Featured Photo: Women’s Relief Corps, 1890

Top Row (left to right) Mrs. Sally Netrow Underwood, Mrs. Lucy Sensor, Mrs. Lydia Read Artz, Mrs. Agnes Gill, Mrs. Lois Addie Mix, Mrs. Rosemary Stearns, Mrs. Malinda Wilder.
2nd Row: Mrs. Mina Houston, Mrs. Ida M. Smith, Mrs. Eliza Cook, Mrs. Ellen Dodds, Mrs. Julia McNames, Mrs. Clara Brush, Mrs. Mattis.
3rd Row: Mrs. Sarah Jones, Mrs. Elizabeth Kline, Mrs. Ellen Cooling, Mrs. Ann Hawthorn, Mrs. Peter Carter, Mrs. Clara Hartman, Mrs. Charley Bickford.
4th Row: Mrs. Orpha Cattenaugh, Mrs. Lucy Goodall, Mrs. Cynthia Shukart, Mrs. Emily Read Spalding, Mrs. Phoebe Thomas, Mrs. Josephine Kelly.
5th Row: Mrs. George Martin, Mrs. Ellen Ames, Mrs. Jacob Wagner, Mrs. Ellen Burgess.

–Byron Tribune, May 4th, 1962–

The Cooling Women’s Relief Corps, an active organization in Byron since the 1800s, voted in January 1962 to disband. The first Cooling Relief Corps was disbanded in 1907.

In 1921, Mrs. Carrie Greene contacted a Mrs. Johnson, president of the Belvidere Corps, and the two ladies called upon Mrs. Agnes Gill, a former member of the corps, then the three ladies contacted enough interested women to organize a corps which held its charter meeting on Dec. 1st 1921 with 17 members present.

The names of the 17, plus other charter members, entered on the charter were: Agnes Gill, Mary Ann Lutz, Elizabeth Barry, Margaret Wray, Florence Noyes, Clara Hamaker, Ella Lockwood, Rosilia Barry, Helena Allen, Deborah Grenfell, Eliza Stearns, Elnora Oldham, Cora Boyce, Anna McAffee, Rosa Barry, Ellen Ames, Cora Haynes, Anna Thomson, Eliza Steffa, Anna Strang, Adda Mix, Louise Kennedy, Mattie McNurlen.

Ada Woodburn Woodburn, Florence Potter, Martha Wickwire, Anna Emery, Lucinda Haskel, Blanche Healy, Fransula Creagor, Mabel Gill, Nora Embick, Lelia Whitaker, Helen Spoor, Belle Heald, Mamie Scott, Nerva McKee, Alma Featherstone, and Helen Mulford. It was issued December 21, 1921.

Mrs. Agnes Hill was the first president of the Corps. (Florence Noyes, senior vice president, Elizabeth Whitaker, junior vice president, Nora Embick, treasurer, Elizabeth Barry, chaplain, Gussie Gill, conductress, Elnora Oldham, associate conductress, Louise Kennedy, secretary, Anna Strang, guard, Roda Barry, assistant guard, Mamie Scott, patriotic instructor, Anna McAffee, musician, and Mabel Gill, Rebecca Smith, Carrie Johnston, and Margaret Wray, color bearers.

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