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| 1/18/1890, Women's Journal |
Isabella's obituary stated she graduated from Springfield Female Seminary School in Ohio in 1857. This was a private women's boarding school for upper grades. After graduating, she returned home to Lawrenceburg, Indiana. (Advertisements in local papers suggested Isabella's father, Robert Groff, was a hatmaker in Lawrenceburg.) Her obituary also stated that she "had the distinction of being one of the first teachers of graded schools in Indiana" (The Crawfordsville Journal, July 24, 1916, p. 5. c. 5), and one can assume this happened near Lawrenceburg, between 1857 and 1861, when she met and married Chauncey Countant in May of 1861. Her first child, Mary, was born March of 1862 (according to her death certificate), probably in Lawrenceburg.
Children are rarely mentioned in the local newspapers in this era, unless they are traveling or getting good grades, so most of my ability to research what they are doing in these decades is related to what I can find in the newspapers. Mary had one term of good grades. Ollie's grades were never mentioned. Neither is listed as graduating, which is very normal in this time period.
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| High School graduation rates (11-13 years of school), from 1870-1990; Click to view |
But Nellie was different.
The family moved to Crawfordsville in 1872, and in 1874, Mary is listed in the Crawfordsville newspapers as receiving 95% in Deportment and Recitation in public school. This would have been around eighth grade, and is the last mention of her schooling. She may have left school after 8th grade. In 1887, Mary is listed as an employee of her father's business at 304 S. Water St.
Mary and Oliver (b. 1869) were rarely mentioned in the city newspaper, and definitely in schooling. Nellie, on the other hand, had many accolades that were shared, as well as social engagements. She was listed on the Honor roll in June and December of 1888, and graduated in 1889 with an 11 year record of perfect attendance. Each of the 8 students of the all-female graduating class* gave a talk. Nellie's was on Harriet Beecher Stowe. She received a scholarship to the "State University" for the best senior grade average, but lost the best over-all grade average to Miss Stella Hurt.
At a Thanksgiving event in 1889, she was honored by the school board for that perfect attendance with a book by Tennyson, "in recognition of her faithfulness as a scholar." (Bloomington Courier, Dec. 7, 1889, p. 2) The January 18, 1890 issue of Women's Journal listed this accomplishment in its "Concerning Women" column, along with Susan B. Anthony's 70th birthday party (image).
On January 26, 1900, the Crawfordsville Weekly Journal had this funny article: the writer has recently read about a Lagoda boy's "good" attendance record of 10 years in the Indianapolis newspaper, but that still didn't "beat" Crawfordsville's record holder, Nellie's eleven years of perfect attendance in primary, grammar, and high school. This ran on the cover of that day's paper, below the fold.
I will be updating this article with the Club work Nellie took part in during the 1890s, usually in singing, party hosting, and flower decorating. An unusual project was the 1896 "Women's Edition" of the city newspaper, a special edition by the Ladies Aid Society of the Methodist Church, of which Nellie was a member. She is listed as the Circulation Manager of that edition. By today's standards, it's tone is condescending about the ability of the authors, but for attitudes of the time it was progressive.
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* Nearly all of the previous 12 classes were also 100% women, and men only appear in small percentages of each class if at all, until 1900.
The family moved to Crawfordsville in 1872, and in 1874, Mary is listed in the Crawfordsville newspapers as receiving 95% in Deportment and Recitation in public school. This would have been around eighth grade, and is the last mention of her schooling. She may have left school after 8th grade. In 1887, Mary is listed as an employee of her father's business at 304 S. Water St.
Mary and Oliver (b. 1869) were rarely mentioned in the city newspaper, and definitely in schooling. Nellie, on the other hand, had many accolades that were shared, as well as social engagements. She was listed on the Honor roll in June and December of 1888, and graduated in 1889 with an 11 year record of perfect attendance. Each of the 8 students of the all-female graduating class* gave a talk. Nellie's was on Harriet Beecher Stowe. She received a scholarship to the "State University" for the best senior grade average, but lost the best over-all grade average to Miss Stella Hurt.
At a Thanksgiving event in 1889, she was honored by the school board for that perfect attendance with a book by Tennyson, "in recognition of her faithfulness as a scholar." (Bloomington Courier, Dec. 7, 1889, p. 2) The January 18, 1890 issue of Women's Journal listed this accomplishment in its "Concerning Women" column, along with Susan B. Anthony's 70th birthday party (image).
On January 26, 1900, the Crawfordsville Weekly Journal had this funny article: the writer has recently read about a Lagoda boy's "good" attendance record of 10 years in the Indianapolis newspaper, but that still didn't "beat" Crawfordsville's record holder, Nellie's eleven years of perfect attendance in primary, grammar, and high school. This ran on the cover of that day's paper, below the fold.
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| November 20, 1896, Crawfordsville Weekly Journal, pg 16 (click to read a sample) |
I will be updating this article with the Club work Nellie took part in during the 1890s, usually in singing, party hosting, and flower decorating. An unusual project was the 1896 "Women's Edition" of the city newspaper, a special edition by the Ladies Aid Society of the Methodist Church, of which Nellie was a member. She is listed as the Circulation Manager of that edition. By today's standards, it's tone is condescending about the ability of the authors, but for attitudes of the time it was progressive.
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* Nearly all of the previous 12 classes were also 100% women, and men only appear in small percentages of each class if at all, until 1900.
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