USA > New York > Yates County > History of Yates County, N.Y. : with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of the prominent men and pioneers > Part 21
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63
Other teachers who have served in the academy acceptably, and have generally gone from Penn Yan to fill higher places, have been Richard Green, Sherman Morse, Robert P. Bush, James P. Harrington, Charles B. Shaw, Fred S. Armstrong, George E. Draper, Alson D. Chapman, Berlin H. Wright, Frank D. Van Deventer, Samuel Cornell, William H. Hermans, Fred W. Palmer, William F. Van Tuyl, and John W. Stewart.
Among the important and acceptable lady teachers of the academy have been Harriet L. Porter (now the wife of E. W. Mills), L. Belinda Porter, Sophia Travis (now the wife of our distinguished fellow citizen and institute conductor, Prof. Henry R. Sanford), Ceresa Sloan, Louise Bannister (now Mrs. Steven B. Ayres), Harriet Gleason (now Mis. Peleg Gardner), Susan A. Longwell, Augusta M. Jones (now the wife of R. G. Kinner), Anna B. Delano, Annette Swarthout, Mrs. J. S. Reed, Laretta A. Ludlow, Mrs. Laura L. Woodward (wife of Dr. C. W. Wood- ward), Mrs. Sarah M. Butterfield, Mary B. Emory (now the wife of F. W. Steelman), Mrs. Sarah E. C. Thompson (now the wife of E. C. Kel- sey), Sarah E. Kelsey (now the wife of Charles Stark), Lizzie B. Teall, Minnie I. Miller (now the wife of Henry W. Shearman), Libbie I. Coates, Helen W. Stark, Oda B. Bennett (now the wife of M. A. Leary, esq.), Mrs. C. W. Coffin, Mary A. Bennett, Abigail K. Wolcott (who occupies at present a position in the high school at Milwaukee, Wis., and is re- garded as a teacher of great merit), Emma Wolcott (wife of Martin C. Stark), Sarah Hammond (wife of Morris F. Sheppard), Alice L. Patchin, Libbie W. Crane, Helen L. Whitaker (now the wife of Albert Brigden), Fannie J. Fraser, Della J. Waite (wife of John R. Clark), Kate M. Wick- off (now Mrs. James W. Russell), Theresa C. Hendrick, Helen C. Sav-
220
HISTORY OF YATES COUNTY.
age, Nellie St. John (now the wife of Clinton W. Brooks), and Mrs. Susan Jones (widow of Joseph Jones). Nearly all these are entitled to especial mention as competent and faithful instructors, well deserving the love of the scholars and the commendation of the Board of Educa- tion and patrons of the school.
The teachers in the Penn Yan Union School District in 1892 are as follows: F. Theodore Shultz, A.M., principal, English classics, German, Latin ; Estella Mullholland, preceptress, French, Latin, and Greek lan- guages ; Edwin S. Parsons, mathematics, history ; Minnie E. Heermans, higher mathematics, natural sciences; Laura E. McDowell, principal of preparatory department ; Cornelia M. Morrell, arithmetic, reading, methods of teaching ; Maria Hammond, arithmetic, geography, reading; Mrs. Ella R. Walters, rhetoric, history and English literature; Mrs. Jen- nie W. Miller, principal of intermediate department; Alice Griggs, geography, reading, arithmetic, language lessons; Mary Bridgman, geography, reading, language lessons. Primary department. - Head street : Carrie I. Warfield, principal, and Sara J. Griffith. Maiden Lane : Mrs. Kate M. Russell, principal, Margaret Koehler, and M. Agnes Tay- lor. Chestnut street: Alice R. Wixson, principal, and Jennie M. Huson. Lake street : D. Lois Dean. Louise J. Starkweather, librarian.
The Penn Yan Academy was founded upon a system of permanence and sure support, and has been a prosperous school from the start. In its inception it was opposed by some of the leading men of the district, but since it became a fixed fact, and proved of such incalculable value to the village and country, opposition completely vanished and the timid ones and those who doubted its necessity and efficiency were loudest in its praises. From the hour it was completed and opened to the youth of the district and county its benefits have been so manifest, its bless- ings and benign influence so unceasingly showered upon all the people that at present all are agreed that upon the schools rests in a great measure the future of the district.
The exercises of the graduating class of the Penn Yan Academy for 1891 were held Thursday evening, June 25th, at the Sheppard Opera House in Penn Yan. The following address (showing the present con- dition of the schools) was delivered on that occasion by the president of the Board of Education, George R. Cornwell :
·
221
PENN YAN SCHOOLS.
