The following information was shared by the National Women's History Project

We need your help. Due to the overwhelming response to our project to honor suffragists on voting day, we need your support in locating these incredible women and men who worked to secure voting rights for women. Below you will find helpful tips on how to identify the burial sites of a local suffragist. 

Your efforts to locate the women and men who campaigned for suffrage is an important addition to the collective suffrage legacy. By connecting with your local cemeteries and historical societies you will enlighten these organizations to the incredible work of suffragists. Many of these organizations are unaware of the participation of local suffrage campaigns and the important role in helping women win the right to vote. 

The National Women’s History Alliance will continue to work to connect you with organizations in your area that may already have the names of local suffragists, as well as, work to assist with the identification of the suffragists in your area Just know that your role as an “Everyday Historian” will help speed up the process of locating suffragists in your area.

Once you have located suffragist grave sites in your area, we hope you share the names and location of the burial site so that we can submit their names to the national registry for suffrage sites lgraves@nationalwomenshistoryalliance.org and ensure they are remembered and celebrated for years to come. (Here's a sample suffrage grave marker). Click here for a step-by-step guide to participating in this project to honor suffragists.

1) Google search your state’s history with suffrage

Knowing when your state ratified the amendment and/or granted women the right to vote will help narrow down the best years to begin your search.

2) Search By County/City to Identify Suffragist

The goal is to identify women and men who actively campaigned for suffrage either through attending meetings, writing for suffrage, protesting, etc.               

Visit National Votes for Women Trail

http://ncwhs.org/

This amazing resource is generated from collective research from around the country and is a great place to identify an individual from your area.

Historical Organizations

Your local historical society is a great place to start. Even if they currently do not have a list of sites, contacting them is a great opportunity to connect with them regarding this project and benefit from their valuable knowledge and resources for your area.

Local Papers

Once you identify the years, visit your local library to view your local newspaper archives. Work backward from the date your state ratified the amendment or passed a state amendment to grant women the vote.

Search the word “suffrage meetings”, etc. Often times, the newspapers will mention the names of men and women who attended suffrage meetings and events.

Local Club History

If you have a local women’s club that has been around between the 1850s and 1920 may have been a supporter of suffrage. The Women’s Club Movement was often connected to suffrage efforts and some clubs even campaigned for suffrage or held meetings regarding suffrage.

3) Identify the Burial Location

Once you have identified the name(s) of a suffragist, the final challenge is to identify the location where the suffragist is buried.

·       Contact your local cemetery to verify the exact lot number of the gravesite so that people can visit it.  

·       www.visitfindagrave.com  Please add gravesite information to this website.

4) Share Your Findings

Share your findings with your local historical societies, cemeteries, and of course the National Women’s History Alliance.

·       Add the site to the www.findagrave.com

·       Add the individual and burial location to the National votes for trail list. http://ncwhs.org/index.php/projects/trails/293-votes-for-women-trail

5) Celebrate/Honor

Visit gravesite (http://www.nwhp.org/suffrage-gravesite-markers) and print the “Here lies a suffragist” sign and attach the sign to a dowel or popsicle stick.

Visit the gravesite of your suffragist

share your photos documenting the moment and to help bring recognition to the suffragists in your area.

To stay Connected use the hastags: #hereliesasuffragist #remembertheladies #rememberthegents #forwardtogether #nwharemembers

6) Persevere

Identifying these important women and men is not always easy but the payoff of bringing their legacy to your local community is a true gift and is truly rewarding.

Link to Gravesite Markers