by Carol Roach
Member since:
June 15, 2006

The first American Woman Who Dared to Keep her Maiden Name After Marriage

July 15, 2010 11:42 PM UTC
views: 0 | 4 people recommend this | comments: 30

The American Suffragettes

Part 4 of the women's rights to vote series

Lucy Stone (1818-1893)

Lucy Stone was the first woman in Massachusetts to obtain a college degree and she was an abolitionist and suffragist. She was also the first American woman in recorded history to use her maiden name even after marriage. Lucy Stone spoke in front government bodies. She worked in initiating the National Women's Rights Convention. She helped to establish the Women's National Loyal League, which was against slavery and helped to get the 13th amendment passed - Emancipation Proclamation, which abolished slavery in 10 states. She was involved in the American Women's Suffrage Association and wrote and published many speeches. Stone was also involved with the temperance movement. Her speeches inspired Susan B. Anthony and for two years when she was home with her children she passed the movement onto to Susan B. Anthony to continue in her absence.

Susan Brownell Anthony (1820-1906)

Susan was a women's right activist of the 19th Century who was instrumental to the Women's Suffragette Movement. She traveled to Europe and was central in bringing women's right to vote to America. She was born in West Grove, (Adams) Massachusetts. Susan was also a Quaker and her father was a cotton manufacturer and an abolitionist. Susan chose to break away from organized religion, as she got older. She became involved politically in both the anti slavery and temperance movement. In 1849 she became the president of the Daughters of Temperance (a movement against the use of Alcohol). Anthony and her friends such as Lucy Stone organized the first woman's temperance society in the state. Anthony was known for her many speeches at conventions all over the state. She participated in every women's rights convention until her death.

Anthony was arrested in 1862 because she voted. She was fined though she never paid it. She died 14 years before she saw her efforts in the suffragette movement pay off.

If you are interested in women's issues in Montreal, there are good programs available such as the Women's studies Program at Concordia University. http://wsdb.concordia.ca/

In Montreal if you have a woman's human rights issue you can contact:

Women's Rights Program


CERA



Canadian Human Rights Foundation
1425 René-Lévesque Blvd. West, #407
Montreal, Québec H3G 1T7, Canada
Tel: 1-514-954-0382


Montreal Women's Referral Centre

Sources:

http://section15.ca/features/news/1997/05/30/women_take_right_vote/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suffragette


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Susan_B._Anthony


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucy_Stone

Comments: 30

Kathryn Flynn Jul 16, 2010, 12:15am UTC
Uh. It was never a law that women had to change their maiden name after marriage. It was merely a social convention. A very strong social convention, governed by other women and woman culture. But never a law.
Carol Roach Jul 16, 2010, 10:53am UTC
I never said it was a law, it is a very strong social and cultural value, and one hundred years later women are still reluctant to change keep their maiden names so imagine how preposterous it was to do it back then, when the society was even more patriarchal than it is today.
Leah Christensen Jul 18, 2010, 2:32am UTC
I am a few days behind, and am glad I finally found this.

I reccomend a book called Mrs. Man by Una Stannard, entirely devoted to women and their last names. It is out of print now, but can be easily found on eBay. That's where I found mie.

This social custom was SO strobe, some still mistake it for a law, even today.
Carol Roach Jul 18, 2010, 2:51am UTC
I only used the term my husband if it was necessary, to everyone I was Carol and he was Tony with husband also comes the history of female oppression. My partner, my spouse, the person's name all better examples of equality in a marriage.
Leah Christensen Jul 18, 2010, 3:01am UTC
Good point!!!
Heather M. Jul 16, 2010, 12:17am UTC
Thank you for passing this to me
Carol Roach Jul 16, 2010, 10:54am UTC
You are welcome my friend.
subroto s s. Jul 16, 2010, 1:21am UTC
It seems most of the daring women with strong social commitments towards their rights, are from Massachussets! Are there some special qualities in that state which inspire these women?

Nowadays, of course, it has become a common practise amongst actors and models to retain their maiden name after marriage, because that is the name which has been publicised and known to the people who matter.
Carol Roach Jul 16, 2010, 10:56am UTC
women will come from everywhere, but Mass is one of the oldest states and one where there are many great university, Boston is a university city. Also we are talking so long ago, that the west was not as developed as it is today.
Leah Christensen Jul 18, 2010, 2:33am UTC
I've noticed that too.
J C. Jul 16, 2010, 3:07am UTC
nice, i like it when people get their rights. make them more of a human
Carol Roach Jul 16, 2010, 10:56am UTC
thank you Julie
J C. Jul 16, 2010, 2:28pm UTC
your welcome
Dennis Gilman Jul 16, 2010, 9:47am UTC
I don't know of any law stating that a woman must change her maiden name.

