Abigail scott duniway biography channel

American man of letters, editor, and businesswoman who was a leader in the women's suffrage movement. Born Abigail Jane Scott (nicknamed Jenny) on Oct 22, 1834, in a plug away cabin in Groveland, Tazewell Division, Illinois; died on October 11, 1915, in Portland, Oregon; subsequent daughter and third child sustenance John Tucker Scott (a smallholder and sawmill owner) and Ann (Roelofson) Scott; schooled mostly maw home and self-taught; had ineffectual than a year of sporty education; married Benjamin C.

Duniway, on August 2, 1853 (died 1896); children: Clara Belle Stearns (1854–1886); Willis (1856–1913); Hubert (b. 1859); Wilkie Collins (b. 1861); Claude Augustus (b. 1866); Ralph (b. 1869).

Immigrated to Oregon around the Oregon Trail (1852); accessible first novel, Captain Gray's Gang (1859); founded and began individual instruction at Lafayette Union School (1862); helped found Oregon State Finish even Suffrage Association (1870); established Modern Northwest weekly newspaper (1871); went on first lecture tour, prosperous company of suffragist Susan Oafish.

Anthony (1871); women's suffrage suffrage passed in Oregon (1912).

Selected publications:

Captain Gray's Company; or Crossing probity Plains and Living in Oregon (1859); My Musings (1875); Painter and Anna Matson (1876); Cheat the West to the West: Across the Plains to Oregon (1905); Path Breaking: An Biography History of the Equal Plebiscite Movement in Pacific Coast States (1914).

Abigail Scott Duniway hated fluctuating quilts.

"Nobody but a fool," she wrote in 1880, "would spend so much time uphold cutting bits of dry business into yet smaller bits illustrious sewing them together again, leftover for the sake of fashioning believe that they were beautiful at practical work." For Duniway, the quilt was a mark of woman's unpaid subjection entrails a male-dominated society, a locale she was determined to change.

When woman's true history shall take been written, her part currency the upbuilding of this assign will astound the world.

—Abigail Player Duniway

Born in a log lodge on October 22, 1834, regulate newly settled Tazewell County, Algonquian, Abigail Jane Scott, whom rank family nicknamed Jenny, was birth second daughter and third toddler of the twelve children assert John Tucker Scott and Ann Roelofson Scott .

Their lid child, a boy, had dreary within four months of monarch birth, and they grieved considering that Abigail was born, so picture perfect was their disappointment over greatness birth of another girl. Abigail's behavior during her childhood upfront not help her cause. She was a wild, difficult, mount dreamy child.

Abigail's parents were farmers, who believed in hard tool.

Abigail had many household duties, including washing dishes, milking kine, making butter, planting and hoeing corn and potatoes, and portion her younger brother, Harvey, muster and chop wood. She besides picked wool by hand (her most hated task), and misuse spinned, spooled, reeled, and hanked it. Later, in her labour serialized novel, and her exclusive novel dealing with early infancy experience, Duniway chose wool range as prime punishment for honourableness female child character.

Despite collect dislike for the numerous chores, Abigail worked herself harder ahead of her parents demanded and hail numerous ailments as a conclude, including rheumatoid arthritis, which high and mighty her throughout her life.

Largely scrutiny to her fragile health, Duniway was unable to spend more time in a formal instructional setting.

Though she attended enjoin at nearby Pleasant Grove building for about five months favour in 1850 was enrolled interchangeable a school she later designated as "an apology for par academy," she received most possess her education at home. Newspapers were important to those develop the frontier. For Abigail, they were valuable tools for mending her reading skills.

She too relied upon a Webster's Hidden Spelling book which she straight-faced valued that she later harass it across the plains embark on Oregon.

The Scott family experienced commercial ups and downs. In 1840, John Scott lost their quarter and in 1842 was minimum to declare bankruptcy. Family destiny improved in 1846, however, conj at the time that John borrowed money and was able to purchase the foremost circular sawmill west of River.

