Advertisement

Utica Vantitia “Utie” <I>Claflin</I> Brooker

Advertisement

Utica Vantitia “Utie” Claflin Brooker

Birth
Homer, Licking County, Ohio, USA
Death
9 Jul 1873 (aged 30–31)
New York, New York County, New York, USA
Burial
Brooklyn, Kings County, New York, USA Add to Map
Plot
Section 174, Lot 21493
Memorial ID
View Source
The Claflin genealogy says she was born in 1843 but she was 31 years old when she died according to her family in 1873. She was supposedly 3 years younger than her sister who was born in 1838. Based on dates provided in newspaper accounts and records, her birth year could have been anywhere from 1840 to 1843. Biographer Lois Beachy Underhill says she was born in 1841. An alternate spelling for her middle name is Vanticia.

The name of her first husband doesn't appear in the Claflin genealogy and the first name of her second husband doesn't appear either. His last name is given incorrectly as Booker. She appears in a number of articles under her correct name of Utie Brooker.

According to her obituary, her husband was Thomas Brooker. The Chicago Tribune reported the Nov. 28, 1866 marriage of "Mr. THOS. H.B. BROOKER, of Quincy, and Mrs. UTIE V. KELLEY of Chicago." Since Utica was known to have been married twice and to have lived in Chicago, the announcement of the marriage must be hers. The first name of her husband Mr. Kelley is currently unknown.

Utica was an actress in San Francisco. She also solicited subscriptions for her sisters' newspaper, Woodhull & Claflin's Weekly.

Jesse Grant, father of President Ulysses S. Grant, wrote a poem about her and her two suffragist sisters published in 1871 that included the lines:
"Vic, Tennie and Utie--
Wit genius and beauty--
All three born to the Buckeye State--
With your marvelous ambition,
You will rise to position
And vie with Ulysses the Great.

"Ulysses the Tanner,
Whose name's on the banner--
Vic your name is destined to be there."

She was described by a reporter as "a handsome woman, a little below the average stature, but not exactly petite, with a cheery complexion, mild beaming eyes, soft, light hair rather short and inclined to curl, and a face which, while it was piquant, was full of intellectuality. Her movements were agile, and her temperament of the highly nervous order."

When asked about her sister's run for President, she replied, "Well, I believe she will carry New York State; I do indeed. But then she is only a candidate in order to set the women of the country an example and give them to understand that there is no use in standing back and talking all the while."

She died at 6 E. 34th Street. Her obituary says she died on July 9, but her death certificate says she died on July 10. According to the New York Tribune she died at 11:30 pm on the 9th.

There are no children mentioned in accounts of her death. She has no known descendants.
The Claflin genealogy says she was born in 1843 but she was 31 years old when she died according to her family in 1873. She was supposedly 3 years younger than her sister who was born in 1838. Based on dates provided in newspaper accounts and records, her birth year could have been anywhere from 1840 to 1843. Biographer Lois Beachy Underhill says she was born in 1841. An alternate spelling for her middle name is Vanticia.

The name of her first husband doesn't appear in the Claflin genealogy and the first name of her second husband doesn't appear either. His last name is given incorrectly as Booker. She appears in a number of articles under her correct name of Utie Brooker.

According to her obituary, her husband was Thomas Brooker. The Chicago Tribune reported the Nov. 28, 1866 marriage of "Mr. THOS. H.B. BROOKER, of Quincy, and Mrs. UTIE V. KELLEY of Chicago." Since Utica was known to have been married twice and to have lived in Chicago, the announcement of the marriage must be hers. The first name of her husband Mr. Kelley is currently unknown.

Utica was an actress in San Francisco. She also solicited subscriptions for her sisters' newspaper, Woodhull & Claflin's Weekly.

Jesse Grant, father of President Ulysses S. Grant, wrote a poem about her and her two suffragist sisters published in 1871 that included the lines:
"Vic, Tennie and Utie--
Wit genius and beauty--
All three born to the Buckeye State--
With your marvelous ambition,
You will rise to position
And vie with Ulysses the Great.

"Ulysses the Tanner,
Whose name's on the banner--
Vic your name is destined to be there."

She was described by a reporter as "a handsome woman, a little below the average stature, but not exactly petite, with a cheery complexion, mild beaming eyes, soft, light hair rather short and inclined to curl, and a face which, while it was piquant, was full of intellectuality. Her movements were agile, and her temperament of the highly nervous order."

When asked about her sister's run for President, she replied, "Well, I believe she will carry New York State; I do indeed. But then she is only a candidate in order to set the women of the country an example and give them to understand that there is no use in standing back and talking all the while."

She died at 6 E. 34th Street. Her obituary says she died on July 9, but her death certificate says she died on July 10. According to the New York Tribune she died at 11:30 pm on the 9th.

There are no children mentioned in accounts of her death. She has no known descendants.

Gravesite Details

Unmarked grave



Advertisement

See more Brooker or Claflin memorials in:

Flower Delivery Sponsor and Remove Ads

Advertisement