Partner Elizabeth Hopkinson

Queer Places:
Three Springs Farm, 211 Conestoga Rd, Malvern, PA 19355, USA
West Laurel Hill Cemetery, 225 Belmont Ave, Bala Cynwyd, PA 19004, United States

Leona Huntzinger (February 3, 1881 - August 13, 1937) was born on February 3, 1881, in Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania, to her father, Edward E. Huntzinger. As a young adult, she entered the workforce in Philadelphia's lace mills, where she met Elizabeth Hopkinson. Their relationship quickly deepened into a lifelong bond as close friends and companions. Huntzinger eventually moved into the Hopkinson home as a boarder, effectively becoming an integral part of the family dynamic. Together, the two women spent over fifteen years working in the textile industry before shifting their focus to political activism.

Huntzinger's formal labor activism began in 1915 when the Pennsylvania Woman Suffrage Organization hired her as a suffrage organizer to represent working women. Seeking new opportunities and independence, Huntzinger and Hopkinson departed for Chicago in May 1916. There, they took employment as housekeepers and resided in a boarding house alongside other domestic workers. Their time in the Midwest was brief, as the New York State Suffrage Association soon offered them positions as suffrage speakers. To facilitate their new roles, the pair purchased a Ford automobile, converting it into a mobile living space to save money. In June 1917, they embarked on a six-month speaking tour across New York State, delivering speeches from the back seat of their car by day and folding the seats down to sleep by night, remaining undeterred by public taunts regarding their non-traditional lifestyle.

Following their activist tours, Huntzinger and Hopkinson transitioned from political organizing to agricultural life by purchasing Three Springs Farm in Bacton, located within East Whiteland Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania. Establishing a unique chosen family outside traditional societal expectations, the couple took in four young boys between the ages of 7 and 13 by 1930. These children, likely placed through an organization such as the Children’s Aid Society, lived and worked with the couple on the farm. Huntzinger remained on the farm until her death on August 13, 1937, at the age of 56. Demonstrating the permanent nature of their partnership, Huntzinger left her entire estate, including Three Springs Farm, to Hopkinson. She was buried at West Laurel Hill Cemetery in Bala Cynwyd, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania.

References:

Public Faces, Secret Lives by Wendy L. Rouse

Other references:

• Moravec, Michelle Katherine Pettine, and Hope Smalley. "Stunts and Sensationalism: The Pennsylvania Progressive-Era Campaign for Women's Suffrage." Pennsylvania History: A Journal of Mid-Atlantic Studies 87, no. 4 (Autumn 2020): 631–656.
• Rouse, Wendy. "Leona Huntzinger." OutHistory (Exhibit: The Queer History of Women's Suffrage: Scholarship and Censorship).
• Rouse, Wendy. "(Annie) Elizabeth Hopkinson." OutHistory.
• Sheffey, Christian. "Biographical Sketch of Leona Huntzinger." Online Encyclopedia of Women's Suffrage in the United States, Alexander Street / Alexander Street Press.
• The Philadelphia Inquirer (May 16, 1913, p. 18) – Interview regarding labor reforms and the Walnut Bill.
• Altoona Mirror (September 13, 1915, p. 9) – Report on Huntzinger's public suffrage speaking engagements.
• Harrisburg Daily Independent (May 22, 1916, p. 4) – Coverage of suffrage organizing activities.
• Binghamton Press and Sun-Bulletin (October 2, 1917, p. 7) – Coverage of the Industrial Section of the New York State Woman Suffrage Party tour.
• Pennsylvania Department of Health, Certificate of Death for Leona Huntzinger (August 13, 1937, East Whiteland Township, Chester County).
• United States Federal Census Records (1930) – East Whiteland Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania (Three Springs Farm household documentation).
• Find a Grave / Cemetery Records – West Laurel Hill Cemetery, Bala Cynwyd, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania.

Support this project
This website is a passion project researched, developed, and funded entirely by me. If you find the content valuable and would like to help support the ongoing research and hosting costs, any contribution is deeply appreciated.
Thank you for keeping this independent resource alive!

My books on Amazon: Elisa Rolle's books

BACK TO HOME PAGE