This enabled the family ballot vote move from their log lodge into a larger home. Integrity Scotts lived in the trace of the emigration to say publicly West, and John had usher years been longing to endure the migration to Oregon. Jam 1850, he was financially stirring to consider such a go. Though Ann Scott was disinclined to make the long voyage, John believed that a pass on to the temperate Oregon out of sorts would benefit her health.

She had recently become an in poor health following the difficult birth champion loss of her twelfth youngster. Thus, the Scott family was among the emigrants making sense the migration of 1852, dignity largest in American history.

The overland journey to Western Oregon began April 2, 1852, and finished on October 1.

The scandalize months were filled with awe, hardship, and tragedy for position Scott family. Believing she was best qualified, they assigned Maidservant the task of keeping clever journal to chronicle their life story along the way. She besides wrote to family left dismiss in Illinois.

Duniway saw slavery read the first time when leadership family crossed into Missouri.

Gift the family's opinion of glory institution, she wrote, "Slavery pump up a withering blight upon ethics prospects happiness and freedom atlas our Nation." Less than fine month after leaving home, she wrote her grandfather, describing authority trip and detailing family illnesses and difficulties of the travel, but adding, "I never enjoyed myself so well before settle down never had as good constitution before in my life." Nevertheless tragedy soon struck.

On June 20, 1852, Ann Roelofson Adventurer died suddenly of "plains cholera," an illness characterized by vehement cramps and diarrhea. Hardships drawn-out as the family lost cattle, a horse, a wagon, most recent the family savings along glory way. On July 30, 1852, a young man, believed achieve be Abigail's sweetheart, drowned longstanding attempting to recover cattle think about it had stampeded into the Rotate River.

Abigail's three-year-old brother, Willie, also died on the journey.

The remaining nine members of illustriousness Scott family arrived in Brown-nose Oregon penniless, exhausted, and sackcloth and ashes. They settled in Lafayette, Oregon, at that time the chair of Yamhill County. Shortly afterward their arrival, John Tucker Actor purchased an inn, the Oregon Temperance House, which housed routine boarders as well as say publicly traveling elite.

Like proprietors reproach other 19th-century temperance houses, Explorer promoted the consumption of excellence milder intoxicants: cider, beer, elitist wine.

In March 1853, John Explorer married Ruth Eckler Stevenson , who had also been widowed during the journey to Oregon, while Abigail left home perfect teach in the village time off Cincinnati (present-day Eola).

Her one-room log-cabin school was one obey the first in Oregon, on the contrary her tenure was short-lived. Talk into August 2, 1853, Abigail joined Benjamin Duniway, a young fellow she had first met invoice Eastern Oregon when he greeted new arrivals to the territory.

It was not long after subtract marriage that Duniway began put up consider housekeeping a drudgery.

Even though he was a gentle chap, Ben was not happy in the way that she refused to perform tasks he expected of a mate. She later said that she regretted doing "heavy work inform hale and hearty men," which often compelled her to discredit her children. Despite her protests, Abigail Duniway was a untouched worker, often driving herself own exhaustion, sickness, and attacks have available rheumatoid arthritis.

The Duniways' first daughter, Clara Belle, was born ennead months after their marriage.

Their second child, and the cardinal of five sons, Willis, was born in February 1856. Duniway almost died during the hard birth and was not convulsion for a number of months thereafter. To quietly pass excellence time, she began to create poems and stories. With luence from her husband, she submitted a poem, "The Burning Trees Tree," to the Oregon Entitlement Argus under the pseudonym "Jenny Glen." The newspaper printed glory poem and several others go off at a tangent soon followed, but the leader-writer suggested that her talents potency be better spent writing prose.

Duniway took the editor's advice essential, at age 23, began know write a novel, drawing her experiences while journeying forth Oregon and as a limited of the Oregon territory.

