Fifteen women voted in Lombard nearly three decades before the 19th Amendment gave women that right, and on Oct. 24, volunteers at the historic Lombard Cemetery brought their story back to life.

Lombard Historical Society volunteers Kathleen Meyer and Katie Tumavich led a cemetery walk on Main Street, stopping at the grave of Alice Claflin Rand (1862–1951), The Lombardian reported. Rand was one of 14 women who followed attorney Ellen Martin to the polls on April 6, 1891. Rand's mother, Henrietta V. Meader Rand, and aunt, Mary Meader Patterson, were also among the group, the volunteers said.

The story starts with Martin, a Chicago attorney who lived on West Maple Street in Lombard with her law partner, Mary F. Perry. Martin had graduated from the University of Michigan in 1875 and was admitted to the Illinois Bar in January 1876, according to the Lombard Historical Society.

Despite their legal training, women lawyers at the time could not argue cases in court because they were not recognized as voters.

Martin spotted an opening. Lombard's town charter did not specify "male" voters. Instead, it described eligible voters as "citizens" above the age of 21, according to the historical society. Martin walked into the polling place, a corner of the local general store, carrying a heavy law book under one arm and a gripsack in the other.

The three election judges were stunned. According to the Illinois Supreme Court's historical account, one judge fell backward into a flour barrel. The historical society's account names the judges as T.H. Vance, Ed Reber and Fred Marquardt, and reports that Marquardt had a spasm while Reber leaned against the wall in disbelief.

A debate followed. Two of the three judges, Vance and Reber, allowed the votes to stand, according to the historical society. Marquardt contacted County Judge George W. Brown of Wheaton to contest the women's ballots. The full legal resolution is not clearly stated in available records, though the historical society describes the outcome as confirming the women had "held the fort."

Only three of the 14 women who voted that day lived to see the 19th Amendment ratified on Aug. 18, 1920, according to the historical society.

The 1891 vote had broader consequences. That same year, the Illinois legislature passed a law allowing women to vote in school elections, according to the Illinois Supreme Court's account. In 1913, Illinois became the first state east of the Mississippi River to let women vote in presidential elections.

The Village of Lombard designated April 6 as "Ellen Martin Day" in 2008. In 2020, the historical society, the Pomeroy Foundation and the Lombard Historic Preservation Commission dedicated a historic marker honoring Martin and the 14 women who voted.

The cemetery itself dates to 1851, when it served as a burial plot for the community then known as Babcock's Grove. After the Village of Lombard deemed the property abandoned, the historical society and the Historic Preservation Commission led a restoration effort with help from the Lombard Park District, the Lombard Garden Club and local volunteers. The cemetery received landmark status in 2011, according to the historical society's cemetery page.

Lombard Historical Society Executive Director Alison Costanzo said the historical society and the Historic Preservation Commission help maintain the cemetery's upkeep with help from volunteer groups. The cemetery is guarded by the Lombard Cemetery Citizens Committee, which includes VFW Lilac Lodge #5815, and maintenance is funded through the Historic Preservation Commission's budget.