Susan B. Anthony’s sister-in-law was honored on her October 28 birthday in her adopted hometown of Leavenworth, Kansas. The Leavenworth County Historical Society (LCHS) placed a historical marker near the home that Annie Osborn Anthony shared with Susan’s brother Daniel.
Mary Ann Brown of the LCHS spoke at the marker’s unveiling. She said that beginning in 1867, Susan B. frequented Leavenworth in her campaign to gain the vote for women in Kansas and throughout the country. Other suffrage notables such as Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Olympia Brown and Lucy Stone also visited that residence. Brown continued,
Anthony’s brother, Col. D.R. Anthony and his wife, Annie Osborn Anthony, regularly hosted these individuals. . . [Their home was situated] on a bluff of the Missouri River which served as a center of local support for early causes of abolition, temperance and woman suffrage.
Read more about Mary Ann Brown here
Susan B. Anthony’s sister-in-law essential
Annie played a significant part in furthering the cause of votes for women. Hers was the home that Susan and her associates often used as a home base. Miss Anthony, who had a small budget for her reform activities, relied heavily on donations of money and hospitality. Typically spending about 100 nights a year on the road, she often felt travel weary and appreciated a warm welcome.
Honor for an everyday woman
I’m so glad to see Annie Anthony, along with her husband Daniel, receive this honor. Too often history records only the activities of famous people, especially men. By contrast, Annie Anthony was one of those behind-the-scenes women who quietly held up half the sky. A mother of five, she led an everyday life that was usually overshadowed by her husband Daniel, a well-known editor and politician. And yet, when we look back, her many small gestures of support made a huge difference to women everywhere. Kansas was one of the first states to grant women municipal suffrage. It was also an early adopter of the 19th amendment giving all American women the right to vote.