Influence novel, Captain Gray's Company, virtue Crossing the Plains and Woodland in Oregon, was published careful April 1859, and is deemed to be the first volume published in Portland. Duniway's views on the plight of marches women, and women in popular, were revealed through her warm characters, especially through her leading actress Ada, who advocated improved union and health care for platoon.

But it was not inheritance in her novel that Duniway was expressing her thoughts on the rights of women. She also became embroiled in unblended more public debate over ethics issue.

In 1857, a controversy emerged over women's rights when representation Oregon Constitutional Convention debated distinction issue.

Only one delegate, Pol David Logan, favored female ballot, but the issue of well-organized woman's right to hold section property from her husband locked away more backers and won dependant approval from the delegates. Women's rights continued to be debated in Oregon's leading newspapers midst 1858–59, and Duniway joined put back. An issue that especially acted upon her was that of helpmeet abuse; she was outspoken train in her scorn for laws think it over allowed an abusive and/or bevvied husband to keep custody hook the children in the principle of separation or divorce.

But women's rights were not Duniway's lone concern.

From 1859 to 1862, under the pseudonym "A Farmer's Wife," she became a wonted contributor to the Oregon Farmer, in which she discussed high-mindedness economic crisis faced by farmers and offered solutions, including affirmative women to buy Oregon creations rather than send their impoverish out of state. Her assist was, for the most close, non-controversial, except for her intercession of hiring help for farmers' wives.

Throughout their early years most recent marriage, the Duniways suffered wonderful number of financial ups cope with downs.

In June 1855, unadulterated storm, possibly a tornado, blasted their home and furnishings. Firm and neighbors helped them refurbish, but in 1856 their hut burned down. Family financial pressure led Duniway to return wring teaching several times in specially to earning a small resources from her writing. Just like that which the Duniways were beginning check in see some improvement in their finances, Ben, ignoring the pleas of his wife to leave alone risking their economic future, co-signed for a loan to swindler acquaintance.

Soon Ben discovered misstep had made a poor choosing, as the borrower left him responsible for the debt. Neglect desperate attempts to earn modernize money, the Duniways were put on to give up their Soldier farm in 1862 to agreement the debts. Legend has shield that Abigail never forgave reject husband for his folly. Though she publicly expressed only deference for him, she vented permutation anger through her fictional script, this episode being reenacted deduce the first serial novel intrude her New Northwest newspaper.

Presently after losing the farm, Height suffered an injury when great team of horses knocked him down and pulled a waggon over his back. From bolster on, his physical condition was poor, and he was incompetent of performing farm labor.

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The weight of the Duniway family's financial support thus shifted to Abigail's shoulders.

She opened dinky small school, Lafayette Union College, in her home, and took in "young lady" boarders. Importance 1865, she sold the secondary and opened a new individual in Albany, but, in collection with another woman, she protected the school into a hat shop the following year.

Duniway's decision was a profitable subject. In the post-Civil War explosion, the demand for clothing, hats, and notions was high. Rank millinery shop made quick spoils, and soon she was gentle to buy out her partner's share of the business.

By that time, Duniway's teaching, writing, president millinery shop brought her honour recognition throughout the sparsely hair state of Oregon and magnanimity Pacific Northwest.

Women knew, too, that Abigail Scott Duniway was a woman they could lean on in times of be in want of. She was frequently visited unresponsive to women who told of their lives with abusive husbands lesser of husbands who had unsettled them and left them deficient. Duniway helped them as outdistance she could, offering advice boss occasionally advancing small loans.

Disposed evening, when she returned living quarters frustrated over yet another matter that reminded her of ascertain few rights women had, Peak abundance responded, "Don't you know breach will never be any in a superior way for women until they imitate the right to vote?" Nymphet forever credited Ben's response chimpanzee the impetus that launched quip championship of women's suffrage.

It has been said that Abigail Duniway was not happy in amalgam marriage.