" It gives me great pleasure, in behalf of the Board of Education, to greet this com- pany of young ladies, members of the class of '91, as honored graduates of Penn Yan Academy, and to extend to each and all of you our most hearty congratulations upon the successful completion of your studies, and for the high degree of scholarship attained. The academy diplomas about to be presented are a certificate and testimony that you have mastered and completed the course of study of our schools, and are a high honor in themselves, in that they tell of years of persistent application and faithful labor. The Regents' diplomas to which you are entitled and will hereafter receive are honors conferred by the State and entitles the holders to admission to its colleges without further examination. It is, no doubt, and should be a source of gratification to you that your labors have been crowned with success The comparative few of the many
who have attended our schools, privileged to claim these honors, show that they are only obtained by the severest ordeal and test. Your names will henceforth justly ap- pear upon the honor roll of the academy. We sincerely hope and trust your achieve- ments will lead to further efforts, and be but stepping stones, leading you on to still higher development and culture. To say we are glad for what you have accomplished does not fully express all we feel. In a certain sense we look upon you as our children ; our graduates, born of our schools ; are proud of you as such, and feel more than a common interest in your welfare. That you may live useful lives, imparting to others what of good you have received and reflect upon all with whom you may be associated the culture and attainments you have acquired, is certainly the sincere and ardent de- sire of not only the Board of Education, but also of your kind instructors and all your friends. Let me assure you you go forth from this your alma mater bearing with you its benediction and blessings. We quote the following appropriate beautiful lines :
" How beautiful is youth! how bright it gleams ʻ
With its illusions, aspirations, dreams ! Book of Beginnings, Story without End, Each maid a heroine, and each man a friend ! All possibilities are in its hands, No danger daunts it, and no foe withstands ; In its sublime audacity of faith,
' Be though removed !' it to the mountain saith,
And with ambitious feet, secure and proud, Ascends the ladder leaning on the cloud,"
" Young ladies, we bid you godspeed, and that your future, so bright and promis- ing, may be more than realized. To Professor Shultz and to all the instructors con- nected with our schools: Congratulations to you, and each of you, and words of commendation for faithful service and devotion are in order. That you have been loyal in your work, efficient, painstaking, industrious, ambitious to excel, that you have been diligent and energetic in the discharge of your duties, having the best in- terests of the schools at heart, all will admit. Your work has prospered in your hands. Well worthily have you filled the place of the long line of able, faithful, efficient in- structors who have preceded you. Our regret at being obliged to part with the serv- ice of our esteemed preceptress is most sincere. Miss Starkweather will carry with her the love of the students, the good will of all with whom she has been so long asso- ciated. It is with regret also we part with two others of our valued teachers, viz .:
222
HISTORY OF YATES COUNTY.
the Misses Smith and Hunter, both of whom have given eminent satisfaction in their departments of instruction. 'With these exceptions we understand the teachers for the past year have decided to remain. The value of good teachers cannot be over- estimated. The public realizes and appreciates the wonderful influence of the teacher in shaping the future of the child. In this respect the teacher occupies the highest possible place in position and importance, a place worthy the highest ambition and devotement of the human mind. The teacher in a large sense takes the place of the parent, and in this day of bustle and excitement, whether it be right or wrong, the in- tellectual culture and even the moral training devolves more and more upon the teacher in our public schools. You are to be encouraged then in your labor of love ; feeling and knowing your work is more enduring than marble, lasting as the human mind. That you may give well directed thought to all your plans, laying deep and broad foundations of intellectual and moral culture, upon which the minds of the children committed to your care may grow and thrive, is the sincere desire of all who love them and the future of our land.
" What more can be said than to reassure you of the faithful, sustaining co-opera- tion of the Board of Education in all your future work? Congratulations are also in order for the public and especially for the patrons of our schools. The school interests of Penn Yan have not suffered during the past year. The splendid system of grada- tion, inaugurated by our former principal, Professor Callahan, found a success in all the departments and has been carefully adhered to by his able successor, Professor Shultz. Our corps of teachers, well equipped in their several departments, have not only been efficient and painstaking in all their work, as has been said, but the high character of our schools has not been allowed to degenerate. In some classes the advancement is almost phenomenal, showing better results than in the former history of the academy. Note the following extract from the Penn Yan Express of June 17th.
