While our Carriage House has been under construction, many guests might have noticed a new addition in the well-known Front Parlor of 17 Madison Street.
This room has become the temporary location for this bust of attorney John Van Voorhis. Van Voorhis was born in Decatur, New York, in 1826. He passed the bar in 1851 and began practicing in Elmira, New York. Later, he moved to Rochester and opened his own practice in 1854. He defended people like abolitionist Frederick Douglass and assisted the Seneca Nation in land disputes.
Van Voorhis was Susan B. Anthony’s lead defense attorney when she was tried and convicted of voting in the presidential election of 1872.
He also served three terms as a United States Congressman between 1879 and 1895.
A Chicago artist, Robert Lee MacCameron, was hired to paint a portrait of Van Voorhis. MacCameron has pieces at the Smithsonian American Art Museum in DC, the Memorial Art Gallery in Rochester, and museums in England and France. He is most notable for painting a portrait of President William Howard Taft.
It was typical for the artist to live in residency, so he lived with the Van Voorhis family in their Rochester home. While there, MacCameron started a relationship with Van Voorhis’ daughter Louise, and the two later married.
The newlyweds moved to Paris, where MacCameron continued his art education at the Beaux Arts School and received several prestigious awards for his work.
Upon their return to Rochester, MacCameron sculpted a marble bust of his Father-in-Law, which is currently in the Ontario County Courthouse, where Susan B. Anthony’s trial was held. This bronze cast is of the original marble bust. The Van Voorhis descendants donated the bronze bust to the Anthony Museum in 2021.
Meet Rhoda DeGarmo, an ardent anti-slavery advocate, temperance worker, suffragist, friend of Anthony and Stanton, yet for many today, an unfamiliar name. What did she do for women’s rights? What would she say to us today about the importance of voting?
Born in Massachusetts in 1798 or 1799, Rhoda and her husband, Elias DeGarmo, were farmers in Gates, NY, just outside of Rochester, in the 1800s. The DeGarmos were part of the network of anti-slavery activists who made up the Underground Railroad in the region. Their home often provided refuge for enslaved persons fleeing to Canada. She was one of the first people to join the Western New York Anti-Slavery Society when it was formed in 1842. She later became part of its equivalent of an executive committee, organizing Anti-Slavery Fairs all around the region. When Daniel and Lucy Anthony moved with their family to a neighboring farm in Gates in late 1845, the families discovered they had much in common and became close friends, working together on anti-slavery, temperance, and women’s rights causes.
In June of 1848, Rhoda DeGarmo and other Quakers walked out of the Genesee Yearly Meeting of Friends when the elders objected to their anti-slavery activities. The next month, at the Women’s Rights Convention in Seneca Falls, she was chosen as one of the organizers for the adjourned convention, to be held in Rochester in August. She supported the move to appoint a woman to preside over the Rochester convention, something strongly opposed by other women delegates as “a most hazardous experiment.” Lucretia Mott and Elizabeth Cady Stanton refused to sit on the dais with a woman presiding.
Throughout her life, Rhoda DeGarmo worked with anti-slavery groups, with state and local women’s rights organizations, and temperance organizations, earning her a respected place as a human-rights activist among her contemporaries. She was a frequent visitor at the Anthony home in Rochester. She was a member of the Rochester Political Equality Club formed by Mary Anthony. In 1872, when Susan B. Anthony famously registered and voted in the presidential election, claiming her vote as a right of citizenship under the XIV Amendment, Rhoda DeGarmo, by then in her 70s, was right there, one of the 14 other women voting with her. Rhoda DeGarmo died in 1873, a few months after she dared to vote.
[Ed. note: In 1848, Rhoda DeGarmo’s portrait was created by artist C. Hoag, a painting that came to the Anthony Museum from a direct descendant. The portrait was conserved in 2012 with funding provided by the Greater Hudson Heritage Network and work performed by Tracy Dulniak of Great Lakes Art Conservation, LLC. This portrait is on display in Mary Anthony’s study in the Susan B. Anthony House at the Anthony Museum.]
Pictured: Bark Longhouse at Ganondagan State Historic Site in Victor, NY. Special thanks to the staff at Ganondagan for their incredibly informative tour and resources on this topic.
While many point to the Seneca Falls Convention and its female abolitionists as the birth of the women’s rights movement here in New York State, there is a long history of women’s equality that predates European presence in North America.