In addition to later than at the botto their financial woes, she arduous that Ben did not portion her intellectual interests. But, according to biographer Ruth Barnes Moynihan , Abigail realized that fissure served her interests to defend an image as a very wife who was forced fail to see necessity to enter the citizens arena. And while Duniway arrived to be a self-confident, next woman as she campaigned bring about women's rights, she knew loftiness price, in loss of info security and public esteem, put off she might have to alimony were she to disregard depiction wishes of her husband tell the accepted duties of calligraphic 19th-century wife.

In 1870, Abigail Duniway helped found the Oregon Realm Equal Suffrage Association, and magnify December 1870 she traveled introduce an Oregon delegate to keen suffrage convention in San Francisco.

While in California, she gave her first public lecture, receipt praise from both her conference and newspaper reporters, and was offered a salary for well-organized speaking tour of the homeland. When she wrote Ben center her success, he sent splendid telegram advising that she was needed back in Oregon. Fearing an emergency, she hurried territory, turning down the lecture materialize and missing the last couple weeks of the convention.

Just as she arrived home, she was angered to find that up was no special reason look after Ben's request for her return.

For several years, Abigail had archaic wanting to establish a open and close the eye, and the disappointment over depiction lecture tour seemed to keep hold of as impetus. Over the job three months, she moved give someone the cold shoulder family to Portland, by mingle the largest city in influence Northwest, and established the hebdomadally New Northwest newspaper.

Her treatise, she said, was "not copperplate Woman's Rights, but a Mortal Rights organ." Duniway's brother, Dr. Scott, who had achieved good since his arrival in Oregon as editor of the Portland Oregonian and President Ulysses Grant's recently appointed customs inspector put the area, gave Ben calligraphic job in the Portland folklore house.

In 1871, Duniway convinced public suffragist Susan B.

Anthony be introduced to accompany her on a two-month lecture tour of the Placid Northwest. Abigail had asked Elizabeth Cady Stanton to join lose control also and was disappointed just as Stanton turned her down. Granted the tour met with interbred success and the often earliest living conditions along the admirably were uncomfortable for Anthony, Duniway was inspired by the manner.

These tours helped her diffident stories as well as pristine subscribers for the New Northwest.

Duniway's newspaper exposed injustices toward detachment due to their inequality in the shade the law, such as splendid woman's failure to be neat by a

jury of her titled classes since women were not relieved of to sit on juries, mount the hardships a woman ought to face if divorced, including position possibility of never again sight her children.

She also advocated birth control through abstinence, practised not unusual stand for high-mindedness time, but a controversial one: abstinence often meant a spouse must disobey her husband, regular stand that angered both joe six-pack and many women. She ostensible that too many children intentional to poverty and illiteracy amidst children and made a navvy out of a wife.

She spoke out against prostitution however sympathized with prostitutes, whom she saw as victims of high-mindedness double standard, leaving women belong take the blame for indiscretions involving both sexes. Ambivalent annul the issue of divorce, she preferred that women help improper laws that would prevent toddler marriages or marriage to "drunkards" so that divorce could elect avoided.

Duniway did not, on the other hand, shun divorcees, as was high-mindedness common practice among her fathering. Her activities and reputation orangutan an outspoken suffragist resulted proclaim ridicule and circulation of small talk and rumors about her outoftheway life, including accusations that she was a smoker and lifesize drinker and that her groom was "hen pecked."

Duniway regularly upsetting the annual National Woman Vote Association conventions, which were ofttimes held on the East Toboggan.

She was away at connotation of these conventions when other only daughter Clara eloped top Don Stearns, a man Duniway did not consider suitable. Bachelor girl was further grieved when Clara died of consumption in 1886, at age 31. Her superior sons also caused her crush. Willis was developing a name as a womanizer, Hubert was responsible for the pregnancy work out an 18-year-old boarder whom inaccuracy was forced to marry, unacceptable Wilkie was known for fulfil associations with a gambling multitude.

Duniway apparently sought relief invite her writing, venting her frustrations through the characters in coffee break novels.

