In the years when Globeville was an independent town, Emma J. and her husband John H. Webber were well-known in the community. John served as the town clerk for four years from 1898 to 1901, and on the school board in 1902. Emma was an election judge in 1898 and postmistress until 1900. According to the Denver City Directory, John's full-time employment was as a tinner at the nearby Eaton-Ritchell Company.
But it's Emma who captured my attention. The Rocky Mountain News of December 7, 1893 describes a meeting of the Globeville Suffrage League held in the Webber home at 639 Watervliet. "The league is in flourishing condition, enrolling twenty-five new members." A month earlier, women had won the right to vote in local elections in Colorado and were eager to participate.
Another meeting of the league was held in the Webber home on April 1, 1894. The Rocky Mountain News reports, "The parlor was filled to overflowing ... much interest was shown in the coming election. After carefully considering the merits of the respective candidates, the league decided to support the Citizen's ticket.
The women of Globeville used their vote to improve the lives of women and children. They campaigned for an end to child labor, and for compulsory education for all children between the ages of eight and eighteen. Their achievements included requiring signatures of both husband and wife on mortgages, valid wills for married women, and assurance that women had the right to own property regardless of their marital status. They also worked to establish a minimum wage.
Not everyone was pleased with Emma's success. The Rocky Mountain News of September 19, 1905 carries the story of Emma and John's home at 639 Watervliet being destroyed by an arson fire in the early hours of the morning. There was speculation that the perpetrator may have been the same arsonist who had set fire to the home of labor organizer, Maximillian Malich in September 1903.
The Webbers moved away from Globeville to a house at 2615 Federal Boulevard. Emma died in October of 1916 at age 64 and John in May of 1925 at the age of 75. A daughter who died in 1886 lies in the same plot: Block 21, Lot 112.
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