"' The June Regents' examinations have been exceptionally good this year. In many cases complete classes passing the ordeal without a single failure. The number claimed as having passed is 309, making a total for the year of 713, being an increase over last year of 107.'
" It is proper to state especial credit is due Professor Shultz for these excellent re- sults. His untiring labor coupled with rare experience and tact have infused our schools with seeming new life and energy. The attendance during the past year has been uniformly good and shows an increase over former years from resident pupils.
" Penn Yan Academy especially, we are glad to say, is known far and wide as being one of the very best institutions of its class. Its rank is far higher than the average. In the year 1886 its position, as reported, was fortieth in the list of over 300 institutions of like character within the bounds of the State. The proportionate standing, we are informed, in 1891 is still better. Our academy should be the pride of our village. Its alumni are scattered up and down throughout the length and breadth of the land, pointing back to this as their good angel and always with affection. It may appro- priately and truthfully be said : ' Her children rise up and call her blessed.'
" Thirty-two years have lapsed since the organization of our present system of schools. Our fathers who labored so hard to establish and consolidate the Union
.
223
PENN YAN SCHOOLS.
School District of this village have gone. Their work remains and the grand results accomplished lives after them, a blessing for their children. Our thirty-second cata- logue is about to be issued showing the work of the past year, also the curriculum and calendar for the next. During all the years of their existence the patrons of the schools have wonderfully sustained the board and teachers in their work. The board cannot but feel gratified for the many acts of confidence shown. We rejoice today in our blessed system of free education. Wise and beneficent laws are being constantly enacted for the care and maintenance of the schools. The culture and intelligence of the State is concentrated upon the best possible methods for their improvement. The signs are hopeful. The ambition of the parent to give his child better advantages than he possessed, and the desire for liberal education, seems the leading thought. Our schools cannot stand still ; a generous public will not allow them to decline ; pro- gress is the sign of the hour, thanks to a wise public policy ; generous thought and pro- vision by the State is the rule. Let us do our part and see to it that our schools keep pace at least with the increasing needs of our district.
" In conclusion we extend cordial greetings and clasp hands with all who are striv- ing to build up and foster institutions of learning-believing the greatest public diffu- sion of intelligence is for the general good ; but while we are cordial with others we must not forget ' our own Mecca.' You are to be congratulated, fellow citizens, upon the great good accomplished by your schools in the past. Let us hope for their con- tinued prosperity and usefulness."
A meeting of the Alumni Association was held at the Penn Yan Academy June 26, 1891. Steven B. Ayres, acting as chairman, called the Association to order and stated the object of the meeting. Miss Belle Dinturff was appointed acting secretary. The following repre- sentatives of ten classes were present :
William S. Cornwell, '81 ; Steven B. Ayres,'78; Dr. A. D. Haines, '82 ; Mrs. E. Hamnes, '82; Mrs. J. Miller, '82; Miss M. Mahar, '85; Miss B. Dinturff, '87; Miss E. Hunter, '88 ; Miss E. Cole, '88; Miss L. Hulett, '88; Miss N. Hadley, '89; Miss Frances E. Cornwell, '87, (now Mrs. Remsen M. Kinne) ; Miss D. Turner, '89; Miss L. Bridgman, '90 .; Miss A. Johnson, '90; Miss K. Moore, '90; D. Sprague, '90; Miss L. A. Hood, '91 ; Miss E. Fox, '91; Miss A. Mahar, '91; Mrs. Shutts, '80; Miss L. Agan, '82; Miss Julia Meehan, '82; Miss Kate Burns, '85; Thomas Spence, '86; Miss M. Sheppard, '87; Miss M. Bridgman, '88; Miss N. Fenner, '88; Miss K. Taylor, '88; Miss M. Koeh- ler, '89; Miss D. Deane, '90; Miss S. Griffeth, '90; Miss A. Taylor, '90; William Gregory, '90; Miss N. May Scofield, '91 ; Miss M. G. Hobart, '91; Miss N. A. Carroll, '91;' Miss J. A. Scofield, '91 ; Miss K. Earley, 91.
A committee on constitution was appointed, consisting of Thomas Spence, Miss M. Sheppard, Mrs. J. Miller, Miss L. Hood, and Miss B. Dinturff. The officers for the ensuing year are: President, Steven B. Ayres ; vice-presidents, Miss Kate Taylor, Mrs. J. Miller, Miss N. May
224
HISTORY OF YATES COUNTY.
