Ann Elizabeth Bills photograph and news clipping

Collection

Identifier: Org. Lot 1461

Digitized version of photograph

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Scope and Contents

Collection consists of one black and white photograph and one newspaper clipping related to Ann Elizabeth Bills. The photograph depicts Bills standing in the garden of her home at NW 16th and Flanders Street in Portland, Oregon. It was taken in approximately 1896. The newspaper clipping features an article about Bills registering to vote for the first time after women earned the right to vote in Oregon. The article was published in the Morning Oregonian on April 13, 1913.

Dates

Creation: 1896, 1913

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

Materials in this collection are in the public domain.

Biographical Note

Ann Elizabeth Adkins was born in Covington, Indiana, in 1829. She married Cincinnatus "Cincinnati" Bills in 1850. The couple moved to Portland, Oregon, in 1853. Ann Elizabeth Bills sewed what is believed to be the first American flag flown in Portland after Oregon statehood. The flag first flew during July 4th celebrations in 1861. Ann Elizabeth Bills died in Portland in 1916.

Sources: Vital records from Ancestry.com; "Flag Made at Need," (Portland) Sunday Oregonian, July, 4, 1909.

Full Extent

0.1 Cubic Feet (1 folder in shared box)

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

Collection consists of a black and white photograph of Ann Elizabeth Bills taken in approximately 1896 and a clipping from the April 13, 1913 edition of the (Portland) Morning Oregonian about Bills registering to vote. Bills sewed what is believed to be the first American flag flown in Portland after Oregon statehood.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Gift of Amaya Taina, March 2026 (RL2026-041).

Existence and Location of Copies

Photograph is viewable online in OHS Digital Collections.

Related Materials

Additional photographs of Ann Elizabeth Bills and Cincinnati Bills are part of the Cartes-de-Visite collection, Org. Lot 500, and are viewable online in OHS Digital Collections at https://digitalcollections.ohs.org/bills-ann-elizabeth-adkins and https://digitalcollections.ohs.org/bills-cincinnati-2.

Related Materials

The American flag sewn by Ann Elizabeth Bills is held in the Oregon Historical Society museum collection, object ID 61-133, and is viewable online in the museum portal at https://museumcollection.ohs.org/argus/ohs/Portal/portal.aspx?component=AAAI