Ralph Waldo Emerson termed her "the flea of conventions" for her habit of insisting on a woman's right to speak, which would derail abolitionist and other conferences. "She was always in the way at these gatherings, never content to have her own word and subside, but persistent in interrupting other speakers, to the irritation and annoyance of the most forbearing and mild-natured of people," according to a Boston Commonwealth obituary notice.
Emerson nicknamed her "the flea of conventions" because she consistently challenged the status quo by pushing for women's freedom of speech at gatherings, frequently causing disruptions that annoyed even the most tolerant attendees. According to a Boston Commonwealth obituary notice, she was notorious for cutting in on other speakers.