Naomi (Bowman) Talbert Anderson
Born: Michigan City, LaPorte County, Indiana, on March 1, 1843. Married: William Talbert, in LaPorte County, Indiana, in 1863; he died in 1877. Married: Lewis Anderson, Champaign County, Ohio, May 17, 1881. Died: San Francisco, California, June 9, 1899.
Naomi Bowman was born to Elijah and Grimmea Ann (Dowry) Bowman in Michigan City, Indiana, on March 1, 1843. Naomi’s ability as a poet was evident by age 12 and she was invited to attend the formerly all-white school in Michigan City. Her mother hoped she and her younger sister Mary could attend Oberlin College in Ohio, but Grimmea died when Naomi was 17 and she did not get that opportunity. She married William Talbert, a barber, in LaPorte County, Indiana, in 1863. The couple relocated to Chicago, Illinois in 1868. She was involved with the International Organization of Grand Templars and the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union. She attended the Woman’s Rights Convention in Chicago in 1869 and gave a lecture, revealing her ideas about the rights of women and support of woman’s suffrage. The speech drew national attention, placing her in a spotlight few African American women had claimed.
I am on the right side of the question, because I believe woman was made a helpmate for man; that he is but half a man without woman (applause), and you need her help as well in political affairs as you do in private or domestic affairs. And, gentlemen, I warn you no longer to stand out in refusing the right for which we contend; in trying to withhold from these noble ladies here and their darker sisters the franchise they now demand…
--Naomi (Bowman) Talbert, 1869
The Talberts soon moved to Dayton and Columbus, Ohio, and had two children, Willy P. Talbert and Elijah Rhodes Talbert. William Talbert’s health began to fail, and Naomi helped support the family as a hairdresser, managing an orphanage, and teaching school. He died in 1877. Naomi continued to attend women’s conventions, give lectures, and write newspaper articles on women’s rights. She married Lewis Anderson, a banker, in Champaign County, Ohio, on May 17, 1881. Sons Jessie Anderson and Orval Anderson were born in Ohio. The family relocated to Wichita Sedgwick County, Kansas, in 1884, for Lewis’ work opportunities. There another son, Garland Anderson, was born. Naomi’s involvement with the W.C.T.U., suffrage, and civil rights activities increased in Kansas. She became an important voice in building support among African American male voters for an 1894 ballot intitative on woman's suffrage. "Frequently applauded," she spoke at Black churches across Kansas, claiming a reputation as the Black community's "leading female orator" in the state. She noted the need for an orphanage in Wichita that would care for African American children, and co-founded a facility. She was designated the Kansas representative to the National American Woman Suffrage Association.
The Andersons moved to San Francisco, California in 1895. Naomi continued her advocacy efforts. She co-led a successful campaign for woman’s suffrage with Susan B. Anthony, which Clarina Nichols had worked toward in California until her death in 1885. Voters approved the amendment in 1895, making California the sixth state to allow voting for women. Naomi Anderson died in San Francisco, California, on June 9, 1899.
Entry: Naomi (Bowman) Talbert Anderson
Author: Kansas Historical Society
Author information: The Kansas Historical Society is a state agency charged with actively safeguarding and sharing the state's history.
Date Created: December 2024
Date Modified: December 2024
The author of this article is solely responsible for its content.
