Adeline Warfield was born in 1833 and raised in the farming country of Franklin County, Massachusetts. She was 17 years old when the first National Woman's Rights Convention was held nearby in Worcester. The convention speakers told the young women of Massachusetts and of the nation “to be individuals and be all that they are capable of”. Possibly inspired by this social movement that challenged the view of the traditional roles of women, she along with her brother and his wife, left Massachusetts and traveled westward in the early 1850’s dreaming of a new life in the frontier.
The Warfields settled in the Creek Nation, a Native American territory in what is now Oklahoma, where her brother worked as an Indian trader. When the American Civil War started in 1861, Adeline was married to Simon Harker, her brother's business partner, and was raising their two young children and helping operate at least two trading posts. Unfortunately, the Civil War split the Indian Nation apart, and terrible violence ensued between the different tribes. Seeking safety, Adeline, Simon, and their two children left the Indian Territory and resettled in the rapidly growing territory of Colorado.
![]() Adeline was only 31 years old but was a seasoned pioneer woman when her husband died. She was able to harness and ride horses and manage a cattle ranch. Demonstrating great courage, she decided to stay on her ranch and rebuild. Needing full time help, she hired a former gold miner named Elliot Hornbek to work on the ranch. In 1866, she married Elliot and her fourth child was born in 1870. Unfortunately, the marriage didn't last and he abandoned Adeline and her family a few years later. ![]() ![]() In 1893, Adeline and other women voted legally for the first time in Colorado. Historians argue that women of the frontier, like Ms. Hornbek, proved they had earned their right to vote. It was not a coincidence that states like Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming were the first to recognize the equality of men and women. Twenty-seven years later, the 19th Amendment gave many women in the United States the right to vote. Click Here to learn more about Adeline Hornbek's Homestead |
Last updated: August 15, 2022