The Haudenosaunee (“People of the Longhouse”) are a democratic coalition of Six Nations: Seneca, Cayuga, Onondaga, Oneida, Mohawk, and later, Tuscarora, who put an end to a period of war and ushered in an era of peace and prosperity for its people. It became the longest running recorded democracy in history, inviting all to participate, regardless of gender. Under the Haudenosaunee government, Clan Mothers represented their clans (a group of extended family members) and gained incredible respect by listening carefully to the voice of their community and bringing those needs to the Hoyaneh (male leader of a clan). Clan Mothers were responsible for appointing Hoyaneh, but instead of choosing warriors, they consistently chose men who had never killed in battle. If this man proved to be an irresponsible leader, this council of women also had the power to remove him from office. These wise women know the young men of their tribe well, and are careful to choose a Hoyaneh that will represent his people well in the broader Haudenosaunee government.
Women’s roles were respected in the home, as well. Because bloodlines were (and still are) traced through the mother, not the father, children inherit their mother’s clan name. When a couple married, the man would leave his tribe/family to live with his new wife and her family, sharing child rearing duties with the whole community*. In the case of divorce, which was openly available to women, children stayed with the mother’s clan and the ex-husband was sent back to his parents. Possibly the most telling sign of the happy, healthy, female community during this time was the rarity of assault. Family groups practiced a very open style of living in longhouses, which prevented secrecy and encouraged strong community bonds. The recorded cases of sexual misconduct that we can study from this time were punished severely, in accordance with the strong religious and social values the crime violated. Overall, history shows us that Haudenosaunee women enjoyed peace, safety, and social respect. While European-American women in the 1800’s were told to hold their tongue, obey their patriarch, and surrender their income and property, Indigenous women were encouraged to voice their opinions, lead a household, and manage resources. It is a model that early suffragists found absolutely inspiring.
Haudenosaunee women were happy to teach their lifestyle to suffragists like Matilda Joslyn Gage, an early and outspoken proponent of Indigenous life as the premier model for the suffrage movement. Gage fostered a relationship with local tribes throughout her life and took what she learned back to her own community. Although most suffragists dismissed Gage as a radical, shrewd strategists like Susan B. Anthony and Lucretia Mott deeply admired the harmony and independence of female life in Haudenosaunee tribes, mirroring that system in their own goals for the women’s right movement. In democracy and equality, the United States owes so much to the teachings of First Nations People.
* Many sources reveal that married men were still active in the lives of their birth family, including helping care for their sisters’ children, etc.
Susan B. Anthony knew it was illegal to vote as a woman in 1872, so why did she do it? More than just a passionate statement, Susan B. planned this moment in history as a strategic bid for publicity in a world that largely ignored woman’s suffrage.
The suffragists did nothing by accident. On the day that Susan B. voted, suffragists across the United States (including influential figures like Sojourner Truth) marched to the polls and attempted to cast their ballot using the language of the 14th Amendment, which stated that all citizens have the right to vote. These women weren’t hoping to sneak under the radar with their “loophole”; instead, they used this message as a nation-wide protest. As woman after woman was turned away from the polls, people and papers started talking about woman’s suffrage.
On Madison Street, Susan B., her sister Mary, and the group of women with them were prepared to face ridicule, reporters, and stubborn opposition. The band was formed of older activists like Rhoda DeGarmo, single women and mothers, younger ladies like Charlotte Bowles Anthony and Margaret Garrigues Leyden, and next-door neighbor Sarah Cole Truesdale. Of the local women who voted on November 5th, none received more backlash than Susan B. herself. Initially, poll workers and officers were cautious in their reactions, unsure of how to handle these polite, feminine law-breakers. Susan B. Anthony knew that this moment could not be lost to history however, and she took every chance she could to spread the word about what she had just done. On November 18th, she was arrested by a local sheriff and told to show up to her trial in a few months.
Since she was not detained prior to her trial, Susan B. traveled locally, delivering her famous “Is It a Crime for a Citizen to Vote?” speech. Newspapers quickly caught on, and the story spread like wildfire. All sorts of opinions about woman’s suffrage began landing on people’s doorsteps, ranging from slander and insults to confusion to praise and admiration. One thing was certain: all of Rochester was talking about women’s roles in civics and soon, the whole nation would follow suit.
a bench from Susan B. Anthony’s courtroom in Canandaigua, currently on view at the National Women’s Hall of Fame
Do you wish you had more power to change the world? The injustice we see in our daily lives can become overwhelming, leading us to believe that we are powerless to stop it.
