By Leslie Chang, Trustee, Scarsdale Historical Society

How much do you know about your great-grandmother? What if you found out she was a courageous suffragist, as evidenced by countless newspaper articles and priceless notes she left behind in Scarsdale, N.Y.? This is what happened to several families across the country when they heard from me.

Our project on the suffragists began because filmmaker Lesley Topping wanted to make a film about the Scarsdale women who fought for women’s suffrage rights. She knew there were many records of their activities in the Scarsdale Inquirer archives. There were countless mentions of meetings, rallies, and suffrage dances in the 1910s. What she didn’t expect was the lack of photographs and personal stories about the women in the Village archives. In some cases, because of the tradition of using husbands’ names, she didn’t even know the women’s first names. The women were virtually “faceless” in the Village record. 

Lesley and I agreed that her documentary project would require some creative research strategies. I offered to help with research and started digging. I felt determined to find the faces (and stories) behind the names. I tracked down long-lost ancestors all over the country - from Mississippi, to California, to Martha’s Vineyard. Before I knew it, suffragist relatives were picking their brains and cracking open their dusty photo albums - just so we could preserve the memories of their matriarchs.

This week I’m kicking off a four-part blog series sharing the stories behind my investigations of the suffragists.  I assure you, when I’m done, you’ll remember the names of Florence, Josephine, Bella and Edna. 

Finding Florence   

In the summer of 2024, Lesley mentioned that Florence Bethell (1873-1956) would be the “star” suffragist in her film, yet she hadn’t found enough decent images of her. Florence founded the League of Women Voters of Scarsdale (and Westchester), was a founder of the Scarsdale Woman’s Club, and saved the Scarsdale Inquirer in 1919. However, the Village archives only had photographs of her husband, Frank H. Bethell. This seemed like an injustice.

The first photo we came across was a grainy passport photo on Ancestry.com (thank you to Dan Glauber at Scarsdale Library!). It was helpful, but not ideal or adequate to use for an entire documentary. How was it possible we couldn’t find any other photos of this trailblazing woman?

Florence Bethell’s Background

We had pieced together general biographical information about our illusive subject. Florence Hartstuff was born in Sidney Barracks, NE, the daughter of Dr. and Mrs. Albert Hartsuff. Her father was a Brigadier General and served in the American Civil War and Spanish-American War. 

Florence married Frank Hopkins Bethell in 1901 and they came to Scarsdale around 1912. The couple had a son and a daughter, Franklin and Janet who were both born in 1903 (I’ll return to that below). The Scarsdale school district was in its infancy, so it makes sense that the Bethell children went to elite private high schools: Hackley School in Tarrytown and Rosemary Hall in Greenwich, CT. 

Husband Frank Hopkins Bethell served in leadership (First Vice President) at the New York Telephone Company with his brother, Union Noble Bethell (President). He was also responsible for the “Eastern Group” of Bell Telephone Company. He and his brother were both pioneers in the United States telephone system, at the forefront of Bell and what became AT&T. To give you an idea of Union N. Bethell’s prominence, he was sitting beside Alexander Graham Bell when he made AT&T’s first transcontinental call to California (pictured). 

I even found a letter written in 1914 by Thomas Edison to Union Bethell that stated “I’m fond of a hustler and like to give them credit when I find real ones” (Thomas A. Edison Papers, Rutgers University). Needless to say, if the Bethell brothers were rubbing elbows with two of the most famous American inventors in history, then Florence was a woman in a position of power. With her status, she was well-positioned to advocate for women’s suffrage.

Her husband Frank retired in 1920 and continued as a pillar of the Scarsdale community. He served as Scarsdale’s first president (before mayors), and a president of the Scarsdale Golf Club. He was one of the longest standing commissioners of the Bronx River Parkway Commission, the group that oversaw the land acquisition and construction of the Bronx River Parkway.

Two Houses in Heathcote

House numbers weren’t typically published in the early Scarsdale days, but I believe the Bethells’ first residence in Scarsdale was at 16 Heathcote Road. A photo of the house was published in The Telephone Review, in an article about Frank titled: “A Prophet in His Own Country.”

It was at this home that Florence hosted suffrage meetings and conferences, where she could fit 125 people in her “sunny garage.” Guests included many prominent suffragist leaders, including Elizabeth Cady Stanton’s daughter, Mrs. T. H. Lawrence. 

By 1920, they had moved to a new property with around 8 acres. Finding the actual location of the Richbell Road house was a bit of a challenge. House records prior to 1925 are scarce at Village Hall. The newspaper often said they lived at 5 Richbell Road, but that address doesn’t exist now. Thankfully, the 1930 map unlocks the mystery. First, it shows the original boundaries of the estate that became Bethel Road (yes, it is misspelled). Second, it shows the location of the main house on Richbell Road. Today, that same plot is 2 Bethel Road (thanks to property records at Village Hall!).

Tracking Down Photos of Florence

The Scarsdale Woman’s Club has two artworks of Florence, including the lovely portrait that hangs in the “Bethell Room.”  For our suffrage documentary, we hoped we could find images of her that were more age-appropriate as she would have appeared in the 1910’s (when she was in her 40’s).

I started scouring newspaper archives outside of our hometown newspaper. I came across a large article on the Scarsdale Woman’s Club in the New York Tribune, one of New York City’s influential newspapers of the time. The headline read “A Woman’s Club Takes Over a Town Paper.” It featured a large photo of Florence, calling her “the prime mover” in saving the Scarsdale Inquirer. The best part about the photograph was that it was “legible” quality, and depicted Florence as a younger woman. It was the best clipping (showing her image) that I could find.

Next, I tried looking through members’ family trees on Ancestry.com. Sometimes, people upload photos from their personal collections. Finally, in one person’s family tree I saw Florence’s name. I clicked it, and was finally looking at an original photo of Florence for the first time!

I didn’t know this Ancestry.com account owner’s relation to the Bethell’s, but I was dying to find out. I immediately sent a private message to the owner of that account, and within a few hours I was speaking to the mysterious relative, Pamela, in California! 

Lesley Topping and I sat on a conference call eagerly hearing information that never would have been published in the Scarsdale Inquirer. Pamela was related to the Bethell’s through the taller boy in the photograph, Frank Harrison Coker. She graciously shared the following about the 3 children: 

• Franklin Hartstuff Bethell: Florence gave birth to one son, Frank. He attended Princeton, Cambridge University and Johns Hopkins University. He became a renowned scholar and doctor, pioneering blood cancer treatments for the University of Michigan.

• Janet (Coker) Bethell (left): The Bethells adopted Frank Sr.’s sister’s child. Janet went to Smith College, and raised her own family at 8 Heathcote Road.

• Frank Harrison Coker: The older boy on the right was Janet’s brother who was visiting from school at Rutgers at the time.

The next piece of the story is personal and was never shared in the local newspaper, but I will share for the sake of preserving history. Sometime around 1930, the Bethells divorced. Frank stopped being mentioned in the Scarsdale Inquirer around this time. I learned that Frank had moved away, and Florence continued as a prolific volunteer in Scarsdale. He remarried, yet Florence continued as “Mrs. F. H. Bethell,” as was the custom.

After reaching Janet’s side of the family, I still hoped to find someone from Frank Jr.’s side. Once again through Ancestry.com, I found someone who had set up a personal Bethell family tree. It turned out to be Frank Jr.’s great granddaughter, Lauren. Within the day, I was on the phone with her mother, Mary in Georgia. 

Sadly, Mary’s mother Elaine Hartstuff Bethell (Frank Jr.’s daughter) passed away in 2024. She wished her mother could shared more details with me! I learned that her part of the family was largely based in Michigan, where Frank Jr. had been a professor at the University of Michigan. Frank Sr. had lived in Michigan with his second wife, whom Mary called “Aunt Ruth” (even though she was actually her step-great grandmother). 

With the divorce and geographic distance, it seemed that this side of the family was much closer to (great) grandfather Frank than they were with (great) grandmother Florence. Mary wasn’t sure what Florence actually looked like (doesn’t this sound familiar?). Mary has fond memories of visiting (Great Aunt) Janet her husband (Uncle) Chauncey Newlin at 8 Heathcote Road in the 1950s and 60s.

I hope that the Women Rising documentary brings them great pride in knowing that their ancestor was an trailblazer and champion for women’s rights and many charitable causes.

A Latebreaking Discovery

As I was working on this article (after the documentary and photo exhibit had been completed), I came upon one of my best photo discoveries. I had googled a new search combination, and ended up in the “Carrie Chapman Catt Papers” in the Bryn Mawr College archives. 

Catt, a nationally-known American women’s suffrage leader (who lived in New Rochelle), had meticulously recorded the names and faces of the world’s prominent suffragists. In a record called “New York Suffragists,” there was an album page with the photos of 4 women. I thought, could it really be….?

I zoomed in, and it was HER! Finally, I’d found a glorious, formal, solo photograph of Florence! I gasped so loudly that Florence herself may have heard me “from the other side.” 

It gives me great satisfaction to know that these photos and stories can be added to the Village record. The actions and accomplishments of Scardale’s (white) men in history are meticulously recorded, and it’s exciting to shed new light on those who have been marginalized. Stories like Florence’s may be harder to find, but I’m up to the challenge.

Our new documentary “Women Rising: The Scarsdale Suffragists” can be viewed here. A Scarsdale Suffragists exhibit (including all of the newly-discovered photos) is on display through the month of February in the local history center of Scarsdale Public Library. For other details and resources related to the Scarsdale’s suffrage leaders, click here.

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