Women's History Month 2020: Yes, Some Women in Massachusetts Voted in the 19th Century

If you read yesterday's post about Lucy Stone you may remember that she tried to vote in Massachusetts but was denied because she refused to use her husband's surname. Maybe you thought that was a typo since we were talking about the 19th century. 

But no, it was not. Women had limited suffrage in Massachusetts in the 19th century. Lois Bannister Merck writes in her article, The Boston Public School Crisis (New England Quarterly, June 1958) that "The School Suffrage Act passed in 1879. Two methods by which women might quality for this fraction of the privilege of voting were set forth in the legislation: (1) Women who had no taxable property could ask to be assesses a poll tax, set at fifty cents, and were permitted to register upon presenting a receipt for payment of this tax; (2) Women holding taxable property  who presented a sworn statement of the value of their property, and held a receipt for the payment of their tax, could register without payment of the poll tax." In addition they had to be able to read and write English. [1]. The poll tax requirement for women was abolished in 1892. [2]

So not every woman in Massachusetts could vote. And others, like Stone were denied their right because they would not comply with the "rules" set out for women. The women who did vote were voting in school elections, nothing else. But some could vote. And some  records do exist.

Consider this example from FamilySearch that records women who were naturalized citizens and registered to vote. 

Look at the great information provided in this register for Boston. 

• Date
• Name
• Signature
• Residence
• Age
• Place of Birth
• Occupation
• Place of Business 
• Date of Naturalization, Name and Location of Court
• Residence at Date of Registration
• Husband's Name (found in last column)

The register of native voters records the:

• Date
• Name
• Signature
• Residence
• Age
• Place of Birth
• Occupations

In the case where she is foreign born but her husband was a US citizen, they listed his name and birth place.

However, don't make the mistake of thinking that Massachusetts wasn't a utopia of suffrage. In 1915 men were asked to vote on whether women's suffrage should be added to the state constitution and that measure was defeated. [3] However, 5 years later Massachusetts was the 8th state to ratify the 19th amendment. [4]

This is why knowing the history of the PLACE your ancestor lived is vital. Not every state was the same. Some women had limited suffrage. However, while those Boston registers available online from  FamilySearch are fabulous, you may not be able to replicate that with other cities. Records, if they do exist, may be with the city so check there. Also see the state library, and state archive for other voting records that might be of use to you research.

Resources

Primary Research - Timeline of Women Suffrage in Massachusetts
Berenson, Barbara F. Massachusetts in the Woman Suffrage Movement: Revolutionary Reformers. Charleston, SC: The History Press, 2018.


Note: It doesn't appear that African American women are included in this limited suffrage. Later in this series I will be addressing the inequalities of the 19th amendment and suffrage.




[1] Available from JSTOR.
[2] "Timeline of Women Suffrage in Massachusetts," Primary Research (http://primaryresearch.org/woman-suffrage-in-massachusetts/: accessed 4 March 2020).
[3] Ibid.
[4] "Greater Boston Women's Vote Centennial," City of Boston (https://www.boston.gov/departments/womens-advancement/greater-boston-womens-vote-centennial: accessed 4 March 2020).