Memories of the Coes 6: Schoolmates and The Little Rural School

Schoolmates

Among my schoolmates at the little white school house were Carrie Robertson, and her little sister Jennie who lived in the house on the corner where you turned to the school house. The Robertsons had a big black dog that chased me and nipped my leg once when I was going to school alone. Carrie and I were at Ingham together, then she went to Brockport Normal, graduated and taught. Afterward, Will Stowell came back from the West, and, I suppose arrangements were made, and in a little while he came back and took her west with him. He edited a newspaper for a time, and I think she must have been a great help to him. They had two fine children, Frank and Helen whom they brought east with them to visit. Frank is married and has two children. Helen is a business woman in their home Garden City, Kan. Carrie had a long severe illness and has been dead several years. I was at their wedding 50 years ago, on Jan 28, 1888. 

Then there was Cora Anderson, who roomed at Mrs. Shaw's years later when we both went to Ingham, and her little brother Charles. There was Martin Burke, a little Irish boy who did not speak plainly and whose name we thought was Buck for a long time. Mary Bryce lived at Mr. (?) Murray's and walked to school with us. But the one who made life miserable for me when I first went to school was Tillie (Matilda) Clemence. She was not particularly bright, and tho older, sat in the seat in front of me in school. She would turn around and make the worst faces at me she could, - and they were pretty bad. I don't know why she did it, but it made me feel terribly. Of course, I couldn't tell the teacher and be a "tattletale", but I know I was pretty happy and carefree when she didn't come to school. 

The little Rural School

Personally I have high regard for the little rural school. Perhaps I was unusually fortunate, but I think we younger ones learned a lot by listening to the recitations of the older ones, and the closer associations with our find young women teachers was an advantage. We also had more "individual instruction." (afterward advocated with much notoriety in the Batavia schools,) than is possible in larger schools. I never thought of feeling at a disadvantage with those who started in town schools. Of course it is great to have music, drawing, domestic science and the many other things they have in schools to-day, but no school had them (without extra pay) when I went to school. 

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Patty's notes on this entry

These were the next two entries in the original manuscript. I combined them into one post since there isn't anything to annotate in the second entry.

Carrie Robertson - Caroline Dewey Robertson (1860 -1926), daughter of John M. Robertson and Adeline Park. She married William Stowell. According to state records, they married on January 30, 1883. 

Jennie Robertson - Jane Robertson (1865 - 1966 ), daughter of John M. Robertson and Adeline Park 

Ingham - Ingham University operated in Le Roy, Genesee County, New York from 1837-1892. It was the first women's college in New York and the first charted women's university in the United States. 

Brockport Normal - Brockport State Normal School operated in Brockport, Monroe County, New York as a school for teachers from 1867-1942. The school is now known as The College at Brockport, State University of New York. 

Will Stowell - William Huych Stowell (1855 - 1949), son of Luther Kinney Stowell and Sarah A. Thomas. He married Caroline Dewey Robertson. According to state records, they married on January 30, 1883. 

Frank Stowell - Frank Lewis Stowell (1886-1971), son of Caroline Robertson and William Stowell. He married Elizabeth Ortman

Helen Stowell - Helen McGregor Stowell (1889-1971), daughter of Caroline Robertson and William Stowell. 

Cora Anderson - Cora Anderson (1859 - 1916), daughter of Alexander Anderson and Maria Northrup. She married Edward Cronkite. 

Mrs Shaw - I haven't been able to identify a Mrs Shaw who had students living with her in the early 1880s. 

Charles Anderson - Charles L Anderson (1867 - 1938), son of Alexander Anderson and Maria Northrup. He married Jennie Ward. 

Martin Burke - Martin Burke (1864 - after 1920 ), son of Martin Burke and Ellen.   

Mary Bryce - I haven'be been able to identify a Mary Bryce in Genesee County in the 1860-1880 time period. 

Mr Murray -  George Murray (1828-1896), son of George Murray and Jane Robb. He married Emily Whiteman. He lived in Pavilion and Le Roy, Genesee County for his entire life. 

Tillie (Matilda) Clemence  - Matilda Clement (1862 - ), daughter of Percel Clement. I've only found one record for anything close to a Clemence family who had a daughter Matilda in Genesee County the right age to have been in school with Elizabeth Coe. In the 1870 census, there is a Clement family - father Percel, children Josephine, Willard, Sylvester and Matilda. Willard Clemens lived in Genesee County until at least the 1930s. 

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