Celebrating Stow's Women

📖 The Scoop

1920-2020! The 100th Anniversary of the 19th Amendment! In 2019 the Stow Historical Society and Stow's Ancient Documents Committee began an in-depth search of the town's archives and previously written histories of Stow, MA for primary documents and resources about Stow 1920 and her women. There was nothing. What a journey it was to learn about Stow's women who registered to vote!The SHS created a short list was created of families who lived in Stow in 1920: Gates, Peck, Warren, Lawrence, Derby, Gleason, Priest, Fletcher, Smith, Trumpolt, Bryon, and Gould. Using www.ancestry.com (Ancestry® Genealogy, Family Trees & Family History Records), each surname, the date, 1920, and the place, Stow, Massachusetts, were entered into this search engine. After a half dozen entries, a Warren name (Adelia F.) opened our world of discovery, as she was included in a listing of Voter Records, 4 Sep 1920, Stow, Massachusetts. These Xerox copies were downloaded, and a spreadsheet was created. The SHS now had names of our women who registered to vote.At a neighboring library, weekly issues of local newspapers were read on microfiche between the years 1918-1920. They were a treasure trove of information about Stow and her women. With a printed list of the women's names, picture files, vertical files, Stow Town Directories, and a scrapbook in the Town Vault were searched diligently. Extended family members from across the country were contacted. Photos and recollections were gathered. A mesmerizing story, supported by primary and secondary documents, came to life. In 1920, 171 women from Stow, Massachusetts registered to vote between August 14th and October 23rd. At that time, this represented 62% of eligible women out of the town's 1,100 residents. These women ranged in age from 22 to 82 years old. This book celebrates Stow, her women, and the town's rich heritage.

Genre: History / United States / General (fancy, right?)