Person:Nora Blatch (2)

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Nora Stanton Blatch was born at Basingstoke, Hampshire, England on September 30, 1883, the daughter of British brewer William Henry Blatch and American women's rights campaigner Harriot Eaton Stanton. Her grandmother was Elizabeth Cady (Stanton) one of the founders of the American womens sufferage movement.

Childhood

One of the earliest references to Nora is in her grandmothers memoirs. In 1891 whilst visiting England she recalls that on a short vacation at Bournemouth, 'Nora, with her spade and pail, played all day in the sands, digging trenches and filling them with water'. Was this the first indication of her future career? A sister, Helen, was born in 1892 but died four years later.

Education

From 1897 Nora was educated in the United States, just spending the summers in England. A newspaper report in 1899 tells us that while attending the Horace Mann school in New York she received 'A' marks in Latin, Mathematics and Manual Training. In 1901 she entered the Arts course at Cornell University and the following year became the first woman to be accepted to the Universities Civil Engineering Course. In 1904 Nora demonstrated that she also had athletic abilities, when in a period of two weeks she swam across both Lake Seneca and Lake Cayuga in New York State. In 1906 Nora became the first female graduate civil engineer in the United States and the first woman to be admitted to the Ameican Society of Civil Engineers.

Early Career

On graduation it is reported that Nora recieved an offer from the Chinese government to become a member of the countries corps of engineers, an offer she turned down in favor of a position with the American Bridge Company. At this time the Board of Water Supply of New York City was starting the Great Aqueduct from the Catskill Mountains to New York. Only the best Civil Engineers were being accepted by examination, Noar passed easily and worked on what was called the greatest Water Project ever undertaken. Inevitably Nora became involved in the Suffrage movement.

Marriage & Divorce

On February 12, 1908 the New York Times announced 'the engagement of Miss Nora Stanton Blatch to Lee De Forest of wireless telegraph and telephone fame'. His first wife had only recently obtained a final decree of divorce. Two day later the couple were married at Greenwich, Connecticut.

Documentation

Photographs

Other pictures of Nora can be found on her passport application and in the newspaper clippings.

Three Generations c 1890

Mrs Lee De Forest

1921 Mrs. Nora Blatch Barney

1921 Mrs. Nora Blatch Barney

Census Returns

Despite extensive searches Nora does not seem to be in either the 1900 US or 1901 UK Census. Both of her parents are in the 1901 UK Census

1891 UK Census

1910 US Census

1920 US Census

1930 US Census

Naturalization

April 2, 1906 United States District Court, New York, NY

1906 Naturalization

Passport Application

Despite being an extensive traveller it was not until 1921 that Nora applied for a passport in her own name.

24 Aug 1921 Page 1

24 Aug 1921 Page 2

Passenger Manifests

1894 SS New York

1896 SS Mohawk

From her passport application we know that she spent summers in England between 1897 and 1906.

1899 SS Minominee

1905 SS Minnetonka

1908 SS Lusitania	1913 SS Minnetonka	1926 SS Andania	1927 SS Ausonia
1929 SS America	1936 SS Veendam	1948 Pan American	1952 SS Havmann

City Directories

After her marriage to Morgan Barney, Norah went into business as an Architect and Real Estate agent

1928/9 Greenwich, Connecticut, USA	1930/1 Greenwich, Connecticut, USA	1934/5 Greenwich, Connecticut, USA	1934/5 Greenwich, Connecticut, USA
1950 Greenwich, Connecticut, USA	1952 Greenwich, Connecticut, USA	1959 Greenwich, Connecticut, USA	1960 Greenwich, Connecticut, USA
1964 Greenwich, Connecticut, USA	1964 Greenwich, Connecticut, USA	1965 Greenwich, Connecticut, USA

Newspaper Clippings

As one might expect, early press interest in Nora Blatch was because of her famous mother and grandmother up until the time she graduated as the first woman civil engineer.

12 May 1899 Hornellsville Weekly Tribune	24 Sep 1902 The Indiana Democrat	05 Nov 1902 Indiana Weekly Messenger	09 Sep 1904 The Post Standard
26 Sep 1904 The Post Standard	11 May 1906 Oakland Tribune	13 Jul 1906 New Castle News	13 Jan 1907 Washington Post
08 Jun 1907 Trenton Evening Times	16 Jun 1907 Oakland Tribune	12 Jan 1908 Oakland Tribune	12 Feb 1908 New York Times
12 Feb 1908 San Antonio Light	16 Feb 1908 New York Times	23 Feb 1908 San Antonio Daily Express	26 Feb 1908 New York Times
26 Feb 1908 Washington Post	10 Mar 1909 Syracuse Herald	14 Sep 1910 Washington Post	07 May 1911 Washington Post
19 July 1911 The Daily Northwestern	20 Jul 1911 The News (Frederick, Maryland)	20 Jul 1911 Washington Post	25 Jul 1911 Trenton Evening Times
12 Nov 1915 Trenton Evening Times	22 Jan 1916 Syracuse Herald	25 Sep 1918 Syracuse Herald	15 Sep 1926 San Antonio Light

External Links

ASCE Recognizes Stanton Blatch Barney; Pioneering Civil Engineer, Suffragist Nora Still Breaking New Ground

For more information, see the EN Wikipedia article Nora Stanton Blatch Barney.

1.   Nora Stanton Blatch Barney, in Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia.
2. ↑ ^2.0 2.1 Social Security Administration. Social Security Death Index: Death Master File, database. (Alexandria, Virginia: National Technical Information Service).

   SSN:048-36-2746 issued Connecticut (1962)

3. ↑ General Register Office. England and Wales Civil Registration Indexes, Basingstoke Registration District, Quarter 4, 1883, Volume 2c, Page 190
4. ↑ This employee card from 1906-1908 documented Nora Stanton Blatch's time with the Board of Water Supply. She was a draftsman working on parts of Ashokan Reservoir at the Catskill Aqueduct.
5. ↑ ^5.0 5.1 1906 Naturalization Record
6. ↑ 1891 England Census
7. ↑ Employee Card