Norwalk High School Commencement, 1907

On Friday, June 14, 1907, one-hundred and ten years ago today, the Norwalk High School Class of 1907 walked across the stage at the Gilmer Theater to receive their diplomas.

What did those young people experience that memorable evening? Well the Norwalk Daily Reflector and the Evening Herald reported extensively in their issues the next day, giving us a blow-by-blow description of the pomp and ceremony.

How did they look that night — these young people about to “join those who are fighting life’s battles,” as the Daily Reflector put it. How were they dressed? We don’t need to imagine. We have a photo taken that very evening at the Gilger. [1] Aren’t they are good looking crew?

 

Norwalk High School Class of 1907 Front Row: Ruth Jenkins, Irene Eline, Irene Bragdon, Myrtle Woodruff. Second Row: Lillian Smith, Eugene Bloxham, Arthur Young, Carrie Spurrier, Harriott Wickham, Robert Venus, Ruby Hoyt. Third Row: Sarah Barnett, Fred Osborne, Nina Humiston, Earl Sinclair, Florence Davidson, Inez Adams, Stephen Young, Fred French. Fourth Row: Homer Beattie, Florence Bascom, Alice McCammon, Sheldon Laning, Edna West, Harry Holiday, Cleo Collins.

 

The audience arrived at the Gilger to find the auditorium decorated with the school colors of black and gold and Stewart’s Orchestra playing “Slavery Days.” The Norwalk High School Classes of 1904 and 1906 occupied boxes decorated with their class colors. After all had settled into their seats, the curtain rose to reveal the Class of 1907, dressed as captured in the photo above, the women holding a single stemmed American rose. Above them hung a banner in black and gold, with the class slogan “Immer Siegend,” (always victorious). Accompanied by the orchestra, the class sang the chorus of the hymn, “A Dream of Paradise.”

Father in heaven above,
Glorious and mighty;
Send forth Thy Light of Love,
O King most mighty!
Father, Glorious and mighty;
Send forth Thy Light of Love.
Thy Light of Love. [2]

To great applause, the curtain lowered, and when it again raised, the class were seated in wicker chairs set in a semi-circle on the stage. With them were School Superintendent A. D. Beechy, the school faculty, and members of the board of education.

This graduation ceremony was not like what we experience today. There was no Valedictorian and Salutatorian, nor did a respected member of the community address the graduates. Instead, this ceremony focused on the graduates, with orations and essays by speakers selected for academic excellence, interspersed by musical performances by others in the class. [3]

Who were the speakers, and why were they chosen? The newspapers are handy references for this as well. Eight young men and women were honored in four categories: Arthur Young and Irene Bragdon for best grades in regular school work. Inez Adams and Alice McCammon for best grades in literary work; Sheldon Laning and Nina Humiston were chosen by the class; and Homer Beattie and Carrie Spurrier were chosen by the faculty. [4]

What did they talk about, these speakers? The subjects may surprise you. We’ll see what they said, and who they were, in subsequent posts, beginning with Mr. Young and Miss Bragdon.

 

Footnotes:

[1] The commencement photo is from the papers of Harriott Wickham, my grandmother,

who kindly wrote the names on the back. As I reported in my post, Mystery Girl, missing from this photo is Gertrude Ryerson. Newspaper accounts tell us that twenty-six graduates were at the ceremony, so I do not know why she is not in the commencement photo. It is a mystery. I clipped this image of her from a photo of the Senior / Junior study hall that I also found in my grandmother’s papers.

[2] “A Dream of Paradise,” by Claude Littleton, 1900. Full text of the lyrics and an audio file of the tune are at Hymnary. org.

[3] Lengthy descriptions of the ceremony and fulsome praise for the graduates are in “School Life is Ended,” The Norwalk Daily Reflector, June 15, 1907, page 1-2, column 6, and “Get Their Diplomas,” The Norwalk Evening Herald, pages 1,4.

[4] “Forty Seventh Annual,” The Norwalk Daily Reflector, June 13, 1907, page 1, column 3.“Get Their Diplomas,” The Norwalk Evening Herald, pages 1 and 4.

 

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Bachelor Hall – The Chorus Girls – Who Are They?

