MARY ANN SORDEN STUART

MARY ANN SORDEN STUART

GREENWOOD, DELAWARE

Mary Ann Sorden was born near Greenwood on a large farm of John and Sarah Owens

Pennewill Sorden, and grew up to be one of Delaware's fiery feminists.

Her father, John Sorden was a wealthy landowner, a Delaware State Senator, liberal

in his views of the Womans Rights Movement and had repealed oppresssive laws against women.

The early 19^th century there were no womens rights under law. When they married

everything they possessed became their husbands property.

In 1873 laws were passed giving women the right to make wills, own real estate. It was

five decades later that the 19^th Admendment became law and women were extended full sufferage.

Miss Sorden married Dr. William W. Stuart, with a fashionable society wedding. The pair had

five children. After her husbands death in the 1870's she became active in Delaware's Women

Sufferage movement. She was an accomplished business woman , operating an excursion business,

chartering trains to carry vacationers to Rehoboth Beach and Ocean City beaches.

A Wilmington News Paper correspondent described her thus “ Mrs. Stuart dresses in black,

weighs 250 pounds, is good natured, and can talk ten hours at the rate of 200 words a minuute.”

Mrs Stuart was a 1870 delegate to a National Sufferage Association convention in Washington, D. C.

and a close friend of Susan B. Anthony.

Mrs Stuart died in the late 1880's

Source: Dick Carters 1976 History of Sussex County, Delaware Coast Press, July 1976;

Abstract September 3, 2017, Harrison H