Emma Curtiss was born in
Sheffield, Massachusetts, April 20, 1828. She was the second daughter of Owen Curtiss, and through her mother, Caroline Standish Owen, a direct descendant of
Myles Standish. Her early education occurred at the Great Barrington Academy,
Great Barrington, Massachusetts, at Pittsfield Institute, Massachusetts, and at
Patapsco Female Institute,
Maryland. She became a teacher first in
Kinderhook Academy, and later in Stratford Academy,
Connecticut. She was a charter member of the Association for the Advancement of Woman and for many years was an officer of its board. She was secretary of the
Great Lakes Exposition's Woman's Centennial Commission for the State of
Wisconsin. She was active in the
Woman's Christian Temperance Union almost from its first organization. In 1856, she was married to
John Bascom, at that time professor in
Williams College. For years, her husband was unable to see, and she had to assist him with his studies and render him daily assistance in reading and writing. She was the mother of five children, including George (b. 1857), Jean (b. 1859), Emma (b. 1861),
Florence (1862–1945), and Mabel (b. 1867). She died in 1916. ==References==