Mar 15, 2026
Last year, in Episode 217, listeners were introduced to Hannah
Smith. Born in 1767, Hannah was the matriarch of the non-conformist
Smith Family of Glastonbury. In the 2020s, her diaries inspired
Leonard Raybon, a music professor at Tulane, to compose an original
mini-musical based on her writings. You can view the debut
performance of "Hannah and Her Daughters"
here.
This episode focuses on the next generation of the Smith
family. Hannah Hickock married Zephaniah Smith of
Glastonbury in 1786, and their marriage produced five
daughters. Two of the daughters became nationally famous in
the 1870s, around the time of the Bicentennial, for their
stance in favor of women’s suffrage. Natalie Belanger is joined by
Diane Hoover, Education Director of the
Glastonbury Historical Society, who told her about the Smith
sisters’ upbringing, their many talents, and how the two
youngest became involved in the suffrage fight – in a
protest that centered around their pet
cows. You’ll also hear about Julia Smith’s achievements
as a Biblical scholar, and how a romantic entanglement at
the age of 87 provides a rather sad end to
her remarkable life.
Image: Portrait of Abby and Julia Smith, c. 1877, Library of
Congress
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This episode of Grating the Nutmeg was produced by Natalie Belanger and engineered by Patrick O’Sullivan at highwattagemedia.com/ Follow GTN on our socials-Facebook, Instagram, Threads, and BlueSky.
Follow executive producer Mary Donohue on Facebook and Instagram at West Hartford Town Historian. Join us in two weeks for our next episode of Grating the Nutmeg, the podcast of Connecticut history. Thank you for listening!