Clara Colby

We celebrate Women's History Month and Cook Library's Centennial by looking at the women who were key to the founding of the library and its early days. Local History Librarian Jenny Barry shares the stories of Emily Barrows Cook, Mabel MacGuffin, Norma Lee Peck, Clara Colby, Laura Taylor, August Lovell, and more. Keep checking the…

It is Women's History Month and when it comes to Libertyville history there is no shortage of inspiring women who have lived and served in this town to make it what it is today. Our local history librarian Jenny Barry is back for a special edition of The Past is Present, highlighting 3 such women.…

In part 1 of this series on the 1889 Union Church signature quilt, we learned about signature quilts in general, explored some of the unique characteristics of this specific quilt, and revealed the history of the Union Church. Now that the groundwork has been laid, let's turn to some of the individual squares and the Libertyville people…

In our March 23 post, "Man at washtub, wife votes: an election year retrospective," we learned about Clara Averill Colby, Libertyville resident and the first women to vote in the state of Illinois after the passing of the 1913 Illinois Municipal Voting Act granting Illinois women the right to vote for Presidential electors, all local offices not…

Clara Averill Colby was born in Milwaukee in 1878 to Charles and Laura Averill. Unusual for her time, Clara attended the Columbia School of Music where she pursed a degree in public debate. After graduation, she continued to live with her parents and became a founding member of the Alpha Club, a group that was responsible…

On June 26, 1913, Illinois Governor Dunne signed the Illinois Municipal Voting Act granting Illinois women the right to vote for Presidential electors, all local offices not specifically named in the Illinois Constitution and on any “local option” issues. Clara Colby of Libertyville became the first woman in Illinois to cast a ballot under the…