New Hampshire Suffragist, Deputy Commissioner, Public Educator, Club-woman: Harriet Lane Huntress of Center Harbor and Concord (1860-1922)

Posted on 17 June, 2019 by Janice Brown

Harriet Lane Huntress from the Granite State Monthly of 1914.

Harriet Lane Huntress was born on 30 November 1860 in Center Harbor, New Hampshire, daughter of James Lewis & Harriet (Paige) Huntress. Her father was a hotel keeper, owner of the famed Senter House in Center Harbor New Hampshire.

Harriet was a member of the New Hampshire Equal Suffrage Association, working and contributing on their behalf, and serving on that group’s advisory board. Her life’s work was on public education with a strong focus on the Keene and Plymouth New Hampshire Normal Schools (now called Keene State College and Plymouth State College).

She died 31 July 1922 in Concord NH at her home on 93 Pleasant Street. Harriet Lane Huntress is buried in Mount Auburn Cemetery, Cambridge MA. [Her obituary can be found below the genealogy entry for her father, below].

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New Hampshire Educator, Suffragist, Civic Leader: Millicent S. Morse of Manchester (1866-1966)

Posted on 14 June, 2019 by Janice Brown

Photograph 1912 Hallsville (grammar school, Manchester NH) Graduating Class. Millicent Morse is pictured seated (in the middle of the first seated row) as assistant principal. From Manchester Historic Association.

Millicent S. “Millie” Morse was born on 9 March 1866 in Stoneham MA, daughter of Charles E. Morse & Lucy L. Eames. Her father was a farmer.  She was single, and moved with them by 1900 to Manchester, New Hampshire where they had a house at 963 Valley Street.

She would live there to the last of her days. Millicent died on 11 Nov 1966 in New Hampshire. She is buried in Pine Grove Cemetery, Lot No 4455, Poplar Lawn. She was aged 100 years 8m, 2 days. Continue reading →

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New Hampshire Suffragist, Lecturer, Clubwoman, Civic Leader: Susan Cushing (Wood) Bancroft of Concord (1861-1948)

Posted on 12 June, 2019 by Janice Brown

Photograph of Susan Cushing Wood Bancroft from One Thousand New Hampshire Notables, by Henry H. Metcalf & ed. F. M. Abbott, 1919

Susan Cushing (Wood) Bancroft was b 15 March 1861 in Milford MA, daughter of Bartholomew & Jennette (Burke) Wood.  She died 19 April 1948 in Concord NH. She is buried in Blossom Hill Cemetery in Concord NH.

Susan married on 6 Aug 1884 in Newton Center MA to Charles Parker Bancroft, son of J.P. & Elizabeth (Spear) Bancroft. He was born 11 Jan 1852 in St. Johnsbury VT and died  14 Dec 1923 in Hanover CT. He was an allopathic physician practicing in Concord NH in 1878, licensed in 1897. Dr. Bancroft had privileges at Boston (MA) City Hospital, and the New Hampshire State Hospital for the insane. He graduated from Harvard Medical School in Boston in 1878. Continue reading →

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New Hampshire Suffragist, Actress, Civic Leader: Agnes Marie (O’Leary) Jenks of Concord (1873-1945)

Posted on 9 June, 2019 by Janice Brown

Photograph of Agnes Jenks from glass negative, Library of Congress,George Grantham Bain Collection, circa 1900. https://www.loc.gov/item/2014687861/

Agnes Marie O’Leary was the daughter of William Curran & Miriam Catherine (Keating) O’Leary. She was born on 25 Sep 1873 in Wakefield, Middlesex Co. MA and died 9 May 1945 in Boston, Suffolk Co. MA (and so of course Massachusetts can also claim her).  Her father was an artist and designer who died several months before she was born.  During most of the years where she worked on behalf of suffrage, she lived in Concord New Hampshire.

Woman’s Who’s Who in America 1914-1915 presents the best biography of her: “JENKS, Agnes W. (Mrs. Barton Pickering Jenks) Concord NH. Born Wakefield Mass; ed. Boston (Mass.) public and private schools; m. Concord N.H. Oct 23, 1892 Barton P. Jenks (pres. William B. Durgin Co., silversmiths, Concord NH). Children: Phoebe M. Pickering, Barton Pickering Jr., Lewis B. Was an actress; played important parts with Edwin Booth, Lawrence Barrett and Mme Helene Modjeska (stage name “Agnes Acres”). Mem. Professional Women’s Club, Concord Woman’s Club, various charity organizations and Peace Soc. of N.H. Favors woman suffrage, sec. New Hampshire Woman Suffrage Assn’n. pres. Concord Equal Suffrage Assn.” Continue reading →

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New Hampshire Suffragist, Newspaper Editor, Printer, Civic Leader: Mary Donker Musgrove of Bristol (1875-1944)

Posted on 7 June, 2019 by Janice Brown

Photograph of Mary D. Musgrove, from Bristol (NH)
Historical Society. My thanks to Lucille Keegan.

Mary Donker Musgrove was born on 22 October 1875 in Bristol, Grafton Co. NH, daughter of Captain Richard Watson and Henrietta Maria “Etta”(Guild) Musgrove.  She led a long and productive life, and died on 6 Sep 1944. To those who wonder about the unusual middle name of Donker, it was her paternal grandmother’s surname as you will see in the genealogy below.

Miss Musgrove was buried in her family’s plot in Homeland Cemetery, Bristol NH where generations of the Musgrove family lie.  It is what is in between those two dates that made her special. My thanks to Lucille Keegan of the Bristol (NH) Historical Society for her help with this story.

The book, “One Thousand New Hampshire Notables,” by Henry H. Metcalf, Francis M. Abbott [1919,  Hathi Trust], both compilers of which are also suffragists, is a wonderful source of biographical information as follows: ” Continue reading →

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