Dora V. Wheelock
Dora V. Wheelock (August 26, 1847 – February 3, 1923) was an American activist and writer involved in the temperance movement.
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Early years and education
Pedora (nickname, "Dora") Velina Palmer was born in Calais, Vermont, August 26, 1847.[1][2] Her parents were of New England background, with French ancestry. Her great-grandfather was a captain in the American Revolutionary War. Her father, a Christian minister,[3] died when she was three years old, leaving a family of small children, of whom she was the youngest. She became involved in church and Sunday school work at the age of thirteen.[3]
In 1865, Wheelock graduated from the high school of Berlin, Wisconsin.[4][5]
Career
On July 20, 1865, in Berlin, Wisconsin, she married Oren Newell Wheelock (1841–1930),[1][6][7] a merchant of that city, who became a State Banker. They lived first in Iowa, and then in Wisconsin, till 1873, when they settled in Beatrice, Nebraska, where Oren went on to become mayor.[8]
Wheelock was interested in church, foreign missionary and school work. From 1883, she became involved in the Woman's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU).[3] In 1885, she compiled a pamphlet of 216 pages, constituting the 20th Annual WCTU Report of Nebraska.[9] She served for several years as local president and three years as president of Gage County, Nebraska.[4] In 1899, she was state vice-president.[10]
In the spring of 1889, Wheelock was elected to a position on the board of education of Beatrice. She served as State superintendent of press work, and reporter for the Union Signal for Nebraska. She wrote much; her articles appeared in the Youth's Companion, Union Signal, and various other publications. Wheelock was a strong advocate of woman's enfranchisement, though not known as a special worker in the field. She championed the cause of woman's progress.[4]
In 1906, after having served as president of the Nebraska state WCTU for the past five years, she removed to Loveland, Colorado.[11]
Personal life
Wheelock's hobbies included music, both vocal and instrumental; she was also a painter.[4]
The Wheelocks had three sons, Oren (b. 1866), Charles (b. 1876), and Herbert (1880–1880); and two daughters, Della (b. 1870) and Mary (1874–1875).[1] In May 1917, it was reported that Wheelock was critically ill at her home in Loveland.[12] She died February 3, 1923, at her home in Loveland. Funeral service were held at Beatrice's Centenary Methodist Episcopal Church. Burial was held in the Beatrice cemetery.[3]
References
Citations
- Chapin family association 1924, p. 2244.
- Willard & Livermore 1893, p. 764.
- "Tribute to Mrs. Dora Wheelock - Former Pioneer and W. C. T. U. Worker Laid to Rest in Beatrice Cemetery - Active in Church Circles in City in Early Day - Father was Christian Minister - Survived by Husband and Three Children". Newspapers.com. The Beatrice Daily Express. 6 February 1923. p. 4. Retrieved 29 May 2019.
- Willard & Livermore 1893, p. 765.
- "Berlin, Wisconsin High School Graduates". www.rockvillemama.com. Retrieved 29 May 2019.
- "Rites for O. Wheelock". Newspapers.com. Beatrice Daily Sun. 26 February 1930. p. 5. Retrieved 29 May 2019.
- "O. N. Wheelock Dies; Former State Banker". Newspapers.com. The Nebraska State Journal. 25 February 1930. p. 5. Retrieved 29 May 2019.
- "Mrs. O. N. Wheelock Dies in Colorado". Newspapers.com. The Beatrice Daily Express. 5 February 1923. p. 2. Retrieved 29 May 2019.
- "20th Annual W. C. T. U. Report". Newspapers.com. 8 January 1895. p. 4. Retrieved 29 May 2019.
- "Last Meeting of W. C. T. U." Newspapers.com. The Nebraska State Journal. 11 August 1899. p. 5. Retrieved 29 May 2019.
- "Reception to Mrs. Wheelock". Newspapers.com. Beatrice Daily Sun. 2 October 1906. p. 1. Retrieved 29 May 2019.
- "People You Know". Newspapers.com. The Nebraska State Journal. 23 May 1917. p. 9. Retrieved 29 May 2019.
Attribution
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Willard, Frances Elizabeth; Livermore, Mary Ashton Rice (1893). A Woman of the Century: Fourteen Hundred-seventy Biographical Sketches Accompanied by Portraits of Leading American Women in All Walks of Life (Public domain ed.). Moulton.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
Bibliography
- Chapin family association (1924). The Chapin Book of Genealogical Data: With Brief Biographical Sketches, of the Descendants of Deacon Samuel Chapin. 2. Chapin family association.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
External links
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