Contributed by Teresa Douglass, Genealogy Specialist
On May 18, 1921, these six “ordinary” women took part in a historic event as members of the first “all-woman” jury in the Harrison County Circuit Court. Their photograph, along with an accompanying article, appeared in the May 25, 1921, edition of The Corydon Democrat.
Women in the United States gained the right to vote through the 19th Amendment, which was ratified in August of 1920. With this right also came the ability to serve on juries. In May 1921, Harrison County Circuit Court Judge William Ridley decided it was a “good time to give the women a chance to try their hand as jurors,” and these six women were summoned. They did their civic duty and simultaneously made a momentous step for women. They appear in the photo, left to right:
Laura Rowe Miller (1875-1963), sales clerk in department store
Bertha Mary Wright McFall (1885-1954), wife and mother
Zeola Kirkham Price (1888-1974), sales clerk in department store
Flora Alice Steepleton Dannenfelser (1873-1960), wife and mother
Bertha McCutcheon Duley (1882-1948), teacher at Corydon High School
Anna Elizabeth Krausgrill Gailey (1869-1935), mother of seven
The case these women oversaw was an appeal on a suit over ownership of a turkey, as the following article explains. (Suits over ownership of animals were fairly common at the time.) The article also points out that because it was a civil action, the case could be tried by a jury of fewer than 12 if both parties agreed, so only 6 jurors were necessary.
Women are well represented in many of the collections featured in the Griffin Center’s digital archives.
