By Hayleigh Gowans
Staff Writer
Dozens of voters in the Fayetteville area stopped by Women’s Rights activist Matilda Joslyn Gage’s grave to pay respects and leave “Notes for Matilda,” signifying the work she did to get women the right to vote.
On Election Day, Nov. 8, signs on bulletin board of local establishments went up encouraging people to leave notes at her gravesite in the Fayetteville Cemetery. Next to the signs were multiple copies of a map of the Fayetteville Cemetery with the location of Gage’s grave marked.
On her grave, dozens of notes, trinkets, flowers, balloons and stickers were placed on and near her grave. Notes that carried sentiments of thanks, including, “Thank you, I voted today!” and “We are standing on your shoulders. Thank you,” were placed on the grave.
According to the Matilda Joslyn Gage Foundation’s website, Gage was born in Cicero on March 24, 1826 and was raised in a household dedicated to antislavery. In 1845, she married merchant Henry Hill Gage, with whom she had four children with, and settled in Fayetteville. Their home became a station in the Underground Railroad.
Although she was unable to attend the first Women’s Rights Convention in Seneca Falls in 1848, she addresses the third national convention in Syracuse in 1852.
Along with Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton, she founded the National Woman Suffrage Association. In the 1871 election, Gage along with many women nation-wide tried to test the law by unsuccessfully attempting to vote. In 1880, the first election New York State allowed women who paid taxes in their school district to vote, Gage led 102 Fayetteville women to the polls.
In addition to her efforts for women and African Americans, Gage was also involved in speaking out against the unfair treatment of Native Americans. Gage passed away in 1898, a few decades before the 19th amendment allowing the right to vote to women was passed.
Gage’s grave, along with Stanton, Anthony and many other Women’s Right activists, have been visited by voters, many of whom are women, to show their gratitude this election season.
To learn more about Matilda Joslyn Gage, go to matildajoslyngage.org.
