Chester County History Center - Women’s Suffrage and Civil Rights Collection

About This Collection

The Women’s Suffrage and Civil Rights Collection measures 0.3 linear feet and dates from 1852 to 1933, with the bulk of the materials dating from 1893 to 1917. Found within the collection are published materials, letters, manuscripts, and ephemera related to women’s suffrage. Materials document the Pennsylvania Woman Suffrage Association (PWSA) at the state and chapter levels, as well as the larger National Woman Suffrage Association. The Chester County Equal Suffrage Association is also represented. Some organizational materials for men, sympathetic temperance materials, and anti-suffrage materials are also included. When Elizabeth Cady Stanton introduced a suffrage resolution at the 1848 Seneca Falls Convention in New York, equal suffrage became a central part of the national woman suffrage platform. Just a few years later, West Chester’s Horticultural Hall became the host location for the Pennsylvania Woman’s Rights Convention in June 1852. In the first afternoon session, voting rights was the first resolution debated and adopted in West Chester. In 1869, the National Woman Suffrage Association was founded in response to the 15th amendment. By the early 20th century, auxiliary chapters of the National American Woman Suffrage Association, as well as similarly focused organizations for men, existed in Chester County. The collection includes correspondence regarding the planning of the 1894 PWSA Convention in West Chester, including letters between Lucy Anthony and her aunt Susan B. Anthony. A notebook by Mary Heald Way details women’s suffrage events, club activities, and quotes from publications related to women’s rights. Printed materials include flyers, tracts, and publications promoting suffrage activity dating from 1893 to 1917. In some cases, only the cover, title page, and individual relevant pages have been scanned from published materials. The entirety of the Women’s Suffrage and Civil Rights Collection is housed and available for research use at the Chester County History Center.
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"Appeals from American Mothers"
"Appeals from American Mothers"
Suffrage, Women--Suffrage, Voting, Books
Pamphlet titled "Appeals from American Mothers" by Margaret Sanger.
Chester County Equal Suffrage Association ephemera
Chester County Equal Suffrage Association ephemera
Suffrage, Women--Suffrage, Voting, Ephemera, Constitutions, Receipts (Acknowledgments), Pamphlets
Chester County Equal Suffrage Association ephemera from 1895-1898 including the association's constitution, by-laws, convention pamphlets, and payment receipts.
Correspondence of local Auxiliary Chapters of the Pennsylvania Woman Suffrage Association
Correspondence of local Auxiliary Chapters of the Pennsylvania Woman Suffrage Association
Suffrage, Women--Suffrage, Voting, Correspondence
Correspondence of local Auxiliary Chapters of the Pennsylvania Woman Suffrage Association. Many of the letters involve the planning of the 1894 Annual P.W.S.A. Convention in West Chester. Senders include Lucretia L. Blankenberg, Lucy E. Anthony, Mary Gawthrop, Jennie Hindman, Patience W. Kent, Martha Smith, Isabel J. Malmesbury, Susan B. Anthony, Jennie Elms, Susan Appleton, Mrs. V. Burrell, Nora M. Crouse, and L.M.B. Mitchell. Recipients include Lucy E. Anthony, Lucretia L. Blankenberg, Patience W. Kent, and Rev. Anna H. Shaw.
Correspondence of local Auxiliary Chapters of the Pennsylvania Woman Suffrage Association
Correspondence of local Auxiliary Chapters of the Pennsylvania Woman Suffrage Association
Suffrage, Women--Suffrage, Voting, Correspondence, Anthony, Lucy Elmina, Anthony, Susan B. (Susan Brownell), 1820-1906, Shaw, Anna Howard, 1847-1919
Correspondence of local Auxiliary Chapters of the Pennsylvania Woman Suffrage Association. Many of the letters involve the planning of the 1894 Annual P.W.S.A. Convention in West Chester. Senders include Lucretia L. Blankenberg, Lucy E. Anthony, Mary Gawthrop, Jennie Hindman, Patience W. Kent, Martha Smith, Isabel J. Malmesbury, Susan B. Anthony, Jennie Elms, Susan Appleton, Mrs. V. Burrell, Nora M. Crouse, and L.M.B. Mitchell. Recipients include Lucy E. Anthony, Lucretia L. Blankenberg, Patience W. Kent, and Rev. Anna H. Shaw.
Letter regarding suffrage activity
Letter regarding suffrage activity
Suffrage, Women--Suffrage, Voting, Correspondence
Letter regarding suffrage activity from 'Marguerite' to 'classmates' in 1915. The letter details the sender's organization of and attendance at various suffrage events in addition to general life updates.
National and Pennsylvania Woman Suffrage Associations ephemera for Chester County
National and Pennsylvania Woman Suffrage Associations ephemera for Chester County
Suffrage, Women--Suffrage, Voting, Ephemera, Constitutions, Receipts (Acknowledgments), Pamphlets
National and Pennsylvania Woman Suffrage Associations ephemera for Chester County including convention programs and receipts.
Non-Pennsylvania and National Woman Suffrage ephemera
Non-Pennsylvania and National Woman Suffrage ephemera
Suffrage, Women--Suffrage, Voting, Ephemera, Pamphlets, Clippings (Books, newspapers, etc.), Calendars
Ephemera from the National Woman Suffrage Association and non-Pennsylvania suffrage organizations, including fliers, newspaper clippings, pamphlets, and the front page of the Suffragists' Calendar. The full calendar can be found on the Cincinnati Public Library website.
