Dora V. Wheelock (née, Palmer; August 26, 1847 – February 3, 1923) was an American activist and writer involved in the temperance movement. She served as president of the Nebraska state branch of the Woman's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU), the Nebraska state superintendent of press work, and a reporter for The Union Signal for Nebraska. She wrote much including for Youth's Companion. Wheelock was also elected to the board of education of Beatrice, Nebraska.
Dora V. Wheelock | |
|---|---|
.jpg) | |
| Born | Pedora Velina Palmer August 26, 1847 Calais, Vermont, U.S. |
| Died | February 3, 1923 Loveland, Colorado, U.S. |
| Nickname | "Dora" |
| Occupation |
|
| Language | English |
| Alma mater | high school of Berlin, Wisconsin, U.S. |
| Subject | temperance movement |
| Spouse |
Oren Newell Wheelock
(m. 1865) |
| Children | 5 |
Early life and education
editPedora (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
editOn 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 schoolwork. From 1883, she became involved in the 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 the president of the local WCTU branch and three years as president of Gage County, Nebraska's WCTU branch.[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
editWheelock'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]
Pedora Velina Palmer Wheelock died February 3, 1923, at her home in Loveland. Funeral services were held at Beatrice's Centenary Methodist Episcopal Church. Burial was held in the Beatrice cemetery.[3]
References
edit- ^ a b c Chapin family association 1924, p. 2244.
- ^ Willard & Livermore 1893, p. 764.
- ^ a b c d "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.
- ^ a b c d 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
edit
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain: Willard, Frances Elizabeth; Livermore, Mary Ashton Rice (1893). "MRS. Dora V. Wheelock". 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.
Bibliography
edit- Chapin family association (1924). The Chapin Book of Genealogical Data: With Brief Biographical Sketches, of the Descendants of Deacon Samuel Chapin. Vol. 2. Chapin family association.
External links
edit
Works related to Woman of the Century/Mrs. Dora V. Wheelock at Wikisource- Works by or about Dora V. Wheelock at the Internet Archive
