Biographical Database of NAWSA Suffragists, 1890–1920
Biography of Kathleen Willard Simonds, 1871-1942
By: Beth A. Page, researcher
Chairman, Enrollment Committee, Ohio Woman Suffrage Association
Kathleen Willard was born January 1, 1871, to Frank H. and Miranda E. (Buss) Willard in Conneaut, Ashtabula County, Ohio. On February 11, 1915, in Conneaut, Ohio, she married merchant Charles H. Simonds, 26 years her senior. Despite marriage, she continued as a teacher. She advanced to Conneaut's first junior high school principal in 1922 and served there thirteen years. In 1936, Simonds was the first woman appointed to the Ashtabula County Board of Elections. She died January 3, 1942, and was buried in Glenwood Cemetery in Conneaut, Ohio.
Simonds reported on elections at the state conference for the Ohio Federation of Woman's Clubs under the Ohio Woman's Suffrage Association (OWSA) in November 1916. The OWSA, established in 1869, worked with organizations across the state and with the National Association for Woman Suffrage. Working under Harriet Taylor Upton, President of OWSA, "Mrs. C. H. Simonds" served on the election committee and in 1918 was elected chairman of enrollment.
SOURCES:
"Fifth Annual Convention." Ohio Woman Suffrage Association, Akron, Ohio, 1889.
Harper, Ida Husted, ed. "Ohio." Chapter XXXIV in History of Woman Suffrage, vol. 6: 1900-1920. New York: National American Woman Suffrage Association, 1922. [LINK]
"Ohio, Births, and Christening Index." Accessed September 10, 2017. Ancestry.com.
"Ohio Marriage Records," application no. 98593, Jan. 16, 1915. Ancestry.com.
"Reported on Enrollment, Woman Suffrage Worker tell of Activities" untitled, 1919.
Nagel, Marie N. "The Week in Society." Lima News, Lima, Ohio. 4 November 1916, p.6.
"Suffragists Name Committee Heads." Akron Evening Times. Akron, Ohio. 1 March 1919, p.3.
U.S. Census Records, 1880-1940.
Wilson, Mary Proctor. "Ohio Federation of Women's Clubs." Marion Star, Marion, Ohio. 30 November 1918, p.2.