In my last post, I presented the cast of a performance of Bachelor Hall, a play presented on June 5 and 6, 1907 by the Norwalk High School Class of 1907 — with a notable exception: the chorus girls.

According to the Norwalk Daily Reflector, these young women provided the highlight of the show. Accompanied by the Spencer Orchestra, they sang and danced three songs: “When Love is Young,” “Oh, Be Careful of the Alligator,” and “Be My Little Teddy Bear.” So who were these “chorus girls?” [1]

Once again, my grandmother, Harriott Wickham (who was one of their number), comes through again with a photo I found in her papers. Here are the chorus girls from the play Bachelor Hall, apparently performing “Be My Little Teddy Bear.” Unfortunately, she did not include the names. [2]

 

There are eight women in the photo, but the newspapers only reported seven: Lillian Smith, Carrie Spurrier, Ruth Jenkins, Florence Davidson, Cleo Collins, Harriott Wickham, and Irene Bragdon. [3]

Who is who? And which girl is in the photo, but not listed in the cast of characters. Here are individual photos of the seven in clockwise order from upper left as listed in the previous paragraph. See if you can figure out who is in the group photo.

 

Lillian Smith

Carrie Spurrier

Ruth Jenkins

Florence Davidson

Irene Bragdon

Harriott Wickham

Cleo Collins

I must admit that I am not doing well figuring out who is who. Perhaps it is because in the group photo the girls are smiling. After examining the photo closely, I can be sure of only two: Carrie Spurrier, fifth from left (because of the spectacles); and Irene Bragdon, sixth from left.

What do you think?

 

 

Footnotes:

[1] Descriptions of the play and cast are from these newspaper articles: “Bachelor Hall,” Norwalk Reflector, 6/1/1907, page 4, column 5; “Brilliant Success,” The Norwalk Daily Reflector, June 6, 1907 – page 1, column 3; and “Bachelor Hall a Big Hit,” Norwalk Evening Herald, 6/6/1907, page 1, column 6.

[2] The chorus girl photo is from the unpublished collection of Harriott Wickham’s papers in my possession. I clipped the individual photos from the Commencement photo of the Norwalk High School Class of 1907, also in Harriott Wickham’s papers.

[3] The links for each cast member of Bachelor Hall lead to that person’s WeRelate person page.

 

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A Norwalk Weekend: Rough Basketball Play and a House Party

After his success serving as toastmaster for the Republican McKinley Banquet, Congressman-elect Jay Laning did not rest on his laurels, but headed out of town on a business trip. He left town shivering from near zero temperatures, but returned on Friday to more balmy weather, and a town ready to enjoy the weekend.

Basketball was on the agenda. The weekend had started early for sports, when a newly formed group of young men who called themselves the Jolly Five lost to the Fremont Halycon in a game so rough that the Norwalk forward dislocated his shoulder.

The Norwalk boys team also had a close, physical game at the High Schools hall Friday night, losing to Sandusky 14 to 13. A sophomore-freshman championship followed that game, and the sophomores embarrassed their juniors, 59 to 2. At what point did the spectators melt away, I wonder.

Three students of the Norwalk High School Class of 1907 did not stick around for these games, however. Sarah Barnett, Cleo Collins, and Alice McCammon, accompanied by Norwalk High School alumnus Sophia Harkness left on the four p.m. train to Steuben for a house party hosted by Miss McCammon.

Sarah Barnett

Cleo Collins

.

Alice McCammon

Sophia Harkness

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sources:

“Play Good Game,” The Norwalk Evening Herald, February 1, 1907, page 4, column 3.

“Sandusky Won,” The Norwalk Daily Reflector, February 2, 1907, page 1, column 1.

“House Party at Steuben,” The Norwalk Daily Reflector, February 2, 1907, page 1, column 2.

 

Norwalk, Ohio High School Class of 1907

Norwalk High School Class of 1907: Front Row: Ruth Jenkins, Irene Eline, Irene Bragdon, Myrtle Woodruff. Second Row: Lillian Smith, Eugene Bloxham, Arthur Young, Carrie Spurrier, Harriott Wickham, Robert Venus, Ruby Hoyt. Third Row: Sarah Barnett, Fred Osborne, Nina Humiston, Earl Sinclair, Florence Davidson, Inez Adams, Stephen Young, Fred French. Fourth Row: Homer Beattie, Florence Bascom, Alice McCammon, Sheldon Laning, Edna West, Harry Holiday, Cleo Collins.

