STRACHAN, Capitola (Hedges) - b. January 10, 1864 - d. October 17, 1916

[genealogynut]

Howard Courant
October 26, 1916

Mrs. Capitola Hedges Strachan was born January 10th, 1864, at Unionville, Ohio, and died about 5 o'clock in the afternoon of October 17th, 1916, at her home in Howard, Kansas, being 52 years, 9 months, and 7 days old.  Mrs. Strachan came to Kansas with her people when about 10 years old and they settled near Elk Falls where she grew to young womanhood.  She was married at Longton, December 23rd, 1890, to Mr. Louis Strachan and they located at Howard, Kansas.  Mrs. Strachan was a member of the G. A. R. circle of Howard.

She united with the Presbyterian church of Howard, Kansas, December 23rd, 1902, on prefession of faith.  Her life has been one of quiet duty and its constant fulfillment, and in her last illness she exhibited the utmost fortitude and cheer.  On the 1st of last August she went to Wichita hospital and under went an operation but to no avail, and returned home about September 1st and since has been slowly failing until finally lulled to sleep in the untroubled slumber of death.

Mrs. Strachan is survived by her husband Louis Strachan, and her only child, Mrs. Vinette, of Lehigh, Oklahoma, also by three brothers, Solomon Hedges, Los Angeles, California; Isaac Hedges of Los Angeles, California; Geo. Hedges, Howard, Kansas, and by three sisters, Mrs. Whitcraft, Great Falls, Montana; Mrs. Dadmun, Independence, Oregon; Mrs. Keever, Prescott, Iowa, together with the fellowship of her church and a host of friends who mourn her loss.

Funeral service was held at the home October 20th, at 2 p.m. by Rev. Kearns and interment was made at the Grace Lawn cemetery with a beautiful service of tribute by here sisters of the Circle of the G. A. R.

(The obit of her daughter, Kathryn Vinette-Tarwater is also found on this board)

[Wilma]

These old obituaries are really irritating in that they don't name the women.  Only as Mrs. husband's name.  It is as if they were nobody until they married a man.  But that subject is worth a whole soapbox of it's own.

[genealogynut]

Yep......you got that right!!!! Women didn't have any identity of their own back in those days.  They were only known as so- and -so's wife, or daughter.  They were treated as third class citizens.......their opinions didn't count.........and I don't think women even had the right to vote until sometime in the 1920's.........(someone please correct me if that is wrong)  And what infuriates me yet today........is there are still chauvinistic men who think women don't know anything, and treat them like dirt.  But I guess another thread is needed for this subject.

[W. Gray]

Kansas women received the right to vote in 1886.

It was not long until they became began voting in blocs.

In 1889, Elk Falls elected a female mayor, an entire female city council, and a female police chief.

Elk Falls missed by a couple years electing the first female mayor in the world.

Argonia, Kansas was first in 1887.

All was not completely rosy, however, as Kansas females could only vote and/or run in local elections.

The 19th amendment in 1920 gave women the right to vote, that is quite a bit less than 100 years.

[Wilma]

I didn't know all that.  I did know that Kansas women are leaders and that just proves it.

[Mom70x7]

When we moved to Howard in 1990 - we had a female mayor, female doctor and female sheriff.

Did I miss any?

[W. Gray]

Somewhere around that time there was a female minister at the Methodist church.