Martha E. Sewall Curtis facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Martha E. Sewall Curtis
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"A Woman of the Century"
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| Born | Martha Elizabeth Sewall May 18, 1858 Burlington, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Died | April 27, 1915 (aged 56) Burlington |
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| Language | English |
| Nationality | American |
| Genre | historical research |
| Spouse |
Thomas S. Curtis
(m. 1879; died 1888) |
| Children | 2 |
| Relatives | Henry Dunster |
Martha E. Sewall Curtis (May 18, 1858 – April 27, 1915) was an American woman who worked for women's rights and was also a writer. She gave important talks at meetings of the National Woman Suffrage Association in Boston. For many years, she wrote a weekly column for women in the News newspaper in Woburn, Massachusetts. She was also the president of the Woburn Equal Suffrage League. In Boston, she ran a business that helped people with writing and employed about 20 women.
Early Life and Education
Martha Elizabeth Sewall was born in Burlington, Massachusetts, on May 18, 1858. Her family was one of the oldest in New England. Her parents were Samuel Sewall and Elizabeth Brown Sewall. Her father worked as the Town Clerk in Burlington for many years.
Her grandfather, Rev. Samuel Sewall, was a minister at the Old South Church. He also wrote a history of Woburn. Her great-grandfather was Judge Sewall, a Chief Justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court. He was involved in the Salem Witch Trials. On her grandmother's side, she was related to Henry Dunster, who was the first president of Harvard College.
Martha graduated from Cambridge high school in 1874. She was the youngest student in her class. After high school, she continued to study many different subjects and skills.
Career and Activism
For several years, Martha worked as a teacher. She also served on the school committee in her hometown for a time. She married Thomas S. Curtis on July 3, 1879. They had two children, but sadly, both died when they were very young. Her husband passed away on December 27, 1888. He fully supported her writing and her work for social change.
After her marriage, she studied public speaking at the New England Conservatory and graduated in 1883. She then spent another year studying how to give speeches. She strongly believed that men and women should be equal. Because of this, she started working for women's right to vote when she was quite young.
Her first public speech was at a meeting of the National Woman Suffrage Association in Boston. In 1889, she became a State lecturer for the Massachusetts Woman Suffrage Association. In this role, she spoke at many public meetings across the state. She also served as president of the Woburn Equal Suffrage League. She actively encouraged women to vote for the school committee, which was the only type of voting allowed for women in Massachusetts at that time. She believed that giving women the right to vote was the best way to get good laws for everyone.
Martha also helped with social improvements by writing articles for newspapers. She edited a weekly column for women in the Woburn News. She inherited a love for history from her grandfather, Rev. Samuel Sewall, who was an antiquarian (someone who studies old things). She wrote a history of her own town for the History of Middlesex County. For many years, she ran a business in Boston that offered stenography (a type of shorthand writing) services and employed about 20 women.
Personal Life
From 1880 to 1885, Martha served as the organist for the Burlington church. She passed away on April 27, 1915, at her home in Burlington.
Selected Works
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- Burlington Church. 150th anniversary. Burlington, Mass., 1855
- Burlington, 1890
- Ye olde meeting house : addresses and verses relating to the meeting house, Burlington, Middlesex County, Massachusetts, built 1732, and other historical addresses , 1909 (Text)
