Dr. Nichole Kathol, Dr. Amanda Curtis, Dr. Katharine Delavan, Annalise Kelleher and Jeanna Purses have joined forces to organize a year long celebration of the numerous Lake Erie College alumnae who fought for women’s rights and for the right to vote.
The intention of this year long project is to involve students in active research related to alumnae activities at the local, state and national levels, including, the Painesville Equal Rights Association and the Ohio Suffrage Association, both founded by Frances Jennings Casement, an alumna and Painesville citizen. In 1885, Frances Jennings Casement hosted Susan B. Anthony in her home for one week and organized her visits to Lake Erie College, the Painesville Methodist Church and The Union Chapel in Newbury where she gave speeches and inspired the community to support the suffrage movement.
Recently, in an extraordinary find, a hand-written, personal letter from Susan B. Anthony to then President Mary Evans was discovered in the College archives. Dated May 21, 1885, the letter thanks President Evans for the opportunity to visit and sums up with this heartfelt show of gratitude: “give my kindest regards to the teachers and the students alike -- I enjoyed that morning’s look into the faces and talk with the heads and hearts of those dear young girls...very much.” The letter was signed affectionately, “With great respect & love, Susan B. Anthony.”
In the letter, Mrs. Anthony also mentioned her forthcoming gift to the College of a set of History of Woman Suffrage. The cherished, commemorative volumes have been located in the library and will be displayed with Susan B. Anthony’s letter among other letters and photos of Lake Erie College suffragettes: including, Frances Jennings Casement, Elizbeth Bartlett Granniz, Luette Bentley, Emma Gillette, Ellen Spencer Mussey among others.
Frances Jennings Casement (1840-1928): Born in Painesville, Ohio, daughter of Charles Jennings and Mehitabel M. Park; graduate of the Willoughby Female Seminary. Frances founded the Painesville Equal Rights Association and the Ohio Woman’s Suffrage Association, serving as the first President. She was a confidant of Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony. Frances hosted Susan B. Anthony in her home and organized Anthony’s speech circuit in Painesville and Northeast Ohio. Frances organized “parlor talks” throughout the Lake County area to educate women and their families on the right to the ballot.
Elizabeth Bartlett Grannis (1840-1926): Born in Hartford, Connecticut and attended the Lake Erie Female Seminary in Painesville, Ohio between 1859-1862. Elizabeth was a newspaper editor and activist for dress reform, lunacy laws. She was called “the disturber of the peace” due to her annual attempts to vote as a “female man” stating “man” referred to all humans. She often voted on her brothers ballot. She voted for the first time when she was 80 years old "I have waited long for this day, and I pray that every woman in the land may soon have the same privilege.”
Emma Gillett (1852-1927) and Ellen Spencer Mussey (1850-1936) Emma and Ellen were trailblazers in women’s rights and access to legal studies. They met while attending the Lake Erie Female Seminary in 1870. They both moved to Washington D.C and co-founded the Washington College of Law and the Women’s Bar Assoc of DC. Emma was the first female notary public and served as the Chairman of the Legal Branch of the National Woman’s Party. Mussey was the first chairwoman of the Women’s CIty Club of Washington, DC. They were both members of the National Women’s Party.
Mary Evans (1860-1921) Mary was the first President of Lake Erie College in 1898 when the institution received its charter. She was previously the principal of Lake Erie Seminary (former name of LEC) working closely with female faculty like Luette Bentley spreading their influence in higher education to women in the area and working with suffragists throughout the country until 1909 when she retired and Vivian Blanche Small took over as President of Lake Erie College.
Luette Bentley (1841-1922) Luette joined Lake Erie College early in the institutions inception when it was Lake Erie Seminary. Graduating in 1865, she immediately became part of the faculty teaching physiology and hygiene for 44 years. She was then elected an associate to the future Presdient Mary Evans. Soon she became a dean of Lake Erie College when it received its charter. Her influence on the development of the college in higher education and women is a significant part of LEC's history.
Vivian Blanche Small (1896-1940) Vivian became the 2nd President of Lake Erie College after Mary Evans stepped down to retire in 1909. Before she became the honored and popular President of LEC, she had been a educator and professor of Latin where she taught at her alma mater, Mount Holyoke College. Vivian is considered a prominent figure in educational affairs of the Western Reserve.