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Lydia Taft

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Birth and Early Life

Chapin, Lydia, was born in Mendon, Suffolk County, Massachusetts on 2 February, 1712.[1] She was the daughter of Captain Seth Chapin, and Bethia Thurston. Seth Chapin was a respected member of the community and a captain in the militia.[2] Young Lydia Chapin grew up in Mendon in a large family with 9 siblings.[3] Lydia's mother had had 13 children.[4]. Her father Seth owned much property in what is today Milford, MA, south Hopedale, MA and Posts Lane in Mendon, MA[5].

The family lived on 45 acres near the Post's Lane bridge and Mill River[6]. Posts Lane in Mendon was made famous for the first man killed in the King Phillip's War, who lived on this street, Richard Post.[7]. Lydia's family moved within the town of Mendon to another home circa 1715. This early community was aleady developing a sense of history from these pioneers. Young Lydia would grow up here and learn the trades that her mother Bethia, and her grandmother taught, which included the Yankee heritages of of farming, flax weaving, childrearing, education, clothing, and home economics.

In 1727 the western part of Mendon became the newly incorporated town of Uxbridge, Massachusetts. Mendon and Uxbridge were at that time rural, colonial, pioneer communities in central Massachusetts. The reference cited also mentions that she married a Taft[8]. In 1731, these communities became part of the new county of Worcester County, Massachusetts. [1]

Marriage to Josiah Taft

Lydia Chapin, was married to Josiah Taft(1709-1756)[9], in 1731, at Uxbridge, and became known as Lydia Chapin Taft. It is highly likely that they married at the new Congreational church in Uxbridge, then the only Uxbridge church, gathered in 1727, and mentioned first in a list of new Congregational parishes in the Great Awakening of 1731.[10] Josiah was a prominent landowner. The famous Taft family in America had ts origins in Uxbridge and Mendon, starting with an immigrant, Robert Taft, who settled here in 1680. Lydia and Josiah settled in Uxbridge. Josiah and Lydia went on to have a family of 8 children between 1732 and 1753.[11][12] Josiah was a farmer, and soldier, and Lydia was a colonial mother and homemaker. Josiah became a prominent citizen in early Uxbridge. Josiah went on to serve a number of terms as a member of the Board of Selectman, as town clerk, and as town moderator.[12] Josiah served in the Massachusetts General Court. HR, 1753.[12]Lydia and Josiah were among the wealthiest families in Uxbridge.[12]

Place in early American History

Josiah Taft was originally known as Ensign Josiah Taft in the Uxbridge Militia, and later as Lieutenant, and then Captain Josiah Taft in the French and Indian War. Josiah served as the Uxbridge town moderator. He presided over the proceedings of the New England style open town meeting. It is later reported, that Josiah Taft became the largest taxpayer in the town of Uxbridge in 1756.[13]In the Fall of 1756, Josiah and Lydia's oldest son, Caleb, became ill, while studying at Harvard, and died. Josiah went on a trip to Boston and Cambridge to bury their son. Josiah himself then became ill, and died abruptly, before returning home. This was immediately prior to an important vote on the town's support for the war effort in the French and Indian Wars. Josiah's untimely death opened the door for Lydia's giant step into America's history of women's suffrage.

Given the important nature of the vote, the landowner and taxpayer status of Josiah's estate, and the fact that young Bazaleel, Caleb's younger brother, was just a minor, the townspeople voted to allow Lydia to vote in this important meeting.[13][2] Lydia then received Josiah's proxy to vote in this important town meeting. Lydia Taft then became the first recorded legal woman voter in America. Lydia Chapin Taft, now simply known as Lydia Taft voted in an official New England Open Town Meeting, at Uxbridge, Massachusetts, on October 30, in the year 1756. This is recorded in the records of the Uxbridge Town Meeting. Lydia Taft of Uxbridge became the first woman to ever vote in the nation.[14][13] Judge Chapin records in his 1864 address to the Unitarian church, that, "Uxbridge may yet become famous in the history of women's suffrage".[13] This was written 56 years before women's suffrage became legal in America. Lydia Taft's historic vote would precede the contistutional ammendmend for women's suffrage, which was in1920, by 164 years. In 2007, Uxbridge may still become famous in the history of women's suffrage. According to Judge Chapin, the vote to allow Lydia to vote in 1756, was following the tradition of "no taxation without representation".[13] The early town records demonstrate at least two other occassions when Lydia was asked to vote in official Uxbridge Town meetings. This occurred while Massachusetts, was a colony of Great Britain. Lydia Chapin Taft's historic vote and her role in the history of women's suffrage is recognized by the Massachusetts legislature since 2004, which named State Highway 146A from Uxbridge to the Rhode Island border in her honor.[15] [3]

