Elizabeth Richards Tilton facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Elizabeth Richards Tilton
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Elizabeth Tilton, ca.1870
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Elizabeth Monroe Richards
May 28, 1834 |
| Died | April 13, 1897 (aged 62) Brooklyn, New York, US
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| Occupation | Suffragist |
| Spouse(s) | |
| Children | 7 |
Elizabeth Monroe Richards Tilton (1834–1897) was an American woman who worked for women's right to vote. She helped start the Brooklyn Woman's Club. She was also a poetry editor for The Revolution, a newspaper that supported women's rights. This newspaper was started by famous women's rights leaders Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony. Elizabeth Tilton also worked with the American Equal Rights Association.
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Early Life and Education
Elizabeth Monroe Richards was born on May 28, 1834, in Brooklyn, New York. Her parents were Johanna Handley and Joseph Richards, who was a jeweler.
Elizabeth went to the Brooklyn Female Seminary. She also helped tutor her younger brother, Joseph H. Richards. She tutored his friend, Theodore Tilton, as well. Theodore later lived with Elizabeth and her family when his parents moved away. They all went to Plymouth Church, where Henry Ward Beecher was a very popular preacher. Elizabeth became a Sunday school teacher at this church.
Working for Women's Rights
Elizabeth Tilton was an important part of the women's rights movement. She wrote for and was the poetry editor of The Revolution. This newspaper was the main voice of the National Woman Suffrage Association. This group was founded by Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony. Elizabeth Tilton, along with Stanton and Anthony, signed a petition in 1866 asking for voting rights to be protected.
From 1868 to 1869, she was on the executive committee of the American Equal Rights Association. In 1870, she was the corresponding secretary for the Brooklyn Equal Rights Association. She also helped find a building in Brooklyn to be their headquarters. In 1870, Elizabeth Tilton helped start the Brooklyn Woman's Club. She founded it with Celia M. Burleigh, Laura Curtis Bullard, and other women.
Marriage and Family Life
Elizabeth Richards married Theodore Tilton (1835–1907) on October 2, 1855. The wedding took place at Plymouth Church and was led by Henry Ward Beecher. Elizabeth was 21 years old and Theodore was 20.
Theodore Tilton worked for The Independent, a magazine that was against slavery. He started writing for the magazine in 1856. Henry Ward Beecher became the editor-in-chief in 1861, and Theodore became his assistant. In 1864, Theodore took over as editor. He was well-known as a writer, speaker, and lecturer.
Elizabeth and Theodore had seven children over 14 years. Four of their children lived past infancy. Their daughters were Florence (born around 1858) and Alice (born in 1859). Their sons were Carroll (born in 1864) and Ralph (born in 1869). Two infant children, Mattie and Paul, died young. For some years, the Tiltons lived in a boardinghouse run by Elizabeth's mother. Later, they moved to a brownstone in the Brooklyn Heights area.
Later Years and Death
Towards the end of her life, Elizabeth Tilton lived with her widowed daughter, Florence Pelton. Florence's daughter, the artist Agnes Pelton, also lived with them in Brooklyn. Elizabeth became blind, but she stayed active. She used a cane to get around the streets and on trolley cars. A year before she died, surgery helped her see again.
Elizabeth Tilton passed away on April 13, 1897. She had two strokes about a month apart. Her two sons and two daughters were with her when she died. A private funeral service was held for her. She was buried in Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn, near her infant children. Her gravestone simply said "Grandmother."
Theodore Tilton later moved to France. He died in Paris on May 29, 1907, and was buried in France.
