The Persons Case: The History That Inspired Whispers of Her Worth

Sometimes, a story begins not with a grand idea, but with a single question.

Last year, I found myself staring at a blank page and a looming deadline. My editor meeting was fast approaching, and I had yet to find my next story. Weeks passed, and still, I hadn’t the slightest idea what story I wanted to tell. Two weeks before that meeting, I grumbled to my husband, “I’ve got fourteen days to come up with an idea and somehow turn it into an outline.”

That evening, I decided to let my mind rest. I curled up on the sofa, wrapped myself in a blanket, and pressed play on Downton Abbey. For a little while, I wanted to get lost in another world.

As the theme song transported me to Highclere Castle and the lives of the Crawley family, my husband asked what year my next novel would take place. “1928 Vancouver,” I said.

Twenty minutes later he made a small sound—a thoughtful little “huh”—that, after thirty years of marriage, I’ve learned to interpret as pay attention.

“Did you know that women weren’t considered persons in 1928?” he asked.

I blinked. Surely, that couldn’t be right. Women could vote, work, even own property. How could they not be considered persons?

But he was right.

And that moment changed everything.

The Real History That Sparked Fiction

In 1927, five women—Emily Murphy, Nellie McClung, Henrietta Muir Edwards, Irene Parlby, and Louise McKinney—banded together to challenge the system that refused to see them as equals. They became known as The Famous Five, and they asked the Supreme Court of Canada one powerful question:

“Does the word ‘persons’ in the British North America Act include female persons?”

The answer was a staggering: No.
Women, according to the highest court in the country, were not legally recognized as “persons.”

Undeterred, these women appealed to the British Privy Council, Canada’s final court of appeal. Two years later, in 1929, their perseverance paid off—the Privy Council overturned the ruling, declaring that women were indeed persons under the law.

It was a monumental victory.
But more than that, it was a declaration of worth.

How That Moment Became a Novel

As I sat there processing this piece of history, my mind immediately drifted to the world I’d created inside The Hotel Hamilton Series. I could see the hallways of the grand Vancouver hotel, hear the clatter of tea trays, and feel the weight of that headline echoing through the back-of-house corridors.

How would Clara react, I wondered, to hearing that she wasn’t considered a person?
What would Louisa say—the sister who’s never been afraid to challenge anyone, anytime?

That one historical truth breathed life into Whispers of Her Worth.

The more I researched the Persons Case, the more I realized it wasn’t just a story about politics or policy. It was about identity. It was about every woman who’s ever been told she wasn’t enough, who’s been overlooked, dismissed, or forced to fight twice as hard to be seen.

And that—right there—is the thread that ties my fiction to our history.

The Fiction That Reflects the Fight

Inside the walls of The Hotel Hamilton, Clara and Louisa Wilson live at the intersection of privilege and limitation. They are bright, ambitious women navigating a world that insists they play small. When the Supreme Court ruling makes headlines, it rattles the foundation of their lives, forcing them to confront questions bigger than themselves:

What does it mean to have worth when society refuses to see it?
What happens when your voice is dismissed simply because of your gender?

Through their choices, their courage, and their quiet acts of defiance, Clara and Louisa embody the same resilience that propelled the Famous Five to fight for change.

Behind the Book: Watch the Story Come to Life

I share more about this historical moment—and the emotional spark that turned it into fiction—in my Author Notes video.

You’ll step briefly behind the pages of Whispers of Her Worth and into the history that inspired it.

🎥 Watch here:

Why This Story Still Matters

Nearly a century later, the Persons Case continues to remind us that progress is never guaranteed—it’s earned. Through every vote cast, every voice raised, and every woman who dares to claim her worth, that legacy lives on.

And that’s the heartbeat of Whispers of Her Worth.
It’s more than a story set in the past—it’s a reflection of who we are and how far we’ve come.

Step Inside The Hotel Hamilton

If you love historical fiction with resilient women, emotional depth, and the quiet strength of those who change history, I invite you to experience Whispers of Her Worth and The Hotel Hamilton Series.

Because the stories of women who fought to be seen deserve to be remembered—and retold.

Xo,

Tanya

Avid Reader I Tea Drinker I Daydreamer