May Stocking Knaggs (1847–1915) was an American suffragist, a friend of

Susan B. Anthony Susan B. Anthony (born Susan Anthony; February 15, 1820 – March 13, 1906) was an American social reformer and women's rights activist who played a pivotal role in the women's suffrage movement. Born into a Quaker family committed to s ...

. She was inducted into the

Michigan Women's Hall of Fame The Michigan Women's Hall of Fame (MWHOF) honors distinguished women, both historical and contemporary, who have been associated with the U.S. state of Michigan. The hall of fame was founded in 1983 by Gladys Beckwith and is sponsored by the Michi ...

Biography

Knaggs was born in 1847, in

Penn Yan, New York Penn Yan is an incorporated village and the county seat of Yates County, New York, United States. The population was 5,159 at the 2010 census. It lies at the north end of the east branch of Keuka Lake, one of the Finger Lakes. Penn Yan, New Yor ...

, the daughter of George B. Stocking and Cornelia Ellis. In 1869 she married John Wesley. She lived the majority of her life in

Bay City, Michigan Bay City is a city and county seat of Bay County in the U.S. state of Michigan, located near the base of the Saginaw Bay on Lake Huron. As of the 2010 census, the city's population was 34,932, and it is the principal city of the Bay City Metrop ...

. She wrote frequently in the ''Bay City Tribune'', and was one of the first women on the Board of Education. A friend of

, the two frequently traveled together, including making a lecture tour of New York in 1894, where they gave a series of sixty speeches. The following year, she was elected president of the Michigan Equal Suffrage Association, which she would lead for two years; in addition, she chaired the press division of the National Women's Relief Corps. She corresponded frequently with Clara Arthur, and was on the boards of Michigan Industrial Home for Girls in Adrian, and of the Home Industry for Discharged Prisoners in Detroit.

References

Suffragists from Michigan 1847 births 1915 deaths {{feminist-stub