Biographical Database of NAWSA Suffragists, 1890-1920

Biography of Josephine D. Black Lockard, 1868-1937

By Emily Lines, undergraduate student, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM

Educator, superintendent, and suffragist

Josephine D. Black, frequently called Josie, was born around 1868 in Illinois to Josiah and Margaret Black, and the family lived in East Oakland, Illinois. Her mother was a widow by the 1880 census, and by the 1890s, Josie Black had followed her siblings west to New Mexico. She married Daniel James Lockard on September 4, 1895, and the couple lived with Josie Lockard's sister on a ranch in Springer. On December 17, 1898, Daniel Lockard caught pneumonia, and he died several days later. Their daughter, Helen, was born March 6, 1899, in New Mexico. By 1900, Josie Lockard had returned with her daughter to East Oakland. They lived with Margaret Black until her death in October of that year. Shortly thereafter, Josie and Helen Lockard returned to Raton, New Mexico.

While the 1900 census listed Josie Lockard as a landlord, the 1910 census had her as a superintendent in Colfax County. As a widow, she had returned to teaching. In November 1913, she was elected vice president of the New Mexico State Educational Association. By 1921, Josie Lockard had been elected president of the State Teachers' Association.

Josie Lockard was identified by the History of Woman Suffrage as a suffrage worker in New Mexico. While her suffrage footprint is difficult to trace, she served as a member of the State Board of Education in 1920, noted in a local paper as an example of several women who had “made places for themselves and their interests in the public life of the State.” Lockard's expertise in education provided her opportunities to serve in public offices during a time when women still did not have the right to vote.

Josephine “Josie” D. Black Lockard died in 1937. She was preceded in death by her daughter, Helen Lockard, in 1919. Josie and Helen Lockard were both buried at Rosedale Cemetery in Oakland, Illinois.

SOURCES:

“Death of D.L. Lockard.” Jacksonian (Cimarron, Kan.). December 30, 1898, p.1. Newspapers.com.

“Death of Daniel J. Lockard.” Democratic Standard (Coshocton, Ohio). January 6, 1899, p.1. Newspapers.com.

Find a Grave. Daniel J. Lockard. Accessed March 1, 2019. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/48401086/daniel-j-lockard.

Find a Grave. Josephine D. Lockard. Accessed March 1, 2019. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/155765214/josephine-d_-lockard.

Find a Grave. Helen Lockard. Accessed March 1, 2019. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/155765325/helen-lockard.

Harper, Ida Husted, ed. “New Mexico.” Chapter XXX in History of Woman Suffrage, vol. 6: 1900-1920. New York: National American Woman Suffrage Association, 1922, 434-439. [LINK]

“New Mexico Women in Public Life.” Spanish American (Roy, N. Mex>.). January 10, 1920, p.1. Newspapers.com.

“Rev. C.C. Hill Is New President of New Mexico Teachers.” Albuquerque Journal (Albuquerque, N. Mex.). November 27, 1913, p.1. Newspapers.com.

United States Census 1870, 1880, s.v. “Josie Black, East Oakland, Ill.” HeritageQuest.

United States Census 1900, s.v. “Josie B. Lockard, East Oakland, Ill.” HeritageQuest.

United States Census 1910, s.v. “Jessie D. Lockwood, Raton, N. Mex.” HeritageQuest.

United States Census 1920, s.v. “Josie D. Lockard, Raton, N. Mex.” HeritageQuest.

“Woman Elected President State Teachers Ass'n.” Clovis News (Clovis, N. Mex.). November 24, 1921, p.1. Newspapers.com.

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