Mary Birdsall

Mary Birdsall or Mary Thistlewaite (1828–1894) was a journalist, a suffragist, and a temperance worker. She helped organize the first women's rights convention in the nation and was among the first women to address the Indiana legislature. She was also the owner of The Lily, a newspaper for women.

Life

Mary Thistlethwaite was born in 1828 in Cincinnati to a Quaker family. Her father, a butcher, was born in Leeds and he had married Elizabeth Wetherall and they already had a son who had been born in Wilmington, Delaware where her father had been a farmer for several years. Her father moved to Richmond in Indiana where he amassed a considerable amount of agricultural land around the new town of Richmond.^[1]

When she was 19 she married Thomas Birdsall and they both worked together to forward their radical views on temperance and women's rights. Thomas was known to her family as he had worked in her family's mills.^[1] As Quakers, the couple was active in a number of social reforms including temperance, suffrage, and abolition.

The Lily

On October 15, 1852, the first Indiana Women's Rights Convention was held in Thomas and Mary's home town of Richmond. Birdsall was elected as secretary not only that year but also the following year when the convention returned to Richmond.^[2] She also served as the Women's Editor promoting women's rights in the Indiana Farmer as well as writing about topics like home management, women's labor, and holiday celebrations.^[3] The first newspaper created for and by women was, The Lily. The newspaper had increased its circulation considerably. Part of this was due to Bloomer's mission to forward the novel divided leg clothing for women which were known as "Bloomers" that had become associated with her.^[4] Amelia Bloomer was moving and wanted the newspaper to continue. Birdsall bought the paper in 1854 and continued to use Bloomer as a corresponding editor.^[4] The newspaper provided a way for her to campaign on the issues they found important. The newspaper continued to campaign for women's issues and temperance. One source says it was published in Richmond for five years and was distributed nationally.^[1] Another source says that the last issue of The Lily was on 15 December 1856. This source says that Bloomer remained a contributor to the end.^[5]

Birdsall and Thomas continued their political campaigning and they are said to be the first women to speak to the Indiana legislature. On January 19, 1859, Birdsall, Thomas, and Agnes Cook addressed the state legislature of Indiana on the topic of property rights and suffrage. Their speeches were titled the "Women's Rights Petition" but were informally described as a "jollification". Both should have been printed in the State Journal but the journal only printed Thomas's speech and blamed lack of space for not including Birdsall's speech.^[6] The Indiana Daily State Sentinel commented that her speech was "a very clear and logical plea in behalf of the right of suffrage in woman."^[7] Although the legislature did not react to the women’s speeches by extending the vote to women, their efforts paved the way for other Hoosier women to fight for the vote by addressing the legislature.

Birdsall continued to be active in her community until her death. Birdsall died in Philadelphia in 1894 and her body was returned for burial in Richmond.^[1]

Legacy

Birdsall's house is now owned by Earlham College and it is on the National Register of Historic places. In 2007 a plaque was placed in the garden to commemorate Birdsall's life.^[8]

References