Biographical Database of NAWSA Suffragists, 1890-1920
Biography of Ida Evangeline Prouty (Linn), 1889-1963
By Macy Havran
Iowa State University
Faculty Sponsor: Sarah Chase Crosby
Subject Librarian: Susan A. Vega Garcia
Iowa Equal Suffrage Association
Ida Evangeline Prouty was born in 1889 in Pella, Iowa, according to the Iowa, Marriage Records, 1880-1940. Evangeline was the daughter of Solomon F. Prouty. Growing up, Evangeline lived with her three sisters, Emelia J, Frances and Mary Prouty, along with her parents, Solomon and Ida Evelyn Prouty, as found in the Iowa. According to the 1905 Iowa Census, Prouty married Earl Smith Linn in 1915. They had a son, Frank Prouty Linn, in 1917 in Des Moines, Iowa. Evangeline Linn was an active member of the Iowa Equal Suffrage Association, along with Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and many others.
In Ida Evangeline's childhood, her father was a congressman, which allowed the family to live in apparent wealth, according to the 1900 US Federal Census. In 1905, Evangeline was a sophomore and attended West Des Moines High School, according to the school yearbook. In 1912, Ida Evangeline Prouty was a Junior at Northwestern University. In 1914, Ida Evangeline Prouty was living at 1600 Oakland in Des Moines, Iowa, and was a student at Drake University.
From the information given in History of Woman Suffrage, vol. 6, Ida Evangeline Prouty was a part of the Iowa Equal Suffrage Association, which was created to help fight for women's rights. In particular, The Adams County Free Press newsletter mentioned that Evangeline Prouty and many others were going to make an appearance at the Iowa Equal Suffrage Association in Corning on Thursday September 4, 1913. The subject of this meeting was to talk about the progress of the September automobile tour and speaking campaign. Specifically, Prouty was a part of "an automobile trip crossing the State twice, with open air meetings in thirty towns," during September of that year, as mentioned in the History of Woman Suffrage. This same source describes the officials included in the meetings and the "Des Moines newspapers['] . . . excellent publicity." Additionally, this source listed Prouty specifically as the chauffeur of Mrs. P. J Mills; thus, she may have been involved and participated in these meetings along the way as well.
Ida Evangeline Prouty had a very eventful life and was a part of the Iowa Equal Suffrage Association, which was a very important organization for women. Ida Evangeline Prouty died on July 16, 1963, in Des Moines, Iowa, and was buried in the Des Moines (Polk County), Glendale Cemetery.
Sources:
Ancestry.com. "Evangeline Prouty." 1900 US Federal Census, Des Moines, Iowa. Ancestry.com. Accessed Oct. 18, 2017. http://search.ancestry.com.
Ancestry.com. "Evangeline Prouty." Adams County Free Press. Ancestry.com. Accessed Oct. 18, 2017. http://search.ancestry.com.
Ancestry.com. "Evangeline Prouty." Glendale Cemetery Records. Ancestry.com. Accessed Oct. 18, 2017. http://search.ancestry.com.
Ancestry.com. "Evangeline Prouty." Iowa, Marriage Records, 1880-1940. Ancestry.com. Accessed Oct. 18, 2017. http://search.ancestry.com.
Ancestry.com. "Evangeline Prouty." Iowa, Marriage Records, December 1915. Ancestry.com. Accessed Oct. 18, 2017. http://search.ancestry.com.
Ancestry.com. "Evangeline Prouty." Iowa, State Census Collection, 1836-1925. Ancestry.com. Accessed Oct. 18, 2017. http://search.ancestry.com.
Ancestry.com. "Evangeline Prouty." U.S. City Directories, 1822-1955. Ancestry.com. Accessed Oct. 18, 2017. http://search.ancestry.com.
Ancestry.com. "Evangeline Prouty."U.S., School Yearbooks 1880-2013. Ancestry.com. Accessed Oct. 18, 2017. http://search.ancestry.com.
Ancestry.com. "Evangeline Prouty." West Des Moines School Yearbook, 1905. Ancestry.com. Accessed Oct. 18, 2017. http://search.ancestry.com.
Ancestry.com. "Ida Evangeline Prouty." Iowa, Delayed Birth Records, 1859-1940. Ancestry.com. Accessed Oct. 18, 2017. http://search.ancestry.com.
Anthony, Susan B., et al. History of Woman Suffrage, Vol 6. [LINK]
1905 IA State Census. MyHeritage. Accessed September 25, 2017. https://www.myheritage.com/names/evangeline_prouty.