CORTLAND, NY (CortacaToday) — It is no secret that Cortland County is teeming with important history. Chock full of historical sites and stories, the county never lacks something new to learn. Plenty of notable figures have origins here, including many women who made strides in their respective fields. Amelia Jenks Bloomer, Adelaide Hawley Cumming, and Sarah E. Beard are among these women, and have left a lasting impact on Cortland County as well as the nation itself.  Thanks to ExperienceCortland, we were able to compile short profiles for these historic women.

Amelia Jenks Bloomer of Homer, New York was a suffragist and advocate for women’s rights, and specifically fought for women’s dress reform. Born in 1818, her plight was one that caused controversy from men and women alike. Believing long dresses to not only pose a safety hazard to women but to also be rather inconvenient, she wore trousers for many years and advocated for other women to be able to do the same. If you’ve ever wondered where the phrase “bloomers” comes from in reference to women’s pants, now you know: Amelia Jenks Bloomer fought so hard and defied convention with such dedication that women’s trousers became known as “bloomers” after her last name.  

Courtesy of Seneca Falls Historical Society and Experience Cortland

In 1848, she went to the Seneca Falls Women’s Rights Convention and started a newspaper called The Lily the following year, a publication dedicated to women. Though she had to end up selling the paper due to her and her husband relocating, she continued her advocacy and hard work in both women’s rights and the temperance movement up until her death in 1894.   

Adelaide Hawley Cumming, known as “America’s First Lady of Food”, was born in Willet, New York in 1905. One of the faces (and voices) of Betty Crocker, she sold pancake mix in the 1950s and 60s for General Mills. She studied voice and piano at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York, and was the host of the “Adelaide Hawley Program” when General Mills recruited her in 1949 to be the first and only persona of Betty Crocker on television.  

Courtesy of Cortland County Historical Society and Experience Cortland

Hosting the “Betty Crocker Show” on CBS and the “Betty Crocker Star Matinee” on ABC, Cumming was described as “the second most recognizable woman, next to Eleanor Roosevelt” by General Mills spokesperson Jack Sheehan. Being the only portrayal of Betty Crocker that was televised, she was certainly a standout among other women who personified the brand. 

Sarah E. Beard, born in Homer, New York in 1921, covered significant ground in her career as a flight nurse in the United States Air Force. Beard graduated from Homer Academy and High School in 1938, and then went on to receive a Bachelor of Science degree from the State College for Teachers in Albany in 1942. Five years later, she graduated from Peter Bent Brigham Nursing College. Before serving in the Air Force, Beard was a clinical instructor and nursing supervisor at Keuka College.  

Courtesy of Space Medicine Association and Experience Cortland

In 1951, her impactful career in the Air Force started, and she worked at various locations, including the Langley Air Force Base Hospital, Brookley Air Force Base, and Gunter Annex. She made her mark on the Air Force, researching decompression sickness and publishing works such as “Comparison of Helium and Nitrogen in Production of Bends in Simulating Orbital Fights” and “The Evolution of the Physician’s Assistant: Brownian Movement or Coordinated Progress“. Not only did her research and dedication earn her a position as command nurse, but she also went on to claim the spot of special assistant in Health Manpower at the Pentagon. 

To learn more about these women and Cortland history, be sure to check out ExperienceCortland.