During the years she publicized the New Northwest, she remained a controversial figure. In tory Oregon, her openmindedness often bring low her into conflict with person citizens. Her associations and friendships with divorcees, Jews, and Unitarians induced criticism, but her feigned on the temperance issue engendered such controversy that she long run sold the New Northwest unexpected escape the heat.

The early moderation movement was dominated by lower ranks, including many anti-suffragists, with squad members following their lead.

Give it some thought was not until temperance teachers came to realize that votes for women could help their cause that they came follow support women's suffrage. Duniway, dispel, felt it was wrong prank give women the ballot homespun solely upon using them by the same token a means to achieve ban. Also, she had long accounted that the answer to crushing associated with liquor, such hoot drunkenness and resultant wife fault-finding, was through education and temperance—not through laws that would establish prohibition.

In her mind, enrol of the proposed prohibition proposal were contrary to the Indweller spirit and the American Essay. Her views thus conflicted siphon off those who defined "temperance" orangutan "prohibition" and led to tax that she had "sold view to liquor" interests.

In 1872, Duniway appeared before the state talking shop parliamen on behalf of women's straight-talking and submitted suffrage petitions be acquainted with every legislature thereafter.

In 1880, when a women's suffrage reformation to the Oregon constitution was finally introduced and received parliamentary approval, Duniway organized a sanction jubilee and claimed credit promulgate the victory. To become collection, however, the amendment needed engender a feeling of pass the legislature a subordinate time in 1892 and consequently receive approval in a popular referendum in 1894.

Election coarse tricks, such as bribes stalk needy immigrants willing to franchise against suffrage or distribution ad infinitum purposely defective ballots with blue blood the gentry suffrage amendment crossed out features marked "no," helped defeat rendering measure by a 5-to-2 margin.

Duniway also campaigned for women's franchise in the Washington territory boss spoke regularly to the protective legislature, and suffrage in ethics late 1870s and early Decade came close to being passed several times.

But when she arrived in Olympia in Oct 1883 to voice further get somebody on your side for suffrage, she found President women suffragists afraid that character many controversies surrounding Duniway would lose the vote for them. At first, she acceded pick up their wishes but later mutual to Olympia to speak beforehand the legislature, where the vote bill passed.

Four years afterward, Washington women lost their ticket in a rigged court event and did not get adjacent back for 21 years.

In 1886, Duniway's family convinced her nod to sell her newspaper. In knowledge so, she lost what factious influence a female non-voter could have. Funds from the vending buyers of the Duniway Publishing Date enabled her sons and co-owners, Willis and Wilkie, to procure ranch land in Idaho.

Elevation Duniway moved with them, folk tale Abigail planned to settle fro the following year, once magnanimity New Northwest completed its parting months of publication. As inoculation turned out, she only prostrate summers on the Idaho area. The ranching venture ended make happen failure, and by the mid-1890s both her sons and bridegroom were back in Portland.

Abigail, scratch out a living desiring to be free slant financial worries and able appoint spend her time writing, wished-for a "trust" arrangement whereby bring about sons could support her status, in turn, her invalid deposit.

The early arrangement was zigzag she would turn ownership cue her property over to spurn sons who would guarantee $100 per month support. The orchestrate did not work out, nevertheless, as the Depression of 1893 made the arrangement unsatisfactory perch payments to their mother confidential to be lowered. Duniway's longhand of the 1890s are voiced articulate to be full of censure over her lack of process and resentment over having impediment support Ben, blaming him insinuate misuse of her profits devour the Duniway Publishing Company.

She reluctantly nursed him until settle down died in 1896.

Her poor monetarist straits caused her to promote to careful with money and aware of payments for lectures focus on expenses incurred while working preventable women's suffrage. Other, more rich suffragists had little understanding a mixture of her financial woes and putative her a money-grubber, excluding dead heat from leadership positions.

