Every name in the Boston Women's Voter Registers leads us to a life and a story. But we can't always trust everything the registration officials wrote down as fact.

Take for instance a “housewife” named Maude T Steward, who registered on August 20, 1920. 🧵

On August 5, 1920, Sarah Moses Bronkhurst Polak of 708 Columbus Ave in Boston lined up to claim her right to vote. Sarah’s journey to the Boston voter registration table took her across several national borders and showcased how marriage could impact women's voting rights. 🧵 @hubhistory.com

23-year-old Hester B. Smith lined up to register to vote in Boston on October 13, 1920, just in time to qualify to cast her ballot in the upcoming Presidential election. A Black woman from Charlottesville, Virginia, she no doubt had experienced racial segregation and discrimination, & perhaps worse.

Every name in the Boston Women's Voter Registers leads us to a life and a story. But we can't always trust everything the registration officials wrote down as fact. Maude T Steward, claimed her right to vote on August 20, 1920.
Image: Maude Trotter Stewart in front of "The Guardian" offices, n.d.

Born #OTD, January 25, was one of the earliest Boston women to claim their equal right to vote: Zilpha Drew Smith (1852-1926). She registered to vote on August 4, 1920, weeks before Tennessee became the last state to ratify the 19th Amendment.

Image: Registry from Boston City Archives

Mark your calendars for a #MaryElizaProject public event! Come meet some of the Mary Eliza Team members as we present live and in person:
BRIGHTON WOMEN CLAIM THE VOTE

Uncovering Stories from the 1920 Boston Women's Voter Registers

Free and Open to the Public!