The wedding dress of Isabel Greenwood, seen here at the Titcomb House on Saturday, Dec. 2, during the festivities of Chester Greenwood Day. Brian Ponce/Franklin Journal
FARMINGTON — While many who hear the name ‘Greenwood’ may think of the famous inventor of the earmuffs, his wife Isabel Greenwood made a strong legacy for herself with her work with the woman’s suffrage movement as well as numerous other contributions to the Farmington community. Greenwood, along with her husband Chester, was a powerhouse figure in the community and often gets overlooked in favor of her famous spouse.
Born Sarah Isabel Whittier in October 1862, the future Greenwood started out life as the daughter of a prosperous farmer who owned a vast apple orchard. She was raised in Franklin County and attended schools in Farmington.
Isabel met Chester Greenwood in October 1884, just one day before her birthday. Greenwood established himself as a well-known inventor of ear protectors, or earmuffs, as well as numerous other inventions. He was also the owner of Franklin Telephone and Telegraph. Together, they had three sons and one daughter: Lester Clyde, Donald Whittier, Clinton Whittier, and Vodisa Emile.
Isabel was an early suffrage leader, spearheading the movement in Farmington and the rest of Franklin County, and fought to see the changes in the advancement of women.
Isabel was also the founder of the Farmington Equal Suffrage League and the Franklin County Equal Suffrage League, the latter of which she collaborated with to host the 1907 Annual Maine Suffrage Association Convention held in Farmington. In addition to that, she was the member of the Farmington Monday Club, member of the Women’s Alliance and the Roderick-Crosby Post.
Greenwood was also a critical proponent in petitioning to get a referendum question for women’s suffrage on the Maine state ballot in 1917.
In her time, Greenwood was extremely active and in the know, giving many speeches and attending meetings of the Maine’s Women Suffrage Association. She purchased a variety of newspapers and would often reference articles in her speeches. She wrote for many local newspapers, including The Franklin Journal, where she wrote counterarguments to anti-suffrage rhetoric.
Outside of her work in the suffrage movement, Greenwood was a member of the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union, and was elected as a delegate to the national convention in 1908, and was its corresponding secretary in 1912. Greenwood was also a part of the Decorating Committee of the Women’s Alliance of the Unitarian Church to sponsor the annual May Fair in Farmington in 1949.
The Greenwoods together established a home for older people without family nearby or a place to live in 1905. Known as the Farmington Home for the Aged People’s Association, Isabel served as treasurer for 50 years while Chester served as president. Now known as the the Pierce House, the organization continues to deliver on what the Farmington power couple built together.
Just last year, Isabel’s legacy to Farmington was cemented in a plaque that was unveiled in downtown area. The plaque is part of National Votes for Women Trail, which honors suffragists who worked to get women the right to vote with historical markers across America.
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