By Rachel Dworkin, archivist
In honor of women’s history month, I thought I’d shamelessly
steal Smithsonian Magazine’s idea of
sharing five objects from our collection associated with five local women.
1. Hannah Marshall’s Cape
Hannah Marshall (1819-1890) of Horseheads worked as a Quaker
preacher for decades. During the 1800s, Quakerism was one of the few Christian
sects which encouraged the active participation of women as preachers and
spiritual leaders. Hannah is one of the only local women known to have preached
here during the 1800s. She never married and was widely respected in her
community.
2. Fanny Brooks’ Blouse
Fanny Brooks (1836-1906) was born into slavery in the south.
She, her husband George, and their two children moved to Elmira in the
late-1860s. They were part of a northward wave of migrants which tripled the
city’s African American population following the Civil War. Fanny was an active
member of the Douglas Memorial A.M.E. Zion Church and was a financial backer of
the church they constructed in 1890. Although the building is gone, a stained
glass window bearing her name remains. She and her husband had four children,
the youngest of whom became the first African American to graduate from
Cornell.
3. Dr. Rachel Gleason’s Medical Case
Dr. Rachel Gleason (1820-1905) graduated from Central Medical
College in Syracuse in 1851, just two years after the first woman to graduate
from an American medical school. In 1852, she and her husband Dr. Silas Gleason
opened the Gleason Water Cure on Elmira’s East Hill. They ran it together until
1898 when Silas’ health began to fail.
Rachel specialized in women’s health and published a book and several
articles on the subject. She sponsored and offered training positions to other
female physicians including her sister and daughter.
4. Esther Williamson Ballou’s
Concert Program
Esther Ballou (1915-1973) was a musician and composer. She began
studying piano at age four and started composing music in her twenties. She
attended Bennington College, Mills College, and Julliard, where she also later
taught. She also taught at Catholic University and The American University,
both in Washington, D.C. She composed dozens of pieces, including one which was
performed at the White House in 1963.
5. Jennie Fassett’s Ball Gown
Jennie Fassett (1860-1939) was the wife of area Congressman J.
Sloat Fassett. During the couple’s years in Washington, D.C., she advocated for
stronger child labor laws. Locally, she helped establish the Women’s Federation
for Social Services. She was a member of the New York Women’s Suffrage Party
and the Board of Trustees of the Steele Memorial Library. She was also a major
financial backer of Elmira College.