Miss Emily

Book excerpt: Howland's inspirational story begins in Cayuga County before the Civil War when her Quaker father is involved in the underground railway. During thc war, Miss Emily, encouraged by Mrs. William Seward family goes to Washington, D.C. to teach the freed slaves in government camps so that they might find employment and new lives. And there she begins a lifelong romance with a dashing colonel, Charles Folsom of Boston. He is supportive of her teach, but can't her passion for bringing voting fights to women. Their relationship through the years is warm, perhaps romantic, and somewhat mysterious. Back in Sherwood after the Civil War, Miss Emily continues working for the fights of women. Her efforts, along with those of her friends, Susan B. Anthony and Harriet Tubman, are legendary. Howland's disappointments and triumphs are part of the fabric of the history of the Central New York and the nation.