Suffrage – East Bloomfield
Francis M. Brunson
(1871-1956), remained single
- Born in East Bloomfield, father was a farmer
- Was a schoolteacher locally, 1894
- Board member for Wood Library c. 1900
- Original member of the Fortnightly Club, East Bloomfield, 1896
- From 1898 to 1909 was assistant/associate editor of the Ontario County Times Journal
- Became matron of Clark Manor House, 1909 (her mother was there)
- Was chairman of Canandaigua YMCA auxiliary, 1909
- Wrote a play entitled “Sam’s Surrender”, a suffrage farce – was performed locally as well as at other Upstate NY communities, 1915-16
- Was considered a “prominent suffrage worker who has contributed extensively to the literary side of the campaign.” (Poughkeepsie Eagle News, Oct. 17, 1916r
- Moved to Batavia in 1918 to care for her 3 young cousins (boys)
- Started business “C’Nannie’s Plum Pudding” in Batavia in the 1920s
Paulina Wright Davis
(1813-1876), spouses Francis Wright, Thomas Davis, 2 adopted children
- Born in Bloomfield, parents died when she was young, moved to LeRoy to live with orthodox Presbyterian aunt; joined church but found it hostile to outspoken women
- First husband prosperous merchant, Francis Wright from Utica – both heavily involved in Central New York Anti-Slavery Society, women’s rights reform; he died in 1845
- Moved to NYC to study medicine, gave lectures on anatomy and physiology to women only, promoted women’s health
- 1849 married Thomas Davis, lived in RI
- In 1850 began to focus energies on women’s rights, helped to arrange first National Women’s Rights Convention in Worcester, MA, presided over and gave opening address
- One of founders of New England Woman Suffrage Association in 1868
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Amanda Theodosia Jones
Inventor and Owner of All-Woman Business
Amanda Theodosia Jones (1835-1914) was a multi-talented woman who was a prolific inventor and a frequently published writer. Her inventions were in two very different fields—food preservation/canning, and the use of oil as a fuel for furnaces. In 1890 she also started and ran an all-woman canning business.
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