In 1876 Julia Smith published Abby Smith and Her Cows, a collection of newspaper articles, letters, and speeches regarding their taxes and a woman’s right to vote. The book also included one of their court cases. “There were seven cows … Continue reading
“We repaired to the Misses Smith where we were to spend the night and part of Sunday. It is a wide, roomy, hospitable mansion, with old-fashioned fireplaces, old-fashioned pictures, and most of the furniture of an ancient date. “Two bay … Continue reading
• May 15, 2022 • 3:30 • Museum on the Green • Glastonbury, CT • $5 • Bring lawn chair Reenactment of the April 1874 events (below) when the Smith sisters went to Town Hall to plead for the right … Continue reading
When Mr. Andrews dropped by the first day of the New Year, Abby and Julia gave him their usual warm welcome. They soon found out exactly what the town men thought of Abby’s speech. Mr. Andrews presented a document which … Continue reading
Though pure breed Alderney cattle no longer exist, at the time they were famous for their abundant supply of milk and rich butter. Alderneys were a smaller cow and supposedly docile. But Julia’s brindle Alderneys would listen only to her. … Continue reading
On October 15, 1873, almost a year since the $100 tax increase, Abby Smith attended a Woman’s Congress in New York City with Frances Ellen Burr. The main national suffrage leaders there included Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Lucy Stone, her husband … Continue reading
It was the summer of 1872. Abby and Julia Smith lived in their roomy, comfortable Kimberly Mansion—a white, two-story house with green shutters. The home, well over one hundred years old, sat on the original 133 acres, which included woods, … Continue reading
Challenging, but quite different, times were ahead for both Abby and Julia Smith and their second cousin Mary Ann Eldred Austin, during the 1870s. The decade began and ended with a death in each family. The Austins The 1870s were … Continue reading
In October 1869 Julia, Abby, and Zephina—the three remaining Smith sisters—received a second unexpected tax bill, which they paid. Since women could not vote, they had no way to dispute the second bill. To the suffrage meeting we went…—Julia E. … Continue reading
The house on the right with a white fence is C.C.P. Eldred’s house. The bridge crossed over Halfway Brook, the brook which impressed Laurilla Smith. The Austin home (not shown) is less than a half mile east (right). On the … Continue reading
