Emily Calkins Stebbins (January 22, 1843 - May 29, 1933) was an American notary public. Stebbins was the first woman to become a notary public in the United States.

Early life and career

Stebbins was born on January 22, 1843, in

Longmeadow, Massachusetts Longmeadow is a town in Hampden County, Massachusetts, in the United States. The population was 15,853 at the 2020 census. History Longmeadow was first settled in 1644, and officially incorporated October 17, 1783. The town was originally farm ...

. She attended a village school there while also taking a course at an academy in

Peacham, Vermont Peacham is a town in Caledonia County, Vermont, Caledonia County, Vermont, United States. The population was 715 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. History In 1763, Governor Benning Wentworth of Province of New Hampshire, New Hampsh ...

. She moved to

New Hampton, Iowa New Hampton is a city in, and the county seat of, Chickasaw County, Iowa, United States. The population was 3,494 at the time of the 2020 census. History New Hampton was founded ''circa'' 1855. It is named after New Hampton, New Hampshire, the ...

, on July 13, 1861, and lived with her sister. When the deputy county recorder and treasurer of

Chickasaw County, Iowa Chickasaw County is a county located in the U.S. state of Iowa. As of the 2020 census, the population was 12,012. Its county seat is New Hampton. The county was named for the southern Indian Nation whose chief was ''Bradford''. History Chicka ...

, joined the 38th Iowa Volunteer Infantry Regiment, Stebbins took his place from September 1, 1862, to January 1864. She was an abstractor at a law office in 1865. On February 2, 1866, Iowa governor

William M. Stone William Milo Stone (October 14, 1827 – July 18, 1893) was the sixth Governor of Iowa (1864–68). Early life and education Stone was born in Jefferson County, New York, and moved with his family to Coshocton, Ohio in 1834. He read law there ...

commissioned her as a notary public, the first such position to be held by a woman in the United States. She was also an insurance agent and

pension A pension (, from Latin ''pensiō'', "payment") is a fund into which a sum of money is added during an employee's employment years and from which payments are drawn to support the person's retirement from work in the form of periodic payments ...

attorney. Stebbins recalled that "some people would not be waited upon by her because they believed that a woman could not do business correctly". She stopped working in 1929 due to poor health.

Death

Stebbins died on May 29, 1933, at her home when she was 90 years old. By the time of her death, she was an abstractor for 64 years.

References

1843 births 1933 deaths American notaries Iowa lawyers American women lawyers People from Longmeadow, Massachusetts People from New Hampton, Iowa {{lawyer-stub