Notebook of Mary Heald Way
Notebook of Mary Heald Way
Suffrage, Women--Suffrage, Voting, Notebooks, Catt, Carrie Chapman, 1859-1947
Notebook of Mary Heald Way of Oxford, PA circa 1902-1914. The notebook includes notes on women's suffrage from various sources, including lectures, readings, current events, clubs and organizations, and legal writings. Several relevant newspaper clippings are also enclosed in the notebook. Partway through the notebook, Way flipped the notebook and entries are upside-down.
Pennsylvania Association Opposed to Woman Suffrage ephemera
Pennsylvania Association Opposed to Woman Suffrage ephemera
Suffrage, Women--Suffrage, Voting, Ephemera
Flier titled "Count The Cost" from the Pennsylvania Association Opposed to Woman Suffrage. The flier claims that women's suffrage would lead to increased taxes and cost of living.
Pennsylvania Men's League for Woman Suffrage ephemera
Pennsylvania Men's League for Woman Suffrage ephemera
Suffrage, Women--Suffrage, Voting, Ephemera, Maps
Ephemera from the Pennsylvania Men's League for Woman Suffrage, including correspondence, pamphlets, and maps showing how counties were expected to vote on women's suffrage.
Pennsylvania Woman Suffrage Association Convention postcard letters
Pennsylvania Woman Suffrage Association Convention postcard letters
Suffrage, Women--Suffrage, Voting, Postcards, Anthony, Lucy Elmina, Kent, Patience W. (Patience Webster), -1924
Pennsylvania Women Suffrage Association Convention postcard letters from 1894 from M.E. Longshore, M.A. Merrick, and Patience W. Kent to Susan Appleton and Lucy E. Anthony.
Pennsylvania Woman Suffrage Association ephemera
Pennsylvania Woman Suffrage Association ephemera
Suffrage, Women--Suffrage, Voting, Ephemera, Pamphlets, Lyrics
Ephemera from the Pennsylvania Woman Suffrage Association, including an excerpt from the Philadelphia Post, membership documents, business cards, women's suffrage songs, pamphlets, and fliers.
Pennsylvania Woman Suffrage Association letters to male supporters and legislators
Pennsylvania Woman Suffrage Association letters to male supporters and legislators
Suffrage, Women--Suffrage, Voting, Correspondence, Cope, Gilbert, 1840-1928
Pennsylvania Woman Suffrage Association letters to male supporters and legislators from 1917. Recipients include Gilbert Cope and senders include Marie Kennedy, Wilmer Atkinson, Lucy K. Miller, and Helen C. Clark.
Proceedings of the Woman’s Rights Convention, held at West Chester, PA
Proceedings of the Woman’s Rights Convention, held at West Chester, PA
Suffrage, Women--Suffrage, Voting, Pamphlets, Woman's Rights Convention
Pamphlet titled, "The Proceedings of the Woman's Rights Convention held at West Chester, PA" on June 2-3, 1852.
Proceedings of Woman's Rights Conventions and Woman's Rights Tracts
Proceedings of Woman's Rights Conventions and Woman's Rights Tracts
Suffrage, Women--Suffrage, Voting, Stanton, Elizabeth Cady, 1815-1902, Woman's Rights Convention, Speeches
Proceedings of Woman's Rights Conventions and Woman's Rights Tracts. The proceedings for the conventions are found through the following resources: Worcester, October 23-24, 1850; Worcester, October 15-16, 1851; Syracuse, September 8-10, 1852; West Chester, June 2-3, 1852; Salem, April 19-20, 1850; and Akron, May 28-29, 1851. The tracts include sermons and speeches by Samuel J. May, Wendell Phillips, Abby Kelly Foster, Paulina W. Davis, Mrs. E. Oakes Smith, Mrs. C.I.H. Nichols, Mrs. M.E.J. Gage, Angelina Grimke Weld, Mrs. E.L. Rose, and Elizabeth C. Stanton.
Suffrage mailings to the Chester County Historical Society
Suffrage mailings to the Chester County Historical Society
Suffrage, Women--Suffrage, Voting, Chester County Historical Society (West Chester, Pa.), Correspondence
Suffrage mailings to the Chester County Historical Society and Gilbert Cope. These mailings include pleas to vote "yes" to the Women's Suffrage Amendment, informational pamphlets, and speech notices from the National American Woman Suffrage Association, the Pennsylvania Woman Suffrage Association, Anna Howard Shaw, and Jane R. Baker.
Temperance-related Suffrage ephemera
Temperance-related Suffrage ephemera
Suffrage, Women--Suffrage, Voting, Ephemera, Correspondence, Fliers (Ephemera)
Temperance-related Suffrage ephemera from various temperance organizations in the United States, including fliers, correspondence, and booklets from the Women's Christian Temperance Union, the Women's Organization for National Prohibition Reform, and the Allied Forces for Prohibition.
"Votes for Women" postcards
"Votes for Women" postcards
Suffrage, Women--Suffrage, Voting, Postcards
"Votes for Women" illustrated postcards by the National Woman Suffrage Publishing Co. Inc. of New York, NY. Illustrations come from the Campbell Art Co. in Elizabeth, NJ. Artists include O'Neill and Emily Hall Chamberlin.
The Woman's Justice Bell flyer for Philadelphia Parade
The Woman's Justice Bell flyer for Philadelphia Parade
Suffrage, Women--Suffrage, Voting, Fliers (Ephemera)
Flier for a women's suffrage parade on October 22, 1915, during which the Woman's Justice Bell was to be unveiled.