Thanks for the history lesson I previously only knew their names.
Carol Roach Jul 16, 2010, 10:57am UTC
I never said it was a law, it is a very strong social and cultural value, and one hundred years later women are still reluctant to change keep their maiden names so imagine how preposterous it was to do it back then, when the society was even more patriarchal than it is today.

In Quebec it is a law that you have to keep your maiden name.
Leah Christensen Jul 18, 2010, 2:36am UTC
I almost wish i had gotten married in Quebec. I read on line tge other day, that women who have married elsewhere, changed their names vis marriage, have to legally use their maiden names as their legal names, if they want to live in Quebec. Is this true?
Carol Roach Jul 18, 2010, 2:52am UTC
I don't think so if they are legally married elsewhere, that stands as far as I know. I have known several quebec couples who married in Ontario because the women wanted their husband's names.
Leah Christensen Jul 18, 2010, 2:57am UTC
If I find that article again, I'll post it here. It gave me the impression that even if I became Leah Bennett elsewhere, if be Leah Christensen if I lived in Quebec.
Kathryn Flynn Feb 21, 2011, 4:14am UTC
Leah and Carol: I was interested in this question.

Here is what Wiki says:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Married_and_maiden_names#Qu.C3.A9bec

Canada
Main article: Canadian name

In all Canadian provinces except Québec, customs relating to maiden names in marriages are the same as in the rest of the English-speaking world. All name changes require legal documentation, however due to the commonality of persons changing their names after marriage, the formalities are usually foregone for newlyweds and the documentation usually asked for as proof is a certificate of marriage.

[edit] Québec

In Québec, however, the custom until 1981 was similar to that in France. Women would traditionally go by their husband's surname in daily life, but their maiden name remained their legal name.[6] Since the passage of a 1981 provincial law, intended to promote gender equality as outlined in the Quebec Charter of Rights, no change may be made to a person's name without the authorization of the registrar of civil status or the authorization of the court. Newlyweds who wish to change their names upon marriage must therefore go through the same procedure as those changing their names for other reasons. The registrar of civil status may authorize a name change if: 1) the name the person generally uses does not correspond to the name on their birth certificate, 2) where the name is of foreign origin or too difficult to pronounce or write in its original form, or 3) where the name invites ridicule or has become infamous.[7] This law does not allow a woman to immediately legally change her name upon marriage, as marriage is not listed among the reasons for a name change.[8] However, she can use her husband's name socially and may eventually apply to change it under the "general use" clause.

=--------

So that Leah you or I who were not married in Quebec, we would not be able to change our name just because we lived in quebec, unless we went through the arduous process. As you know, Leah, in the English speaking common Law world, when a woman marries she just fills out the name she'll use after marriage. For me, it was kathryn esplin-oleski, which is on my legal records.

I had to get all my legal documents changed after I married. Bank, DL, SS, etc. But because I used my maiden name as part of my married name, I didn't change them until I had to, because people knew who I was. Not like Kathy Smith to Kathy Jones.
Carol Roach Feb 21, 2011, 4:41am UTC
ii Kept my married name for my son, however, I cannot use it for anything to do with the government, one exception my social insurance number is under Roach, however my medicare is under my maiden name. Legally I can still use Roach for anything other than government affairs. It makes it hard for somethings but not others. I have my ex's name legally because I was married before the law came in, had I gotten married after the law I would not be entitled to use it at all. I did not need wikipedia to tell me what I have lived through as a resident of Quebec all my life.
Angela A. Jul 16, 2010, 1:04pm UTC
That was so cool!
Carol Roach Jul 16, 2010, 11:10pm UTC
thanks Angela
Amber C. Jul 17, 2010, 11:25am UTC
I wonder what her husband was like.
Carol Roach Jul 17, 2010, 10:44pm UTC
yeah I wonder too
Leah Christensen Jul 18, 2010, 2:39am UTC
Read about her on Wikipedia. They wrote an equality pledge, which they read at their wedding. He also stated that he was going to reject all the privilages that husbands of the day had over their wives.

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucy_Stone
Carol Roach Jul 18, 2010, 2:53am UTC
yep I sort of mentioned that in the other comment I made about me not using the term husband, because of these very connotations
Leah Christensen Jul 18, 2010, 2:59am UTC
You've been posting some AWESOME stuff.
Marysia M Feb 20, 2011, 4:50pm UTC
Thanks for the post. I, as a matter of fact, never changed my maiden name to my husband's name for legal reasons.
Carol Roach Feb 21, 2011, 3:49am UTC
I kept mine because of my son, but now it is my professional writing name so I still keep it.
Marysia M Apr 15, 2011, 10:19am UTC
good for you. i love having my daddy's name. it means something to me, but not my husband. lol

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