Women’s History Month is a fitting time to remember and honor Glastonbury’s Smith sisters. All five daughters of Hannah and Zephaniah Smith were remarkable, but it was Julia and Abby, who became champions of women’s rights and both local and state celebrities.
Each of the Smith girls was accomplished, well educated, and creative. For example, Hancy developed a device used by blacksmiths for shoeing cattle, and built her own boat to sail on the Connecticut River; Cyrinthia developed her own varieties of fruit trees, grapes, and strawberries; and Julia translated the Bible five times from Hebrew, Latin, and Greek. The Smith sisters were independent minded young women.
The Connecticut Historical Society recently acquired the diary that Hannah kept from 1784 to 1786 when she was only 17. Unlike other young girls’ diaries of the day, Hannah didn’t just record the weather and routine daily activities. Instead, she wrote about her perceptions of people and events. She was an astute observer of life, had strong opinions about her peers, and did not suffer fools--most especially fawning suitors! So it’s no surprise that Hannah raised her daughters to think for themselves.
In 1872, Julia (aged 80), and Abby (75), were quietly living on the family homestead when the Town of Glastonbury increased their property taxes. The women were incensed and strongly objected to the fact that only two widows and the unmarried sisters, and not men, had their taxes raised. At the time, the woman suffrage movement was just gaining momentum and Julia and Abby became vocal about “no taxation without representation.” Glastonbury’s leaders not only turned a deaf ear to the Smith sisters, but seized their land and their gentle Alderney cows in lieu of taxes!
But the Smith sisters resolved to fight the injustice. They sent the text of their grievance to the Hartford Courant which published it. They also petitioned the Connecticut General Assembly, and sued the town. They got their cows back, but not their land. Today, the Smith House is a National Historic Landmark and Smith School in Glastonbury is a tribute to these local pioneers in the national struggle for women’s rights.
