My great grandmother, Sarah Etta Freeman (1858 - 1945), married my great grandfather, Samuel Eber Carpenter, on June 15, 1887 when she was 29 years old. As the above Certificate indicates, Sarah was a certified Teacher in the State of Rhode Island as of May 1st, 1876 when she was barely 18 years old. It is presently unknown how long she taught, but this certificate allowed her "to teach the Primary Department in the Public School in District No. 6 of this Town [Lincoln, RI] for one year . . . unless this Certificate is sooner annulled."
Sarah had a documented interest in genealogy and later enrolled both her children -- Ruth Ann Carpenter and my grandfather, Everett Shearman Carpenter -- in the C.A.R. [Children of the American Revolution] as shown in the July 3, 2013 Wordless Wednesday post here at The Prism.
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| Sarah Etta Freeman (March 27, 1858 - July 24, 2013) |
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Originals of the Certificate and photograph in the collection of the author.
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Copyright 2013, John D. Tew
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Wow! A document from 1876! What a wonderful family history treasure.
ReplyDeleteAnd kudos to Sarah for enrolling her children in the C.A.R.
I consider myself very fortunate to have a number of very old documents related to my ancestors -- and to have become, de facto, the family curator for many of them. For example, I have my 2x great grandfather's discharge from the Union Army in 1863 that sits in a frame right above my computer.
ReplyDeleteThank you yet again for taking the time to offer a comment on a posting -- it is much appreciated!
I have a couple of contracts for my grandmother, who was just a little older than your great grandmother, when she started teaching around 1919. It was still the practice at that time that once married, a woman was no longer allowed to teach. My grandmother was quite proud of the fact that they allowed her to continue teaching for an additional year after her marriage. How wonderful that you have this treasure from so long ago!
ReplyDelete