was not a surprise to discover that volumes of poetry and prose were composed with suffrage as the theme. For this article, I have selected a variety of poetry, from more than one artist, along with an interesting article of newspaper headlines, pre-suffrage, during suffrage and post-suffrage (today). Continue reading →

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100 Years Ago: Anti-Suffrage New Hampshire Women

Posted on 8 August, 2020 by Janice Brown

Offering prizes for best answer if women should be allowed to vote.

Today and with our current mindset, I know it is difficult to grasp that some women in New Hampshire did not want any women to have the right to vote in local and national elections. They did exist, but seemingly in lower numbers than the pro-suffrage women.

I’ve seen it written that many of these so-called “anti-suffrage” women were well-off, either by a marriage to a wealthy, prominent man, or by having money and prestige in their own right. It is implied that they did not want their “lesser” female counterparts to rise in influence.  Several newspaper stories of the time, if they can be completely believed, paint the anti-suffrage women as rich, privileged females not wanting to share their societal prestige, and feeling that equal voting rights would lessen their ability to influence. It would be unfair to state this is always true, though my research does seem to point to it being mostly true. Continue reading →

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