Enter Susan B. Anthony.
On June 17, 1873, Susan B. stood in a Canandaigua courthouse listening to her male lawyer plead to a male jury in front of a male judge about a woman’s right to vote. She had already caused several headaches for local officials this year, most notably, by voting in the most recent presidential election. Her vote, along with fourteen female neighbors who voted alongside her, caused a stir in Rochester which Susan B. used as a platform to spread her message. She traveled the county delivering a fiery speech, advocating for the right of all people to vote. According to scholar Ann D. Gordon, “Anthony spoke in twenty-nine villages and towns of Monroe County, asking ‘Is it a Crime for a U.S. Citizen to Vote?’ When she delivered her lecture in Rochester, the county’s principal city, a daily newspaper printed her speech in full, circulating it further.” (p 34, The Trial of Susan B. Anthony)
Associate justice of the Supreme Court Ward Hunt, who was known by some to oppose the cause of suffrage, arrived to preside over the case. The court did not meet in Rochester, but in the nearby town of Canandaigua, NY. There, Susan B. sat for two days as proceedings continued, certain that the jury could see the logic behind her daring act.
As the case drew to a close, the jurors who had heard Susan B.’s story were prepared to deliberate, but Judge Hunt stopped them. He had already made up his mind, and told them so. With one action, the Judge became infamous in law journals, nationwide newspapers, and public opinion for denying Susan B. Anthony a trial by jury. He delivered her guilty verdict, along with a fine of $100, which she refused to pay. Then, he gave her the opportunity to address the court in what he no doubt assumed would be a short, defeated statement.
Susan B. stood.
“Yes, your honor, I have many things to say; for in your ordered verdict of guilty you have trampled under foot every vital principle of our government. My natural rights, my civil rights, my political rights, my judicial rights, are all alike ignored…” She held the court spellbound despite Judge Hunt’s repeated protests, refusing to sit down until she had finished. She spoke of natural rights, of logic, of governmental representation, but most of all, the injustice of the system that found her guilty.
“All of my prosecutors—from the 8th ward corner grocery politician, who entered the complaint, to the United States Marshal, Commissioner, District Attorney, District Judge, your honor on the bench—not one is my peer, but each and all are my political sovereigns; and had your honor submitted my case to the jury, as was clearly your duty, even then I should have had just cause of protest for not one of those men was my peer; but, native or foreign born, white or black, rich or poor, educated or ignorant, awake or asleep, sober or drunk, each and every man of them was my political superior; hence, in no sense, my peer.”
Her trial in 1873 became a hallmark of the suffrage movement, and her call for the right of all people to vote rings in our ears 150 years later. In the face of a broken system, Susan B. Anthony took action to achieve justice, building a network of support that lived beyond her. The work continued in the women who wrote the 19th Amendment, the women who fought for the vote of minority communities, and the women who work to ensure a safe and educated vote for all people today. Remember: we walk in the footsteps of women who kicked open doors that were closed to them; we can change injustice.
This year we were honored by the gift of a gorgeous green and silver wreath that now festoons the front door of the Susan B. Anthony House. It is difficult to imagine what Susan herself might have said about it, since there were few recorded years where Susan chose to decorate 7 Madison Street for the season. In keeping with the style of the Society of Friends (which you might know as the “Quakers”), the Anthony family celebrated the holidays a little differently than expected; there were no elaborate adornments, no tree in the parlor, and certainly no cookies left out for Santa Claus.
Then and now, members of the Society of Friends were known for their subdued celebrations, “With no minister, no program and no choir, the Quaker congregation will sit quietly in a room lit by a fireplace and candles…the entire four-hour service could pass without a sound.” (Virginian Pilot) Many Quakers tend to downplay the showier side of festivities, instead focusing on cultivating goodwill, peace, and community spirit even during the cold New York winter. Mr. and Mrs. Anthony raised their children in a branch of the Friends that emphasized simplicity, equality, and good action toward others, but certainly did not shy away from celebrating the holidays with gusto. The most notable deviance from cultural norms would likely have been their toast to the New Year — completely devoid of alcoholic beverages! In the Anthony House today, there is still preserved a velvet cloak which Susan received as a holiday gift from Mrs. Emily Gross, all the way from Chicago. Throughout Susan’s writings, we find her thanking various friends for shawls and fruit cakes around the holidays, but most of all we hear Susan and her closest allies speaking of how the work must go on, even on Christmas Morning. The Anthonys surely celebrated every day of the season as an opportunity to do good.
