Carrollton Seminary Roster, 1896 – Names, Names, Names!

In 1895-96 or so, when the Carrollton, Kentucky, school board voted to do away with the high school grades, a number of dissatisfied families removed their children from the public school in favor of a Carrollton Seminary, also known as "Mr. English's school." The Howe family and a number of related families – plus several that would become related to them through later marriages – were strong supporters of the private school, and Sarah wrote in the scrapbooks about the education she received there.

In one of the scrapbooks is this faded photo, marked as taken in the fall of 1896.

Writing much later, possibly 1925-1935, Sarah named as many of the students as she could recall.

I posted a transcription of this list in an earlier post, but I had not found the photo then. Here's the list again. In transcribing it, I've offered alternatives or question marks when the writing isn't clear. I welcome corrections.

6th Grade: Beverly Howe, Cooper Winslow

8th Grade: Jenne Howe, Mamie Merrill, Sallie Howe (our Sarah, third girl from the right on the front row), Florian Browinski, Dick Stanton, Vachel Rowland

Freshmen: Will Rowland, Giltner Donaldson, Thelma/Velma Donaldson, Effie Browinski, Howie/Norie(?) Foulk, Anderson (Daisy) Adcock, Harry Grobmyer, Harold Grobmyer, Will Shoesmith

Sophomores: Chowning Shepherd, Will Garriott/Garnott, Anna Butts, Grace Snelgrove, Bob Salyers, Virgie Giltner, Oscar Kipping, Will Barrett, Jim Chowning, Barrett Cox

Juniors-Seniors: Lewis Darling, John Howe, John Adcock, Allen Gullion, F.B. Forbes, Kirby Cox, Will Arnold, Evertson Ashby, Charlie Kipping, Ralph McCracken, David Jett, Charlie Blessing

Sarah's Notes: I think Minnie and Bessie Shoesmith went for awhile, too. Kenny (Henry?) Darling came in our Freshman year, also Carroll Gullion.

Sarah lists 39 names, and I see 37 faces. I'm assuming the bearded man in the front is none other than John T. English, the head of the school, and maybe there is another teacher or two in the group. One is likely to be Sarah's cousin Lille Howe, who was recruited to teach there when she was 19.

If only Sarah had said which face went with each name. There's a lesson for all of us: With group photos, name each person by the position in which he/she appears in the image -- but, of course, do not write on the original photo! Make a photocopy of the photo, write the names on the copy, and attach the copy to the back of the photo using archival tape or adhesive. Another approach: Attach the original photo with archival tape or adhesive to a larger sheet of acid-free paper and use acid-free ink to write identifications (or attach the marked-up photocopy) below the image.

Sarah's scrapbooks are teaching me a lot about how to preserve photos, clippings, and letters for future generations to discover.