How many times have you come across an old family photo, but have no idea of the identity of the people in it? Unfortunately, too often our ancestors neglected to scrawl identifying information on the backs of their photos. Fortunately for me, my grandmother Harriott Wickham (second row, third from left in the photo above) understood how important it is to record names of people in her photos for future generations. She not only preserved this photo of her graduating class, she also recorded her classmates’ names on an accompanying scrap of paper.

Old Norwalk High School

The members of the Norwalk High School Class of 1907 are no more. But in their day, at the beginning of their adult lives, they were full of enthusiasm and hope for the future. As I gazed at their faces, so serious, yet so full of life, I wondered who they were and how they lived their lives? I decided to find out.

Not only had my grandmother recorded the names of her classmates, she kept a diaries during those years that describe many of them and tell of her interactions with them. Unfortunately, the diary for her senior year is missing, but she did preserve one for May 1908 to May 1909. From it, and from information I gleaned from research, I began to form a picture of these young people and their families; of where they came from and how they spent their senior year–and the rest of their lives.

What did they do? In small town America of the early 20^th Century, young people went to balls, hung out at the library, formed societies, performed in plays and concerts, and played basketball (both boys and girls). They had séances and house parties and spent their summers in cottages on Lake Erie, lazing away the days and dancing at “The Grove” at Ruggles Beach at night.

Who were they and their families? What stock did they come from and how did they spend their lives after graduation? Because I have their names, I’ve been able to answer some of those questions. One of the young men in the photo became a U.S. Senator, but the rest of the the class led ordinary lives: some did not do well, some of them had successful careers. But each one of them has a story I want to tell.

Using my grandma’s diaries and research on the internet, I’m continuing to flesh out the stories behind these faces. Over the next year, I’ll post what I’ve learned–and what I don’t know. I ask your help as I take this journey: to correct my mistakes, and to add your stories to the tale of the Norwalk High School Class of 1907.

 

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Class of 1907 – Cleo Collins

Today we belatedly celebrate the birthday of Norwalk High School Class of 1907 member Cleo Collins, who, if she were alive today, would be 128 years old. But even if I would have posted in her honor last month, I would have hit the correct day only by chance. Although I know from the 1900 Census that Cleo was born in September 1888, I don’t have found no source that tells me the date—and precious little evidence about her or her family.

Cleo first appears in the 1900 Census when she and her family were living on a farm in Boston Township of Summit County, Ohio, an incredibly rugged piece of real estate. Today, Boston Township occupies the Cuyahoga Valley National Park.

Sometime before the 1906/07, when Cleo Collins appears in the photo of the Junior/Senior study hall for Norwalk High School, the family moved to Norwalk, and lived at 8 Huron Street, which seems to have been a farm in 1906. In the 1910 Census, Cleo’s father, William Collins, is identified as a farmer, which makes sense. I don’t know where he was born: his parents came from England, but again I do not know who they were. Cleo’s mother, Ida Collins, nee Malhalm, was born in the U.S., but her parents had immigrated from Prussia.

So what I do know about her family in 1906 is this: Cleo probably lived on a farm on the outskirts of Norwalk with her mother and father, her younger brother Jay Collins and her younger sister Dorothy Collins. Her elder brother, Ray Collins, had probably left home by then, or perhaps he had never come to Norwalk when the family moved there from Boston Township.

There is another detail that Cleo’s classmate, my grandmother Harriott Wickham, wrote in her diary on June 7, 1908:

“I simply couldn’t stand Norman. Why? He said ‘Yes ma’am’ to me. Just think of it. And Cleo says he wears girls’ stockings. That’s the limit. I get a lot from Cleo, via Irene. I learned recently that poor N. sits up in the clubrooms nights when the rest are off with their ‘Lady friends,’ all alone, with the lights turned out. I am sorry for him, but – he wears girls’ stockings!”

Was it Cleo Collins my grandmother referred to here? I don’t know. There was also a Cleo Price in the Norwalk HS study hall photo.

 So here is the second mystery in this series of posts. Do you know more about Cleo and her family? If so, post a comment below and let’s investigate together.