In reality, Americans during Susan’s childhood were just beginning to celebrate the holidays as we know them today, with Charles Dickin’s beloved A Christmas Carol published in 1843, and the iconic Christmas tree only gaining popularity after the Civil War. Life in the Antebellum period startled Americans. The United States were not as safe and warm as some had thought, but “At this cross-roads of progress and nostalgia, Americans found in Christmas a holiday that ministered to their needs.” (History Today) Practitioners of many religions joined in this nationwide joy, bringing a variety of traditions together under the snowy blanket of the “holiday season”.
Christmas Eve is a simple celebration for Quakers, The Virginian Pilot
Plans are under way to build a new interpretive center that provides the long-awaited space we need to further explore voting rights and human rights for all! This expansion provides higher quality housing for our delicate archive material, many exhibit rooms where guests can freely interact with history, and designated rooms for everything from community events to Anthony Museum board meetings. Our President & CEO made a public statement this month, “We want to have a thriving gateway that is a part of an urban village…when you drive by, instead of seeing vacant city lots, you’re going to see people walking around and interacting,” said Hughes. “And we’ve had a wonderful response from the people who will be our new neighbors on Jefferson Avenue.” Most importantly, the center will comfortably expand our visitor capacity (currently limited to 35 visitors at a time, by fire code). We are excited to move ahead with this project that will allow us to expand our reach and impact. Architectural plans are in the schematic phase, to be finalized soon.
The Anthony Museum honored the 150th anniversary year of Susan’s vote.
Supporters of the mission for equal rights and voting rights for all have been celebrating Susan B. Anthony’s birthday since her own lifetime, and we are eager to continue the tradition. This 203rd birthday party and fundraiser for the National Susan B. Anthony Museum & House took place February 15, 2023, at the Joseph A. Floreano Riverside Convention Center, 123 E. Main Street, Rochester, NY, at 6pm. Our gathering remembers the 150 years that have passed since Susan B. herself dared to vote, but more importantly, looks toward the next 100 years and imagines all that we might do with our “wonderful power” of the vote.
Unable to attend? Please consider making a year-end gift! Click HERE to make a gift.
Dr. Sheila Strong has over twenty years of executive-level experience in the nonprofit and higher education sectors. As Director of Leadership Development and Equity at United Way of Greater Rochester and the Finger Lakes, she directs United Way’s six established Leadership Development Programs (Latino, African American, Emerging Leaders, Pride, Asian-Pacific American, and Development of Indo-American Leaders). Dr. Strong also leads the DRIVE (Diversity, Racial, Inclusion, Value, Equity) Team at United Way to advance the organization’s diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives and support other organizations in the community. She was instrumental in launching United Way’s first Leadership Equity Advancement and Development (LEAD) Mentoring and Coaching Program, a partnership between United Way and the Greater Rochester Health Foundation.
Dr. Strong currently serves as a board member of the Friends and Foundation of the Rochester Public Library and the Susan B. Anthony House, Inc. In addition, she volunteers her time as a mentor with Cheryl Speranza Leadership Institute at Our Lady of Mercy.
Before joining United Way, she served as the Executive Assistant to the President at Monroe Community College. She has worked with five college presidents in implementing strategic plan initiatives. Dr. Strong completed her Doctorate of Education in Executive Leadership from Saint John Fisher University. She holds a Master’s Degree in Publication Administration, Certification in Nonprofit Management, and Bachelor’s of Science Degree in Business Communications from The College at Brockport, State University of New York. She graduated with honors from Monroe Community College in Liberal Arts.
A native of Spencerport, Holly Bauer-Mergen retired from New York State after 32 years, with most most of that time with the State addictions agency as a regional program manager. Since that retirement, she has had another life chapter as a consultant working with non-profit addiction organizations providing a variety of technical communications functions, while volunteering at the Susan B. Anthony Museum and House as a receptionist (and other miscellaneous tasks), and serving on both the Votetilla and Votercade planning committees.
She received a bachelor’s degree in psychology and art history (minor radio, television, and film) from SUNY at Albany, an MBA in Health Systems Administration from Union College, and Basic and Advanced Certificates in Technical Communications from RIT. Now that the pandemic is receding, she looks forward to traveling to visit family and friends, including her husband’s family in Turkey (knitting project always in hand), while keeping up with her tai chi classes and auditing classes at RIT.
