Saturday, August 11, 2012

Graduation à la 1895


As I look at documents dated 1895, I think, “That hasn’t been such a long time ago.” Of course, none of the people from that time period are around now. As we discussed yesterday, neither are many of the buildings where they gathered their memories.

Not only are those historic markers—the buildings of bygone eras—gone, but the manner in which people conducted life in and around those edifices has disappeared, also. Looking at the “closing exercises” program from Agnes Tully Stevens’ collection of memorabilia, I realize that graduation exercises were conducted quite a bit differently at the Saint Anne's School in 1895 than those I attended this past June. Even the stories those groups hoped to tell are different from the stories we wish to remember now, as we’ll see when I post the continuation of this graduation program tomorrow.

Of course, I’m hoping that anyone searching for some strand indicating the manner of their ancestors’ lives will stumble upon this posting—whether through a link on a social media site, in a genealogy forum, or through a search engine like Google.

I’ve been tempted to try and find online documentation for some of these names listed on the program below. Thinking I’d get the best result by checking the most unusual name, I tried looking on FamilySearch.org for Valada Dubreuil. However, sometimes looking for the most unusual name can yield a quite common result: nothing.

It may be best, in light of that, to let these graduates’ descendants do the searching, and remain content to be merely the conductor serving to facilitate that journey of their own.


Programme.

“To Thee O Heart of Jesus”………………………..Senior Boys
Acc’d by Lillie Archibald

PANTOMINE.
Josephine Hall, Valada Dubreuil, Agnes Lyons, Jennie Morrissey,
Nellie English, Kittie Casey, Gertrude Emo, Myrtle Hubbard

TABLEAU.
Blessed Virgin……………………………………Mary Jordan.
Angels……………………………….Willomena Vail
Edith Staley
Rosalind Wind
Deborah Conic
Eddie O’Neill
Walter Gillice

“Battle of Chancellorsville”
Senior Boys.

Song, “Joys of Spring” ………………….Geibel
Acc’d. by Jeanne Thomas.

3 comments:

  1. Valada Dubreuil (b. abt 1881) married soon after graduating. She married a Charles Schaeffer/Schaffer/Shaeffer and lived on W 53th Street.

    Agnes Lyons (b. Aug 1879 in Indiana) married a John F. Fanning (b. 1876 d. 1934) on 08 Jun 1904. They had (at least) a daughter and three sons.

    Walter A. Gillice was much younger (b. 23 Sep 1888)

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    Replies
    1. Iggy, you really know how to look in all the right research places! Thanks for adding those details :)

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  2. Just for grins... :)

    Josephine Hall (b. Nov 1882)
    https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/MSQ1-W4J

    Lilly F Archibald (b. Jul 1883)
    https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/MSQP-PJM

    Jennie V Morrissey (b. Nov 1881)
    https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/MSQB-SBD

    Nellie English (b. Jul 1880)
    https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/MSSG-G4N

    Kitty Casey? Kate M Casey (b. Aug 1879)
    https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/MSQY-FC6

    Gertrude Emo
    unknown

    Myrtle Hubbard
    (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/MSQW-T94 ??)

    Mary Jordan (b. Apr 1881)
    (there are several to pick from, but this one lived closest on 67th Street)
    https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/MSQB-V7P

    Willomena Vail
    unknown

    Edith Staley (b. abt 1877 ??)
    married Swen B. Anderson (12 Mar 1903 ??)

    Rosalind Wind (b. Apr 1886)
    https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/MSQB-ZWW
    married Frank J Conley

    Deborah Conic
    unknown (this is a very unusual last name)

    Eddie O'Neill
    (there too many to be able to tell which is the right one)
    https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/MS79-QLR
    https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/MSQG-MLZ
    https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/MSQG-82H
    https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/MSST-GNJ
    ...and more... all living within perhaps 10 blocks of each other.

    Jeanne Thomas
    unknown

    ReplyDelete