Tennessee Claflin
| Tennessee Celeste Claflin | |
|---|---|
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| Born |
October 26, 1844 Homer, Ohio, United States |
| Died | January 18, 1923 (aged 78) England |
| Other names | Tennie |
| Title | Lady Cook, Viscountess of Montserrat |
| Relatives | Victoria Woodhull |
| Signature | |
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Tennessee Celeste Claflin (October 26, 1844 – January 18, 1923), also known as Tennie C., was an American suffragist best known as the first woman, along with her sister Victoria Woodhull, to open a Wall Street brokerage firm.
Tennessee Claflin's exact birth date in unclear, but she is generally reported to have been born between 1843 and 1846. Biographer Myrna MacPherson cites Claflin's date of birth as October 26, 1845, while journalist Barbara Goldsmith cites a birth year of 1846. It is clear however, that Tennessee Claflin was the last of ten children born to Roxanna Hummel Claflin and Reuben Buckman Claflin in Homer, Licking County, Ohio. Tennessee was named after the state either because her parents visited the state or because her father was a fan of form Tennessean senator James Polk. Elder sister, Victoria Claflin Woodhull was born in 1838.
Reuben Buckman Claflin, known as "Buck," was a snake oil salesman who posed as a doctor. He had some legal training and sometimes presented himself as a lawyer. His work experiences included ferrying timber down the Susquehanna River and working in a saloon.
He came from an impoverished branch of the Massachusetts-based Scots-American Claflin family, semi-distant cousins to Governor William Claflin.
In December 1825, Buck Claflin married Roxanna Hummel. The couple met in Selisgrove, Pennsylvania when Buck was a guest at the house where Roxanna worked as a maid.
Roxanna has been identified at various times as the niece of a prosperous saloon owner and as the illegitimate daughter of a maid. She spoke with a German accent.
The Claflin children grew up in poverty. Neighbors remembered them as wild, dirty, and hungry. Buck was an abusive father who regularly beat his children without provocation. One son, Malden, ran away at age 13 and was never heard from again.
Inspired by the success of the Fox Sisters, Buck began advertising Tennessee and Victoria as mediums around 1852. The girls soon became the family's main breadwinners.
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