Kimberly Mansion
Encyclopedia
Kimberly Mansion is a historic house in Glastonbury, Connecticut
. It was the home of Abby
and Julia Evelina Smith
, political activists involved in causes including abolitionism
and women's suffrage
. By contesting the assessment on their property and protesting against "taxation without representation" they brought international attention to the cause of Women's rights
.
The Smith family hosted abolitionist meetings and lectures at their home and on their lawn. They collected signatures for an anti-slavery petition and sent it to former president John Quincy Adams
to present to Congress.
In 1873, late in their lives, they became tax resisters when they began a two year fight with local authorities over an inequitable property tax assessment on their property, Kimberly Farm. They owned the most valuable property in town and were being exploited by the town tax collector. In Connecticut at the time, women had no vote
and therefore no voice in the disposition of their taxes. They refused to pay their tax until they were given representation. Abby took their concerns to the town council where she said:
The town responded by seizing their beloved Alderney cows
, auctioning them off and attempting to auction their farm as well. The sisters were able to buy the cows back and fought the town in court, ultimately winning. The case brought attention to the sisters, their cows and the cause of women’s suffrage.
The sisters came from an accomplished and nonconformist family. The sisters parent's were Zephaniah Smith, a lawyer and former Sandemanian minister and Hannah Hickok, an amateur mathematician and poet. There were three other sisters: Hancy, an inventor; Laurilla, an artist and Cyrinthia, a poet. Julia also knew classical languages and in 1855, she finished the first complete translation of the Bible into English by a woman
. She published the translation herself in 1876 as an example of the accomplishments that women are capable of.
The house was declared a National Historic Landmark
in 1974. The large wooden two-story farmhouse, also known as the Smith Sisters House, was built in the early 18th century by the Connecticut politician, Eleazer Kimberly
. Zephaniah Smith bought the house in 1790.
Glastonbury, Connecticut
Glastonbury is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States, founded in 1693. The population was 31,876 at the 2000 census. The town was named after Glastonbury in Somerset, England. Glastonbury is located on the banks of the Connecticut River, 7 miles southeast of Hartford. The town...
. It was the home of Abby
Abby Hadassah Smith
Abby Hadassah Smith was an early American suffragist who campaigned for property and voting rights. She was a subject of the book Abby Smith and Her Cows in which her sister Julia Evelina Smith told the story of their tax resistance struggle in the suffrage cause while the two were living at the...
and Julia Evelina Smith
Julia Evelina Smith
Julia Evelina Smith was an American women's suffrage activist. She was the author of the book Abby Smith and Her Cows which told the story of her and her sister Abby Hadassah Smith's tax resistance struggle in the suffrage cause while the two were living at the Kimberly Mansion in Connecticut...
, political activists involved in causes including abolitionism
Abolitionism
Abolitionism is a movement to end slavery.In western Europe and the Americas abolitionism was a movement to end the slave trade and set slaves free. At the behest of Dominican priest Bartolomé de las Casas who was shocked at the treatment of natives in the New World, Spain enacted the first...
and women's suffrage
Women's suffrage
Women's suffrage or woman suffrage is the right of women to vote and to run for office. The expression is also used for the economic and political reform movement aimed at extending these rights to women and without any restrictions or qualifications such as property ownership, payment of tax, or...
. By contesting the assessment on their property and protesting against "taxation without representation" they brought international attention to the cause of Women's rights
Women's rights
Women's rights are entitlements and freedoms claimed for women and girls of all ages in many societies.In some places these rights are institutionalized or supported by law, local custom, and behaviour, whereas in others they may be ignored or suppressed...
.
The Smith family hosted abolitionist meetings and lectures at their home and on their lawn. They collected signatures for an anti-slavery petition and sent it to former president John Quincy Adams
John Quincy Adams
John Quincy Adams was the sixth President of the United States . He served as an American diplomat, Senator, and Congressional representative. He was a member of the Federalist, Democratic-Republican, National Republican, and later Anti-Masonic and Whig parties. Adams was the son of former...
to present to Congress.
In 1873, late in their lives, they became tax resisters when they began a two year fight with local authorities over an inequitable property tax assessment on their property, Kimberly Farm. They owned the most valuable property in town and were being exploited by the town tax collector. In Connecticut at the time, women had no vote
History of women's suffrage in the United States
Woman suffrage in the United States was achieved gradually, at state and local levels, during the 19th Century and early 20th Century, culminating in 1920 with the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, which provided: "The right of citizens of the United States to...
and therefore no voice in the disposition of their taxes. They refused to pay their tax until they were given representation. Abby took their concerns to the town council where she said:
The motto of our government is 'Proclaim liberty to all inhabitants of the land!' and here, where liberty is so highly extolled and glorified by every man in it, one-half of the inhabitants are not put under her laws, but are ruled over by the other half, who can take all they possess. How is Liberty pleased with such worship?
The town responded by seizing their beloved Alderney cows
Alderney cattle
The Alderney was a breed of dairy cattle originating from the British Channel Island of Alderney, though no longer found on the island. The pure breed is now extinct, though hybrids still exist.-Description:...
, auctioning them off and attempting to auction their farm as well. The sisters were able to buy the cows back and fought the town in court, ultimately winning. The case brought attention to the sisters, their cows and the cause of women’s suffrage.
The sisters came from an accomplished and nonconformist family. The sisters parent's were Zephaniah Smith, a lawyer and former Sandemanian minister and Hannah Hickok, an amateur mathematician and poet. There were three other sisters: Hancy, an inventor; Laurilla, an artist and Cyrinthia, a poet. Julia also knew classical languages and in 1855, she finished the first complete translation of the Bible into English by a woman
Julia E. Smith Parker Translation
The Julia Evelina Smith Parker Translation is considered the first complete translation of the Bible into English by a woman. The Bible was titled The Holy Bible: Containing the Old and New Testaments; Translated Literally from the Original Tongues....
. She published the translation herself in 1876 as an example of the accomplishments that women are capable of.
The house was declared a National Historic Landmark
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...
in 1974. The large wooden two-story farmhouse, also known as the Smith Sisters House, was built in the early 18th century by the Connecticut politician, Eleazer Kimberly
Eleazer Kimberly
Eleazer Kimberly was the sixth Secretary of the State of Connecticut.Born in New Haven, Connecticut, to Thomas Kimberly and Alice Atwood of England, Kimberly was reportedly the first male child born in New Haven. He was a schoolmaster in Wethersfield from 1661 to 1689...
. Zephaniah Smith bought the house in 1790.