Esther Hobart Morris
The Unembellished Story of the Nation’s First Female Judge
Blog
ESTHER MORRIS was a force to be reckoned with.
She was OPINIONATED, TENACIOUS, BOLD, FIERCELY LOVING, BOSSY, KIND, GENTLE, FEARLESS,
ADVENTUROUS, and BRAVE, with a large dose of common sense.
The book has humanized the myth.
Esther Morris is important to American history for three reasons.
She was the first female judge in the nation.
She is an example of the nineteenth century woman living without legal protections.
Through the myth built about her she became a symbol for national suffrage.
2020 is the centennial of the nineteenth amendment to the United States Constitution recognizing most women’s right to vote nation-wide.
“Kathryn Swim Cummings’s biography situates Esther Morris’ personal life amid the events of America’s epic mid-nineteenth century national history: The Women’s Rights Movement, the Civil War, and westward expansion, as well as the growth and politics of Wyoming Territory.” – Will Bagley, Author of South Pass, and over twenty histories of the west.
THE FOLLOWING IS A LIST OF ESTHER’S ANCESTOR, SIBLING, AND DESCENDANT SURNAMES IN THE BOOK
BEMIS BOND BROWN CHATFIELD DUBOIS FORMAN HALL HOBART MCQUIGG / QUIGG MORRIS NEELY / NEELEY PALMER PARKER PICKERING SLACK STEWART
ABOUT ESTHER’S NAME
In all my research on Esther Morris I found no place in legal documents or family references showing her middle name as Hobart. My belief is that she was given that middle name after her death, celebrating her illustrious Hobart ancestry. I now refer to her as Esther...
March 1870 South Pass City
Three months after Wyoming Territory was the first government in the world to grant women the vote.One month after Esther Morris was chosen to be Justice of the Peace in Sweetwater County Wyoming Territory."I am happy here with my family all together and doing as well...
The Journey Begins
Thanks for joining me! Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton