Celebrating Women’s History Month:
Women’s Firsts in Rowan County
Article by Cindy Leach
The first woman elected to public office in Rowan County was Cora Wilson Stewart as Superintendent of Schools. Cora Wilson Stewart (1/17/1875 -12/2/1958) the daughter of Dr. Jeremiah Wilson and Ann Halley Wilson, one of twelve children. She taught school in Rowan County and in 1901, she was elected school superintendent and was reelected in 1909, and was the first woman president of the Kentucky Education Association, she was named chairperson of President Hoover's Commission on Illiteracy from 1929-1933. Cora was a delegate to the 1920 Democratic Convention in San Francisco, where she was nominated for President of the United States. In 1911, she founded the Moonlight School movement in Rowan County to educate adult illiterates during the evenings. Cora married Ulysses Grant Carey in 1895. He was the son of the owner of the Gault Hotel in Morehead where Cora's father had his medical office. After three years, Carey and Wilson were divorced in 1898. They had no children. In 1902, she married Alexander Thomas Stewart. They were divorced on March 7, 1904; but remarried three months later on June 22, 1904. In 1907, they had their only child, William Holley Stewart. But his life was short and he died on June 7, 1908. Cora and Alexander were divorced on June 8, 1910.
Lyda Messer Caudill (1888-4/22/1958) was the second woman elected to public office in 1906 and the second female Superintendent of Schools. She was elected Superintendent of Rowan County, Kentucky schools twice -1906-10 and 1930-34. Lyda’s parents were William Messer and Nancy Jane Christian. William was a descendant of the Stewarts of Scotland and is said to be a descendant of Mary Queen of Scots. Her step-mother was Alameda Sparks Messer. Lyda was the second wife of William T. (TW) Caudill (1874-1933) and had one daughter, Leola Margaret Caudill Hurst (1917-2013). During her first term, she built about two new school buildings a year including the founding the first school for African-American students in Rowan County. After the end of her second term she went back to teaching and was later Principal of Morehead Grade School. She retired in 1952.
The first female Rowan County Clerk and first female PVA/Tax Assessor tied for third place in 1956 –Ottis Elam and Juanita Wilson. Ottis (4/10/1920 – 11/3/2007) was the daughter of Grover C. and Ida Parrish White. She married Thomas Edward "Ed" Elam (5/13/1920-4/3/1995) on February 07, 1942 and had two children Ray and Kay. Ottis was Circuit Court Clerk for two years out the term of Circuit Court Clerk Ernest Brown, who died in office in 1948. She was then elected to County Court Clerk and had retained the office for 30 years and 8 months until her retirement in 1978. She served on the Selective Service Board during World War II, was Chair of the Rowan County Democratic Party, a Kentucky Colonel and 1986 Woman of the Year by the Rowan County Business and Professional Woman’s Club. Juanita Helen Mutters Wilson (11/8/1906 – 5/31/1971) was the daughter of Montiful Burns Mutters and Ida Gertrude Smedley Mutters. She married Marvin Holt Wilson and had three daughters Mary Helen, Joan and Jerry Myra and one son Marvin Jr. Juanita served 16 years (4 terms) and resigned when the Kentucky Revenue Commissioner directed that all Rowan County property be assessed at 100% of market Value, a decision she disagreed with.
Erna Crabtree (2/2/1899 – 1/28/1972) was the first female elected to the Rowan County School Board in 1941. She was a school teacher. Erna was the daughter of Charles Menifee and Cora McKenzie White. She was married to Carl Crabtree and had three daughters, Virginia, Mary Sue, Cora Lee.
Stella Mae Stidom Litton (2/28/1901-1-4-19-92) was the first female 4-H leader in Rowan County, the first President of the Rowan County Homemakers, a member of the Johnson Homemakers and a charter member of the Morehead American Legion Post 126. She was married to Samuel Joseph Litton (5/31/1894- 6/27/1978) and had one son, Samuel Joseph Jr. and two daughters Opal Sluss and Lucille DeHarte.
Eunice Cecil (3/14/1903-12/27/1991) was the third female School Superintendent in 1952-56 and the fifth woman elected to office in Rowan County. She was the daughter of Jake Allen and Sarah Cadwalander Stamper of Carter County. Eunice was married to Hobert Samuel "Jack" Cecil, had one child, Virginia Joan Cecil Needham and three grandchildren. She was county school supervisor prior to becoming superintendent and returned to the classroom after her term and taught until retirement in 1970. She was a member of the Morehead United Methodist Church, Morehead State University Alumni Association, Morehead Woman’s Club, Order of the Eastern Star and Rowan County Public Library board.
The first woman member of the City Council was Lola Belle Blair in 1970. Lola Belle (3/9/1911-/1/24/2003), was the daughter of J. R. and Emma Bower Haycox. And she survived two husbands, Dr. W.E. Akin, Jr and Dr. Everett D. Blair. She had three children with Dr. Akin: William Allen Akin Dr. James P Akin and Alice Akin and two stepsons, Dr. Donald Blair and Paul Blair.
Lola Belle was a former president of the Kentucky Nurses Association, serves more than 20 years as a public health nurse for the Johnson County Health Department in Paintsville, inoculating school children and visiting patents in rural areas by jeep and often on foot. She was instrumental in the formation of the Morehead Business and Professional Woman’s Club, and was a member of the Painted Hills Garden Club, the James T Morehead Chapter Daughters of the American Revolution, the Order of the Eastern Star, Morehead Woman’s Club and the Rowan County Medical Auxiliary.
Kay Freeland was the fourth female School Superintendent in 1992. The first female Magistrate was Anna Pecco in 2002. There was another “tie” in 2018 with Kim Barker Tabor becoming the first woman Circuit Clerk and Laura White Brown was Morehead’s first female Mayor.
Sources:
Find a grave.com, Morehead Memories Jack Ellis, Rowan County and Morehead News, Juanita Blair and Fred Brown Collections
