Talk:Victoria Woodhull

ran for president?

The 1872 US presidential election had Ulysses S. Grant who won against the candidate Horace Greeley, and the article says she ran for president? DiamondCat22 (talk) 14:43, 23 October 2025 (UTC)

See 1872 United States presidential election#Equal Rights Party. A. Randomdude0000 (talk) 16:34, 23 October 2025 (UTC)

oh. DiamondCat22 (talk) 16:55, 23 October 2025 (UTC)

Proposal to revise the section on the alleged gristmill fire

Recent examination of county-level records in Knox and Portage Counties has clarified several factual points about the 1846 fire at Buckman Claflin’s grist and saw mills in Homer, Licking County, Ohio. These records include the case Buckman Claflin for the use of Henry B. Curtis v. The Portage County Mutual Fire Insurance Company (filed 1846; decided 1848).

The documents establish the following verifiable facts:

• The fire occurred on June 13, 1846 in Homer.
• Although the insurance company raised allegations of negligence and later arson, the Portage County Court of Common Pleas awarded $4,819.76 for the loss of the mills in October 1848. The judgment was paid to the assignee of the insurance policy who was Claflin's mortgage lender, Henry B. Curtis of Mt. Vernon, Ohio.
• The 1850 U.S. Census shows the Claflin family still living in Homer four years after the fire.
• Property records show Claflin sold his Homer mill property in August 1852.

All of the Woodhull biographers repeat an arson allegation, both with and without dates. Underhill places it in 1853, Goldsmith in January 1847, and Gabriel's narrative implies 1849 or later based on Woodhull's age. These dates are inconsistent with the primary record. Per WP:V and WP:PRIMARY, primary sources may be used to verify straightforward factual claims such as dates, verdicts, and amounts. Because the court record directly contradicts the arson narrative, I propose revising the article so that the arson allegation is either:

Option A—Attributed to biographers

County records show that Buckman Claflin’s grist and saw mills in Homer, Licking County, Ohio, burned on June 13, 1846. The Portage County Mutual Fire Insurance Company raised allegations of negligence and later arson during the civil proceedings, but in October 1848 the Portage County Court of Common Pleas awarded $4,819.76 to Claflin’s mortgage lender, Henry B. Curtis, who held the insurance policy as assignee.

Several later biographers repeat an arson allegation, though they disagree about when the alleged event occurred: Underhill places it in 1853, Goldsmith in January 1847, and Gabriel’s narrative implies 1849 or later based on Woodhull’s age. These dates do not match the documented 1846 fire or the 1848 verdict in Claflin’s favor for the use of Henry B. Curtis.

Option B —Replace the undocumented narratives with the documented legal outcome

County records document a fire at Buckman Claflin’s grist and saw mills in Homer, Licking County, Ohio, on June 13, 1846. During the subsequent civil case, the Portage County Mutual Fire Insurance Company raised allegations of negligence and later arson, but in October 1848 the Portage County Court of Common Pleas awarded $4,819.76 payable to Claflin’s mortgage lender, Henry B. Curtis, who held the insurance policy as assignee. No criminal charges were filed, and census and property records show that the Claflin family remained in Homer until 1852.

Neither option would constitute original research, as they rely solely on verifiable primary documents without a new interpretation. It simply aligns the article with the established record. While the Portage County records showing the date of the fire aren't digitized, the Knox County records where Buckman Claflin sued Henry B. Curtis are available on Family Search.

I welcome input from other editors on the best way to incorporate these facts while adhering to Wikipedia’s sourcing policies. Woodhull (talk) 23:14, 30 June 2026 (UTC)