Schofield ; secretary, Miss B. Dinturff; treasurer, Miss E. Cole ; ex- ecutive committee, Dr. A. D. Haines, Miss M. Hunter, Miss L. Agan, Miss L. Hulett, and W. Gregory. After informal discussion on various topics the following banquet committee was appointed : Misses K. Burns, B. Dinturff, K. Moore, D. Sprague, L. Covell.
EARLY SCHOOLS OF PENN YAN.
Tradition says that the first school in Penn Yan was taught by Ruth Pritchard, who died in 1816. She is said to have been a rare good teacher for that day, and among her varied accomplishments was her very fine handwriting. The first building remembered as being used for purposes of instruction within the present limits of the village of Penn Yan stood on the southeast corner of the present academy lot. When this school-house was erected cannot be determined, but it was probably built about 1812, as it was considered an old building as early as 1822. Public worship was at that time held in this school- house by the members of the Presbyterian denomination in Penn Yan and vicin- ity, and religious services continued to be held there until the completion of their new church in 1824. Among the first who taught in this edi- fice were John L. Lewis, Dr. William Cornwell, Gordon Badger, a Mr. Scofield, John Smith, and Jason Andrews.
The next school-house, which was of brick, was located on the west side of Liberty street and nearly opposite the present Penn Yan Acad- emy. The following were the more prominent of those who taught in this school: Jerome Corey (assisted by Achsa A. Cornwell, afterward Mrs. J. S. Glover), Emily Cornwell, Hannah Benedict (afterward the wife of James Miller), Henry C. Wheeler, a Mr. Wilkinson, and Adol- phus B. Kneeland. The old brick school-house was succeeded by the present edifice on Head street, which was erected about 1843. Among the earlier teachers in the Head street school were Richard Taylor, William Augustus Coleman, Henry A. Bruner (afterward school com- missioner of Yates County), Sherman Morse, Charles Edson, Henry M. Stewart, and Caroline L. Cornwell as assistant of Sherman Morse and later as sole teacher of the school. (She afterward became Mrs. John D. Wolcott.) Salina Easton was also a teacher of rare merit in the Head street school. Richard Taylor, above mentioned, was justly eminent in
225
EARLY SCHOOLS OF PENN YAN.
his calling. He was wonderfully enthusiastic in his chosen profession and deserves the plaudit of " well done." Among those who have later taught in this building are Mrs. C. W. Coffin, Lizzie B. Teall, Lillian M. Gridley (now the wife of George S. Sheppard), and Maria Ham- mond, the daughter of the late Dr. Fletcher M. Hammond.
In 1824 a school-house was built near the new " Yates County Malt- House " on Seneca street. The school was a large one and did good service until the erection, in 1842, of the present Maiden lane school- house. Among the teachers who were in the original schocl- house (on what is now known as Seneca street) were Selden Chadwick, Jethro Bonney, and Benjamin L. Hoyt, the latter of whom also for many years taught several very successful schools in the town of Milo, and has been a continuous member of the Board of Education for more than twenty years and is at present the oldest member in service.
Joseph Bloomingdale was the first principal of the Maiden lane school, which had a large attendance from the start, and at which many of the most prominent men and women in the county were educated. Howard R. Miller afterward taught in this school with great success, assisted by Miss A. Jocelyn, whom he subsequently married. They are both living at present on Staten Island near New York city. A more congenial, well meaning couple would be hard to find. Howard R. Miller and his wife were respected and beloved by the entire commu- nity and did a work of lasting good.
Especially worthy of mention among the other teachers of the Maiden lane school are Harris Cole, Asa F. Countryman, John W. Stewart, E. Herman Latimer, Jane Stark (now the wife of C.V. Bush), Eliza M. Casey, and Prof. Henry R. Sanford, at present one of the best known and most superior teachers in the State. In former years Emma Heermans (after - ward Mrs. William D. Squier) was a teacher here, as was also Mary Husted and a number of others, nearly all of whom did excellent service in the several departments of the school. The district was No. 12 in the old series. The more recent teachers are Rose Longwell (now the wife of Thomas M. Markland), Kate M. Wyckoff (now Mrs. James W. Russell), and Coralyn Chapman.
Another district which was absorbed by the Penn Yan Union School District was District No. 9 at the foot of Lake Keuka. Van Rensselaer
29
226
HISTORY OF YATES COUNTY.