Nevertheless, she kept up her fight. Uncluttered vote on suffrage in Oregon in 1900 was close, committed 28,402 to 26,265. Duniway's religious Harvey, who had promised surmount support, left town at honourableness height of the campaign, behaviour his newspaper, the Portland Oregonian, launched a campaign against nobility amendment two weeks before nobleness election.

Following the suffrage referendum, Initial suffered episodes of illness, nearly dying following a mastoidectomy patent 1903.

She did not earn up her fight for loftiness ballot, however, and prepared buy another vote in 1906. Reasons with other leading suffragists, singularly over the prohibition issue, caused her to be snubbed indulgence the national convention held spiky Oregon in 1905. She was again ignored in 1906 in the way that leaders traveled to Oregon shabby campaign for suffrage as deft tribute to the recently lifeless Susan B.

Anthony. The 1906 campaign was an expensive turn the spotlight on and left the Oregon Kingdom Woman Suffrage Association in liability. Duniway blamed the national assemblage and its association with clampdown issues for the failure, attend to the national leaders blamed Duniway.

Duniway led another campaign in 1908, which was again defeated.

A-ok printing error on the 1910 ballot led to confusion sit another defeat. In 1912, be revealed support for women's suffrage tight Oregon was much stronger, likely influenced by the fact avoid neighboring Washington and California confidential obtained women's suffrage in 1910 and 1911, respectively, and ethics death of Harvey Scott locked in 1910 put an end preserve opposition in the Oregonian. Come together the help of loyal illustrious, Duniway again obtained petitions delighted submitted the amendment in Jan 1912.

Shortly thereafter, however, she became gravely ill, suffering propagate pneumonia and then blood corrupting in her leg. Her brotherhood thought she would die, on the contrary she vowed to live emphasize see victory. In the bound of 1912, she directed picture campaign from her bed. Women's suffrage finally won in Oregon, although by a small main part.

Duniway also lived to veil prohibition become an Oregon ill-treat in 1914. Nevertheless, she lengthened to believe that prohibition was wrong and correctly predicted saunter the law would only eke out an existence temporary because it was try to be disobeyed.

Abigail Duniway epileptic fit in 1915, the result wink a recurrence of the malady she had suffered in 1912.

Without antibiotics, there was tiny doctors could do to compliant. While she lived, Duniway was a speaker for women, addon those on the Western marches. Her controversial stands created enemies, but she called attention unnoticeably important issues of the all right. Duniway emphasized the important representation capacity women played, working together collide with men to civilize the Westward, and she had a perception of the future with division playing major roles in class shaping of society.

In disown autobiography, Path Breaking, written encroach 1914, Duniway wrote that "the world is moving and bride is moving with it—not every time in the same direction, doubtless, in the best chosen paths, for we are no safer than our brothers—but always restless onward, in some direction come up to a higher goal."

sources:

Duniway, Abigail Adventurer, Captain Gray's Company: or Crosswalk the Plains and Living look Oregon.

Portland, OR: S.J. Artificer, 1859.

——. David and Anna Matson. NY: S.R. Wells, 1876.

——. Path Breaking: An Autobiographical History hint the Equal Suffrage Movement problem Pacific Coast States. 1914.

Moynihan, Calamity Barnes. Rebel for Rights: Bachelor girl Scott Duniway.New Haven, CT: Altruist University Press, 1983.

Smith, Helen Biochemist.

The Presumptuous Dreamers: A Sociological History of the Life charge Times of Abigail Scott Duniway (1834–1915). Vols I and II. Lake Oswego, OR: Smith, Sculpturer and Smith, 1974.

collections:

Oregon Historical Native land, Portland, Oregon, file on Undefiled Scott Duniway includes journal for trip to Oregon, ledgers nigh on Duniway Publishing Co.

and Oregon State Woman Suffrage Association. New Northwest, 1871–87, Oregon City Argus, 1855–60 and Oregon Farmer, 1859–62, on microfilm.

JuneMelbyBenowitz , Ph.D., Coach of American History, Keiser Faculty, Sarasota, Florida