Nominate Medfield’s Hannah Adams for statue in State House, due 4/30

Help us get Medfield’s Hannah Adams (1755-1831) to the State Senate Chamber by completing this "Woman Sculpture Nomination" form by April 30.

"Senate President Karen Spilka is asking for residents to submit names of an influential woman with ties to Massachusetts who has made historic and defining contributions to the Commonwealth and the country." Hannah Adams is qualified for the honor.

The deadline for submission is April 30 (not May 1 as stated on the form).

Here are some noteworthy facts that could be helpful in your nomination.

HANNAH ADAMS (1755-1831)
1. Hannah Adams was born and raised in Medfield, and has been called "Medfield's Most Famous Female."

2. She was homeschooled due to illness (she was able to learn from books other than the Bible which was the “textbook” in public schools at the time).

3. Hannah is an example of New England doggedness and female ingenuity. She provided income for her father and siblings after her mother died and her father was unsuccessful in farming and business.

4. Hannah petitioned the government for the first federal copyright law (enacted 1790).

5. Hannah created the first women's group of which there is a record, according to Medfield Town Historian Richard DeSorgher - “Hannah developed a small circle of friends from Medfield and the surrounding towns who were drawn together by similarity of views. Most of them wrote verses which were read and admired by those in the circle. Their mutual love of literature, want of fortune and indifference to many of the mores at the time concerning females, served to cement a union between them that remained throughout their lives. This group has been called the first Woman’s Club in America of which we have any record, an honor to Medfield that has often been overlooked.” (This Old Town: Humble Beginnings to National Fame, Hometown Weekly, 04/04/2024)

• This women's group continues to be active today, holding monthly meetings, awarding an annual scholarship (est. 1905), and hosting an annual Graduation Tea (est. 1968) for all Medfield High School senior girls. (www.hannahadamswc.org)

6. Hannah has many connections to many MA famous people and entities, including:

• She was instructed by men who were preparing to enter Harvard Divinity School with the assistance of her father
• She was the second cousin of John Adams, whose library resources she used for at least one of her books
• She was the first woman permitted to use the Boston Athenaeum
• Hers was the first grave to have a monument in Mount Auburn Cemetery
• Her portrait was painted by renowned painter Chester Harding (no relation to the Medfield Hardings)

7. She likely influenced New England religion. Her “Letters on the Gospels” in 1824 was written with the hope that she would make the New Testament interesting to the younger generation." (Hometown Weekly, 04/04/2024)