Footnote of historic vote

The complete footnote [16] of local history is as follows: The October 25th town meeting records simply say that on account of Josiah's death a new moderator will be chosen. With the death of Josiah, Lydia is left to care for 16-year-old Asahael, 6-year-old Bezaleel and 3-year-old Cloa. As seems to be her fate, her life and the life of her town are again intertwined. The French and Indian war is being waged and towns must vote as to whether to increase the amount they will contribute to the cost of the war. The only individuals allowed to vote were freeholders, (free male property holders), and Josiah's estate was valued as one of the largest in the town. Out of respect for his large contribution to the town, the town fathers allowed Lydia to vote as Josiah's proxy. She cast a vote to increase the town's contribution, thereby giving herself the distinction of being the first woman to vote in this country. She is mentioned in town records a few times more, once in 1758 to reduce her highway rates and another in 1765 was to change her school district

Her vote was in favor of appropriating funds for the regiments engaged in the French and Indian War.

Death and Afterwards

This colonial champion of women's suffrage, died at Uxbridge on Nov. 9, 1778, after the United States had officially declared its independence and was engaged in the Revolutionary War. [4] One of Lydia and Josiah's children, their son, Bazaleel Taft, Sr. and his son Bazaleel Taft, Jr, went on to become prominent early Massachusetts state Legislators who served in the state legislature aka the Massachusetts General Court, and in the Massachusetts Senate. The son, Bazaleel Sr and grandson, Bazaleel, Jr, then both followed in Josiah's footsteps. It would be many years before other women would become later pioneers in the history of women's suffrage.

References

  1. ^ Crane, Ellery Bicknell (1907). Historic Homes and Institutions and Genealogical and Personal Memories of Worcester County, Massachusetts with a history of Worcester Society of Antiquity;. Lewis. pp. 181–182. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameters: |1= and |coauthors= (help); Unknown parameter |Location= ignored (|location= suggested) (help)
  2. ^ ibid.p.221
  3. ^ ibid.p.182
  4. ^ ibid.p.181
  5. ^ ibid.p.181
  6. ^ ibid.p.181
  7. ^ "Indian History and Geneology". RootsWeb. Retrieved 2007-09-28.
  8. ^ ibid.p.182
  9. ^ ibd.ref.1 p.222
  10. ^ Clarke, D.D., Joseph S. (1858). A Historical Sketch of the Congregational Churches in Massachusetts, from 1620 to 1858. Boston (Digitized by Google books): Congregational Board of Publication. pp. p. 148. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  11. ^ ibd.ref.1 p.222
  12. ^ a b c d Schultz, John (1997). Legislators of the Massachusetts General Court 1691-1780: A Biographical Dictionary. UPNE. pp. p. 353. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthor= (help); Unknown parameter |middle= ignored (help)
  13. ^ a b c d e Chapin, Judge Henry (1881). Address Delivered at the Unitarian Church in Uxbridge; 1864. Worcester, Mass.: Charles Hamilton Press (Harvard Library; from Google Books). p. 172. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help) Cite error: The named reference "address" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  14. ^ ""Oldest/Firsts Within the Blackstone Valley"". The Blackstone Daily. Retrieved 2007-09-29.
  15. ^ ""AN ACT DESIGNATING STATE HIGHWAY ROUTE 146A IN THE TOWN OF UXBRIDGE AS THE LYDIA TAFT HIGHWAY"; "Chapter 56 of the Acts of 2004"". Massachusetts State Government; the state legislature;. Retrieved 2007-09-29.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link)
  16. ^ ""Uxbridge Breaks Tradition and Makes History: Lydia Chapin Taft by Carol Masiello"". The Blackstone Daily. Retrieved 2007-09-29.
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