Mary Upton Ferrin
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Mary Upton Ferrin (1810-1881) was an American suffragette and women's rights advocate.


Early life

Polly Upton was born to Jesse and Elizabeth Wood Upton on April 27, 1820 in South Danvers,
Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...
(now known as Peabody). Elizabeth Wood Upton and Jesse Upton had three daughters and one son before Polly's birth in 1820. Polly Upton, who was named after one of their deceased daughters, was later renamed Mary Upton.


Marriage

Mary Upton married Jesse Ferrin in Danvers Baptist Church on December 2, 1845. Mary Upton Ferrin referred to her husband as an "insufferable tyrant" who "deprived her of the necessities of life". She attempted to divorce her husband, but was told by lawyer Samuel Merritt that she was legally considered her husband's property. After announcing her intention to divorce Jesse Ferrin, he claimed all her possessions as his own.


Activism

Upton Ferrin created a petition for women to sign requesting legislation to be passed that gave the women the right to divorce their husbands. The petition was presented by Mary Upton Ferrin to the
US Senate The United States Senate is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and House have the authority under Article One of the ...
and
US House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...
on March 2, 1849. In 1869, Upton Ferrin wrote and published a pamphlet titled ''Women's Defence''.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Upton Ferrin, Mary 1820 births 1881 deaths Suffragists from Massachusetts People from Peabody, Massachusetts