Biographical Database of NAWSA Suffragists, 1890-1920
Biography of Ella E. Greenman, 1855-1921
By Bryce Jepsen, MA student at California State University Northridge
Teacher, Activist, Member of the Equal Suffrage League in Oakland, CA, Vice President of the Alameda County Political Equality League
Around the year 1855, Ella E Whalen was born to Antionette H. Whelan and L. Whelan. She was the one of two daughters, her sister being Carrie Whelan (sometimes spelled Wheelan). Throughout her life, she married twice and was widowed both times. She first married Harmon Greenman in Alameda, California in July 1878. He was 50 at the time and seems to have died shortly after. She had no children with Greenman and this trend carried on with her second marriage to Francis A. Blake. There are no surviving marriage records and the only source referring to this marriage is a newspaper mention of Ella E. Greenman as his widow.
Not too much is known about the early life of Ella E. Greenman, but she was a graduate of the State Normal School in Santa Clara. She became a teacher at the Durant School in Oakland, California, where she faithfully taught for many years. Greenman wanted to provide a classroom to allow her students to be the best possible versions of themselves. She deplored traditional teaching methods and instead fostered an environment that allowed a guiding hand to help and elevate.
This passion drove her not only in her life, but it also drove her to help fight for woman's suffrage. She became an educator for the Equal Suffrage League (ESL) in California and was considered one of the first women to push for suffrage in Oakland. The earliest reference to her work for the ESL comes in 1907. Greenman and the other women educators in the League became some of the most active women in the fight for women's suffrage by educating through the different supporting unions. The ESL activists worked closely with the Woman's Christian Temperance Union, which helped strengthen the overall work of the movement. Greenman worked as a speaker for much of the state work during her time fighting for suffrage, which extended into the final successful referendum campaign in 1911. Furthermore, Greenman also served as the second vice president of the Alameda County Political Equality Club. This organization allowed Greenman to further the cause of women's voting rights.
In 1921, Ella E. Greenman passed away at the age of sixty-six and was survived by her only sibling, Carrie Wheelan. While much seems to be a mystery in her life, her passion for teaching at both the Durant School and in the Equal Suffrage League allowed her to etch her name in the fight for suffrage. Greenman pushed for women's right to vote for much of her life and succeeded in bringing a grassroots movement to California. Her passion for teaching others about a better tomorrow makes her stand out in many ways. She cared for the fight as much as she cared for her students. For her, the right to vote was just as important as getting an education.
Sources:
Year: 1900; Census Place: Oakland Ward 7, Alameda, California; Page: 7; Enumeration District: 0384; FHL microfilm: 1240082
State Normal School, GRADUATES' RECORD, SEVENTEENTH CLASS - March, 1876. Accessed online at https://www.sfgenealogy.org/santaclara/schools/sns89117.htm.
"Durant School." LocalWiki. Accessed August 18, 2020. Online at https://localwiki.org/oakland/Durant_School.
Harper, Ida Husted, et al., eds., History of Woman Suffrage, Volume VI. [LINK]
"Convention of Women: Political Equality Club Hold Annual Meetings and Elects Officers," Oakland Tribune, October 24, 1903, 2.
"Wire to Roosevelt to Uphold Equal Suffrage," Oakland Tribune. October 6, 1907, 18.
"Burial to Oakland Pioneer Saturday," Oakland Tribune, April 26, 1921, 1.
Marriage Record of Ella E Wheelan and Hermon Greenman, July 1878. Accessed online via Ancestry Library Edition.
Ella E. Greenman, "Home Reading: Underlying Principles of Selection and Management," in Proceedings of the California Teachers Association and Report of Council of Education: Session of year 1900, pp. 252-60. Accessible online through Google Books.