Independent Spirit - Thelma (Seibert) Furry
The prompt for the 51st Edition of the Carnival of Genealogy says:
Do you have a relative who was feisty, spoke their own mind, was a bit of a free spirit? Anyone who most people might consider a “nut” on the family tree but you know they really just followed a “different tune?” We all have at least one person whose character and habits may have made them seem “ahead of their time” and now is the chance to tell us their story.
Almost every person in my family, in one way or another, could be considered a bit of a nut or an odd-ball, but only one person comes to mind when I think of the terms and phrases “feisty” “spoke their own mind” “free spirit” and “ahead of their time” and that is my great-grandmother, Thelma Corrine (Seibert) Furry (b. 22 January 1910 in Louisville, Kentucky; d. 22 March 2000 in Barberton, Ohio).
Even at a young age Thelma Furry was a handful. Her parents ended up sending her away to school for a year because they couldn’t control her rebellious ways. However, not long after she came back from school, she ended up getting pregnant at the age of 16 and having a daughter at age 17.
Sometime between 1932 and 1938 she ended up having an illegal “back alley” abortion even though she was studying to become a lawyer at the time.
In 1940 she graduated from the Akron School of Law, becoming the first woman trial lawyer in Akron, Ohio.
She championed the causes of those who were not generally given a fair shot, even appealing two cases to the United States Supreme Court (and winning!) when the trial results were not satisfactory. A sampling of those types of clients she represented were those who were suspected of being Communists, African Americans, clients with HIV/AIDS, and homosexuals. Any person who was unfairly discriminated against was someone she would happily represent. In the early days of her career, she was also one of the few lawyers who would work pro-bono cases or accept unusual forms of payment. In at least one case, she accepted payment in the form of her client mowing her lawn.
She was very outspoken in her beliefs, and attracted quite a bit of attention because of it. Some of it in the form of hate mail. Here are two transcriptions of letters she received:
Thelma Furry, You lousy slut. If I were [you] I would keep my damnable pencil and mouth shut. Why if you want Communist “liberties” dont you just go where they already exist, not try to bring the curse to our good country. Our President is going to put you in “Camp” I hope. You will be lucky if some mother of soldier boys does not shoot you down like the dog you are. I may take a try at it my self if any thing happens to the sons I love so much. We like our country as it is, if you don’t just get your “mob” together and I am sure our government would be glad to give you free passage to Russia. Mother of 3 boys. May Gods curses rest on you!!!
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TRAITORS BEWARE See the old man at the corner where you buy your paper? He may have a silencer equipped pistol under his coat. That extra fountain pen in the pocket of the insurance salesman who calls on you might be a cyanide gas gun. What about your milk man? Arsenic works slow but sure. Your auto mechanic may stay up nights studying booby traps. These patriots are not going to let you take their freedom away from them. They have learned the silent knife, the strangler’s cord, the target rifle that hits sparrows at 200 yards. Traitors beware. Even now the cross hairs are on the back of your necks.
But none of this ever scared her, at least outwardly. She continued to believe in the same ideals and continued to work for those people that other lawyers wouldn’t represent. I’m not sure about it, but I imagine that when she opened these letters that she just laughed at them, especially the second letter. The fact that it called her a traitor who was trying to take away freedoms, would seem absolutely ridiculous to her. It was completely opposite from her beliefs and goals. And in regards to the first letter, she most definitely wouldn’t have wanted anything bad to happen to the woman’s sons, or any other allied man serving in World War II. The type of “Communist” that the woman spoke of was not embodied by my grandmother. Unfortunately a lot of people hear the word Communist and think of completely opposite beliefs than what my grandmother held. She was a member of the Communist party for about 15 years, but she did eventually quit the party, stating that it was only because she thought her clients would be treated unfairly by juries and judges because of her political affiliation. It seems odd to me that a judge would make a decision based on a lawyer’s affiliation, but it happened at least once to one of Thelma’s clients. Fortunately Thelma and the client were able to get another trial with a different judge.
About a year ago I was reading through Thelma’s FBI file (yep, she has a FBI file, and a HUGE one at that… somewhere around 400/500 pages!) and I found a statement of hers that contradicted another person’s. I asked my grandmother, Thelma’s daughter, if she might have lied when she gave her statement. The answer she gave: “I never heard her tell a lie in my entire life. She was the kind of person who would rather go to prison than tell a lie. Just on principle. She could be belligerent. She might not answer a question, but she wouldn’t have lied.”
In her private life she was ahead of the times as well. My mom has told me stories about how Thelma was very open about sex and would speak to her about sex if the topic came up. Apparently Thelma viewed sex as simply another natural part of life and that there was no reason to be ashamed by it. This coming from a woman of her generation was simply unheard of. I actually remember finding a couple quotes by Ayn Rand about sex and sexuality in some of Thelma’s papers. One was:
“I say that sex is one of the most important aspects of man’s life and, therefore, must never be approached lightly or casually. A sexual relationship is proper only on the ground of the highest values one can find in a human being. Sex must not be anything other than a response to values. And that is why I consider promiscuity immoral. Not because sex is evil, but because sex is too good and too important.”
To end, I think that throughout her life Thelma definitely followed “the beat of her own drum,” but I also think that she got the “tune” from her father and mother.
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This is my entry for the 51st Edition of the Carnival of Genealogy: Independent Spirit
Wow. Your great-grandmother was off the chain! What an awesome post.
[reply to this comment]
July 2nd, 2008 at 1:09 pmGreetings Amanda,
This is my first time visiting. I enjoyed your post about your great-grandmother. She certainly was an Independent Spirit!
Kathryn
[reply to this comment]
July 4th, 2008 at 2:05 pm