“Among our list of quarry owners and operators will be found probably several score names of women who either manage the office work of a quarry business or are directors of quarrying companies. There are a few who are the active, practical managers and superintendents in quarrying operations. Strangely, the class of quarrywomen, who figuratively speaking, put boots on, descend into the pit and boss the job of producing stone, so far as we have heard them, have taken up the task that an afflicted husband was forced to relinquish, thus demonstrating themselves worthy helpmates and wise counselors.

“It is our pleasure to introduce to the fraternity of quarry owners a woman who has achieved much more than an ordinary measure of success in the field of quarrying and contracting, and who has displayed remarkable ability in the conduct of large business enterprises - remarkable, because of the nature of the business itself, which is commonly admitted as not of the class best fitted for women to engage in.

“Mrs. J. M. Faulkner personally manages the Oneida stone quarries, located a few miles from Oneida, N.Y. Mrs. Faulkner’s maiden name was Cora L. Hess, and she was graduated from Whitestown Seminary, Whitestown, N.Y. Her father, Hon. Archibald Hess, was well known in western New York, both as a politician and business man. He was one of the largest land owners of that section, and forty-five years ago furnished stone for the Erie canal work from a quarry on his farm. It is this quarry which his daughter now manages. When extensive improvements on the Erie canal were recently decided, on Mr. Faulkner, who was a contractor, prepared to put in a bid for the stone required. When the contracts were let he was sick with typhoid fever. His wife,* the subject of our sketch, had kept track of the matter and succeeded in getting the contract for furnishing stone for nine miles of the improvement. With four quarrymen she started the work of stripping or removing the dirt in order to get at the stone required. In two weeks she had forty men in the pit and fourteen teams, and at the end of the third week the list swelled to seventy men and twenty-five teams. During all this time Mrs. Faulkner personally supervised her force of men, working from 7 in the morning until 6 at night. At present time the quarry is open for a distance of 300 feet long and 85 feet wide, with a face of 15 feet.

(* I believe this “wife” should have been “daughter.”)

“Mrs. Faulkner is a most remarkable business woman, and when questioned as to the work she said she was just in her element when the weather was fine and the work was being pushed to the utmost. When asked if the work tired her she smiled and said: ‘No, I am never tired, and do not know what it is to have an ache or a pain, and if more women would occupy themselves with real serious work there would be less grumbling and less unhappiness in the world.’

“Added to the responsibility of working the quarry is the care of two large boarding houses, where the quarrymen are accommodated. Many of the teamsters keep their horses on the farm, which also requires added attention. Mrs. Faulkner has had entire charge of the men, and depends upon herself alone. She has superintended the entire work of hiring and discharging the men according to her judgment, and has throughout exhibited rare ability and excellent foresight. A few weeks since she made application for a charter to construct a railway from the quarries to the canal, nearly two miles distant. She has also recently contracted with a prominent asphalt paving company, which has a contract for a section of the canal improvement, to furnish 30,000 cubic yards of stone.”

* * * * * * *

The following article is from The New York Times published on April 16, 1886, pp. 1. (While the name of Cora L. Faulkner, daughter of ex-Assemblyman Hess, of Oneida matches the name of the subject in the above article, there is a discrepancy in the name of her husband. The above article states Cora’s husband’s name was “J.M. Faulkner.”)

“Mrs. Faulkner Gets A Divorce.

Syracuse, N.Y., April 15. - Mrs. Cora L. Faulkner, daughter of ex-Assemblyman Hess, of Oneida, was to-day granted a divorce from her husband, Samuel Faulkner, by Justice Kennedy, of this city. The suit has been pending for two years, and the proceedings have been watched with great interest all over Central New-York. With the divorce is granted the custody of the two children, one of whom Mr. Faulkner once attempted to carry away by force.”

 

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