Vorce, according to tradition, taught the first school here. Samuel V. Miller was also for several years a teacher there, and was afterward school inspector and the first town superintendent in Milo, in which office he served eight or ten years. John L. Cleveland, from Schoharie County, opened the first select school in what is now Penn Yan in 1814. Among his pupils were George A. Sheppard, Charles C. Sheppard, Charles Wagener, and James D. Morgan, sr.
The Board of Education have had in contemplation for about two years the erection of a building on the academy lot facing Liberty street. At a special school meeting of the voters of the district held on the 3 Ist day of October, 1891, the sum of $8,000 was voted to be levied for that purpose. This school building will be for the accommodation of the intermediate department of the academy. It will be substantially built of brick, two stories, about sixty feet square, and supplied with modern improvements. The second story will be utilized for the public school library and for the literary societies connected with the schools. It will, when completed, be not only an ornament to the village, but a much needed and substantial improvement.
The primary schools of the district were made free by the charter, and the Penn Yan Academy was made free to all residents of the dis- trict from and after 1875. District No. 4 of Milo was added to the Penn Yan Union School District in 1879, and the new brick school- house on Chestnut street was erected that year. This school building is amply sufficient for the accommodation of all primary pupils residing in the eastern part of the district. The cost of erecting the school- house, together with the price of the lot on which it stands, was not far from $3,200. The Board of Education established a school on Lake street in 1876 and erected the present brick school building there in 1879 at a cost of $2,200. These primary schools were a necessity and have proved a great success. The demand for a primary school on East Main street will be met as soon as possible.
There are at present within the district the academy building proper, a school-house on Head street, one on Chestnut street, one on Lake street, and one on Maiden lane; also the building on Liberty street in rear of academy sufficient for the accommodation of sixty pupils (the overflow from the intermediate department of that institution). Eigh -
227
THE YATES ACADEMY.
teen teachers are now employed in the district and the daily average at- tendance in the schools is about 650.
A primary school, under the direction of the resident Catholic pastor, was opened in Penn Yan in October, 1883. The building is of brick and is a model school building, heated by steam, with modern improve- ments. The school is well conducted and has an attendance of about 165 pupils. The entire cost of the lot, including the buildings and fixt- ures complete, was about $10,000. The Rev. Eugene Pagani, for fifteen years past the resident priest, has had the general supervision and care of the school.
THE YATES ACADEMY.
This chapter would be incomplete without an honorable mention of a former institution of learning located in Penn Yan, and in which much was done in earlier years toward the diffusion of knowledge and for the culture and general good of the community. The legislature of 1828 incorporated this school by the name of the "Yates County Academy and Female Seminary." It was opened for instruction on the first Mon- day in January, 1829, with an attendance of about seventy pupils, and Gardner Kellogg, a graduate of Bowdoin College, was principal. The school building was large and commodious and stood on the east side of Main street, opposite the county buildings. To the school was attached a boarding-house, with rooms for the accommodation of about fifty students. Seymour Gookins and Richard Taylor, well known to the early citizens of Penn Yan, were for several years the two leading teachers. The catalogue for 1834-35 show an attendance of 341 pupils. The "Yates Academy" (as it was usually called) prospered for some years, but about 1842 it ceased to exist for want of sup- port. It was a most valuable institution in its day, and some of the best citizens of the county, of the generation now largely passed away, were instructed within its walls. The loss sustained by the county of Yates by its failure can not be estimated ; it is beyond possible compu- tation. Lacking as it did the support of the present common school system, but relying entirely upon tuition fees for its support, it was allowed to perish. The possibilities of this school, under the fostering care of our present system of free education, no one can tell. That it
228
HISTORY OF YATES COUNTY.
would have proved of incalculable good to the community-a blessing to the people far-reaching and boundless in its scope-is beyond ques- tion. But " from its ashes," after twenty years, arose the present Penn Yan Academy, and that the institution of today may "live long and prosper" is the ardent desire of all who love the future of our land. The following is a statement of the present condition of the Penn Yan Union School District :
Number of volumes in school library, 1,561
Number of pamphlets in school library, 200
Number of families in the district, 564
Number of children in the district between the ages of five and twenty- one years, 1,34I
Number of teachers employed in district,
19
Value of books and pamphlets in school library, $2,000 00
Received from the School Fund for the year ending July 25, 1891 :
For teachers' wages,
$
2,752 50
For library,
42 50
From tax, 5,208 83
From tuition bills, 615 21
From Teachers' Institute, rents, etc., 30 00
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.