Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Gerrit Smith were first cousins born 18 years apart, but they shared a devotion to social reform that placed them together in a very small group of strong-willed people who helped shape the second half of the 19th century.
Cady Stanton was a frequent visitor to Smith’s Peterboro home, and she had long talks with her elder cousin about the nature of reform, including the social and political implications of gender, race, and religion. Each was a student of the other, and their frequent disagreements led them both to refine their causes and define themselves.
With his usual meticulous research, Dann’s Cousins of Reform sheds light on the complex, inspired relationship that drove these two cousins to great achievement—Stanton in women’s rights and Smith in the cause of aboliltion.(www.logcabinbooks.com)
Dann, professor emeritus Morrisville State College, is a founder and current Cabinet member of the National Abolition Hall of Fame and Museum, a Steward of the Gerrit Smith Estate National Historic Landmark, a member of the Annual Peterboro Civil War Weekend, and the Treasurer of the Peterboro Area Museum.
Books will be available at both events for purchases and signing. For more information on these or other events at the Cazenovia Public Library, call 655-9322.