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Spelling Of Seraph Young's Name Corrected On Her Headstone In Arlington National Cemetery

Better Days 2020.

  

Utahn Seraph Young was the first woman in the United States to vote under an equal suffrage law and for over 80 years, her name has been misspelled on her headstone in Arlington National Cemetery.

“Yesterday’s celebration and ceremony was the culmination of those efforts over the last year to make it official. And not only unveil the correct gravestone, but also honor Seraph," Rebekah Clark said.

Clark is the research assistant for Better Days 2020, a group working to popularize Utah women’s history. While researching important women in Utah history, Clark learned Seraph Young’s name was misspelled on her headstone in Arlington National Cemetery.

“It also reveals there was this huge mistake that she was such an important person in history, and she had slipped into obscurity," she said.

Last year, the historical director at Better Days, Katherine Kitterman, made a request to correct the misspelling. It was granted and on Tuesday, Kitterman, Gov. Gary Herbert and Senator Deidre Henderson, along with some White House Staff and some of Young’s descendants, participated in a wreath laying ceremony in D.C. to honor Young and celebrate the change. 

In addition to the correction, Young’s grave is now listed among significant graves in the cemetery and information about who she was is available for visitors to read. 

Kitterman said she is so happy others can finally learn from Seraph’s example of being a good citizen who fulfills their civic duty. 

“Just going about your day, fulfilling your civic duty, those small choices you make every day really do add up to something, and they really do matter," she said.