39th Annual Convention of the New York State Woman Suffrage Association, October 15-18, 1907
Introduction
Text-to-speech Audio
The 39th Annual Convention of the New York State Woman Suffrage Association (NYSWSA) was held in Geneva, NY on October 15-18, 1907. Convention sessions and meetings were held at the First Baptist Church with a reception held October 17 at Lochland, the home of Elizabeth Smith and Anne Fitzhugh Miller.
Images
Pamphlet, 39th Annual Convention of the New York State Woman Suffrage Association
Pamphlet, page 2
Pamphlet, page 3
Pamphlet, page 4
Pamphlet, page 5
Pamphlet, page 6
Pamphlet, page 7
Pamphlet, page 8
Pamphlet, page 9
Pamphlet, page 10
Pamphlet, page 11
Pamphlet, page 12
Pamphlet, page 13
Pamphlet, page 14
Pamphlet, page 15
Pamphlet, page 16
Postcard of the First Baptist Church, 1908
Newspaper announcement that the 39th Annual Convention would be held in Geneva
Convention ribbon with portrait of Elizabeth Smith Miller
Geneva Daily Times, October 17, 1907
Ella Hawley Crossett, President of the NYSWSA.
Harriet May Mills, Vice President of the NYSWSA (standing) with Ella Hawley Crossett, President of NYSWSA
Nicolas Shaw Fraser, Recording Secretary of the NYSWSA
Alice Williams, Corresponding Secretary of the NYSWSA
Annie E. Merritt, Treasurer of the NYSWSA
Eliza W. Osborne, Auditor for the NYSWSA
Fanny Garrison Villard, Auditor for the NYSWSA
Caroline A. Baldridge, President of the Ontario County Political Equality Club
Lucy E. Anthony, niece of Susan B. Anthony, presented prizes for essays at the convention
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Anne F. Miller, President of the Geneva Political Equality Club, with her mother, Elizabeth Smith Miller, at Lochland
Helen Z. M. Rodgers (right) offered a response to several greeting on the first night of the convention
Caroline Lexow offered an address titled "Industry and Woman Suffrage"
Rev. Langdon C. Stewardson, President of Hobart College, offered the address "The Significance of the Movement."
Mary E. Craigie reported on the legislative work done in support of suffrage
Florence Kelley presented the Industrial Report to the convention
Harriot Stanton Blanch, President of the Equal Suffrage League of Self-Supporting Women, gave an address titled "The New Demand for Suffrage"
Rose Schneiderman spoke on "Working Women and Suffrage" at the convention
Leonora O'Reilly addressed the convention on October 16
Mary E. Remington addressed the convention on October 16.
Rev. Anna Howard Shaw was a keynote speaker on October 16.
Professor Nathaniel Schmidt gave an address titled, "Vital Political Issues and the Suffrage Reform, with Finnish Illustrations"
Greetings from W. Smith O'Brien, Geneva city attorney, at the 39th NYSWSA Convention, page 1
Greetings from W. Smith O'Brien, Geneva city attorney, at the 39th NYSWSA Convention, page 2
Greetings from W. Smith O'Brien, Geneva city attorney, at the 39th NYSWSA Convention, page 3
Greetings from W. Smith O'Brien, Geneva city attorney, at the 39th NYSWSA Convention, page 4
Hotel Nester, the convention headquarters and lodging
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Backstory and Context
Text-to-speech Audio
The New York State Woman Suffrage Association (NYSWSA) was organized in 1869 after the Fifteenth Amendment only granted the vote to men. Matilda Joslyn Gage organized the first state convention at Saratoga Springs, July 13-14, 1869 and the association held a convention annually after that. The annual convention was a strategy used by NYSWSA to bring together all the smaller societies throughout the state to work together to advance women’s suffrage in New York.
The 39th Annual Convention was held October 15-18, 1907 in Geneva, NY, ten years after the 29th Convention was also held in Geneva. The 1907 program was greatly expanded from the earlier conference. In addition to the typical meetings and committee reports, there were additional reports from Young People’s Clubs, the presentation of two prize essays, and discussions about increasing membership prior to the 1908 National Convention of the National American Woman Suffrage Association.
All of the convention sessions were held in the First Baptist Church. The Romanesque Revival brick church was constructed in 1893-1984 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Attendees were also treated to a reception at Lochland, the home of Elizabeth Smith Miller and Anne Fitzhugh Miller.
Like the 1897 Convention, the Hotel Nestor served as the convention headquarters and lodging. The Hotel Nester (529-533 Exchange Street) was erected and opened in 1896 as the only first-class hotel in Geneva. The hotel was owned by Samuel K. Nester. In 1912 the hotel was expanded and renamed the Hotel Seneca. The hotel was a center of the social life in Geneva through World War II and the hotel then declined. For a period of time local clubs and events were held in the building until the hotel and the adjacent Jacobs building were demolished in 1981 to make way for a new senior housing complex.
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Thirty-Ninth Annual Convention of the New York State Woman Suffrage Association. Geneva, New York, October 15-18, 1907. Online Text. https://www.loc.gov/item/rbcmiller001293/. Accessed November 19, 2021.
Thirty-Ninth Annual Convention of the New York State Woman Suffrage Association. Geneva, New York, October 15-18, 1907. Online Text. https://www.loc.gov/item/rbcmiller001293/. Accessed November 19, 2021.
Thirty-Ninth Annual Convention of the New York State Woman Suffrage Association. Geneva, New York, October 15-18, 1907. Online Text. https://www.loc.gov/item/rbcmiller001293/. Accessed November 19, 2021.
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