On September 16, 1920 252 women and 115 men were sworn in as eligible voters in Watertown. This historic event took place less than a month after the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was certified on August 20th.

Several of these women have fascinating histories:

Only Woman of Color

Julia Fitch, age 46, was the only Black woman in this group of voters. Born in Virginia, she was married to Roderick Fitch, a stone mason, in about 1900. They lived in Watertown at the time of the 1900 Census and were on Aberry Street with their children, Alice (age 19) and Elsie (age 8) by 1920.

Oldest Woman

At age 76, Cornelia Beecher Hotchkiss was the oldest woman sworn in on Sept. 16, 1920 by Watertown officials eligible to vote in local, state, and national elections.

She was born on January 23, 1844 to Daughter of William Hotchkiss and Lydia M. Benton his wife. ; Granddaughter of Lyman Hotchkiss and Clarissa Griswold, his wife. ; Great-granddaughter of Median Griswold and Annie Watkins, his wife; Great-great-granddaughter of Jonathan Griswold and Elizabeth Weeks, his wife.  

Cornelia never married, and remained true to her sweetheart who was killed in the Civil War. She was a factory worker and inventor who held a patent for a garment hanger (1906), and a lady’s hat hanger (1906).

Active in many Watertown organizations, Cornelia was an original member of the Reading Circle at Taft School, also known as Sexta Feira, as well as their first secretary and treasurer. She was also very active in the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR). Additiona

Other Women – listed alphabetically by Last Name, age in () where known