Portrait of James E. Morrow 1902. Signed Cordially Yours, Jas. E. Morrow
Photo by D. Rosser [According to History of Pittsburgh, David Rosser, born 1868 was one of the leading names in photography in Pittsburgh. It is unknown whether the painted portrait mentioned in the article below was done from this photo or at a separate time.
[Clipping undated from unknown newspaper, probably from 1941 based on info on back side of clipping about Battle of Crete in 1941.]
Portrait of Jas. E. Morrow Presented
Unveiled by a Great Grand-Daughter
An oil painted portrait of Dr. James E. Morrow who was born in Fairview, now Pughtown, Hancock county, W. Va., was presented to the Allegheny high school, Pittsburgh by the graduation class of 1899. The ceremonies were held in the Allegheny high school Tuesday evening, June. 10.
The portrait was unveiled by a great-grand-daughter of the late James E. Morrow, Nancy, 10, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Richard B. Scandrett [the clipping repeatedly misspells this name as Scrandrett] of New York. Two daughters, only surviving children of Dr. Morrow, Mrs. Agnes Morrow Scandrett [1869-1953] and Mrs. Hilda Morrow McElvain [1874-1954] were present at the presentation. They both reside in Englewood, N.J. Other members of the Morrow family connection attending were Mr. and Mrs. John Miskelly, Mr. and Mrs. N.W. Ballantyne, Mr. and Mrs. R.M. Brown, New Cumberland, and Mrs. Alice Morrow Leacock of Pittsburgh. Mrs. Miskelly, Mrs. Ballantyne and Mrs. Leacock were nieces of Dr. Morrow and R.M. Brown is a nephew.
Dr. James E. Morrow was the eldest of seven children and was born in Fairview on a farm and attended the common schools of that day; farming did not appeal to him and at the age of 15 entered Jefferson college, now Washington and Jefferson and graduated in 1856, the youngest member of a class of 57. His intentions were to study law, but did not have sufficient money to take the law course. He taught first at the little academy in Fairview and in 1871 he was elected president of Marshall college in Huntington W.VA., [where Lucie taught elocution in the early 1900s.] and also served as president of West Liberty. He married Clara Johnson of Wellsburg and eight children were born. Three died in infancy. Agnes, Jay, Alice, Dwight [father of Anne Morrow Lindbergh] and Hilda survived.
In 1879 Dr. Morrow went to Pittsburgh and began his work in the Allegheny schools and it was while at Allegheny that Washington and Jefferson honored him with the degree of Doctor of Philosophy.
All the Morrow children were educated, Jay J. Morrow was a graduate of West Point and served as engineer commissioner of the District of Columbia, Governor of Zamboagna in the Philippines Governor of the Panama Canal [I saw his picture there!], Chief Engineer of the First Army in France and chairman of the Tacna-Arica Boundry Commission. [James' children would be 1st cousins 2x removed.]
Dwight Morrow graduated in high school at 14, graduated from Amherst and Columbia Law School of New York, became a leading lawyer in New York city, a partner of the J.P. Morgan Co., Ambassador to Mexico, United States Senator. His daughter Miss Anne Morrow married Col. Charles Lindbergh. The daughters of Dr. Morrow married, with the exception of Alice who followed teaching as her career, now only two of the immediate family survive. [James' grand-children would be 2nd cousins 1x removed. His great-grandchildren would be 3rd cousins.]
* * * * *
The following story was obtained from ancestry.com:
James E. Morrow, Principal, Slippery Rock State Normal School, 1889 - 1890
James E. Morrow was appointed principal and professor of psychology and history of education in early 1889. Assisted by the school’s six faculty members, Morrow developed the first program of studies. The initial philosophy of the school was to make the Normal School Student, as far as possible, an educator.
On March 9, 1889 Morrow sent an announcement of the new Normal School to the general public identifying its special advantages as follows: healthfulness; convenience; noted honesty, hospitality and religious character of community; new commodious buildings, thoroughly warmed and ventilated; and named the four protestant churches of the community. In addition, he identified the three expenses students were expected to pay each term: tuition - $14; board, room rent, fuel and light - $32s; and transportation of student and baggage from the Kiester’s rail station - $.25.
The first term began March 26, 1889 with 168 students enrolling, 94 women and 74 men. More than two thirds of the entering class came from Butler County with neighboring counties accounting for essentially the remainder. Two students from nearby Ohio also enrolled in the first term.
Born in West Virginia in 1837, Morrow received the first of three academic degrees from Jefferson College (now Washington and Jefferson College) in 1856. Practicing law when the Civil War broke out, Morrow enlisted as a Private and advanced to the rank of Captain in 1863, in Company F of the first Virginia volunteer infantry. Following the war, he returned to education rather than law. He married Clara J. Johnson of Cumberland, Maryland, in 1867, and raised five boys and three girls: Fred, Earle, Ralph, Jay, Dwight, and Agnes, Alice and Hilda. One son, Dwight, gained fame as a lawyer, legislator and American Ambassador, while Dwight’s daughter, Anne married trans-Atlantic aviator, Charles Lindbergh. It was Anne and Charles’ 20 months old son, Charles Jr. who was kidnapped in 1932 resulting in a nationally publicized investigation.
In 1878, James Morrow began teaching mathematics at the Old Central High School in Pittsburgh. Two years later, he was appointed principal of what is now the Conroy School in Pittsburgh. While completing his Ph.D. at Jefferson College, he was appointed principal and professor of psychology and history of education at the newly founded Slippery Rock State Normal School.
After a brief 18 months, James E. Morrow resigned as principal. There are no written records of the Normal School during this time period due to a dramatic flood of Old Main in the early part of the 20th century. An alumnus from the early teens whose family was associated with the Normal School at the time of Dr. Morrow’s resignation reported that Dr. and Mrs. Morrow held a wedding reception on campus for one of their children and served alcohol. This was strictly forbidden as no alcohol was permitted on campus or within the community. The alumnus reported that the serving of alcohol resulted with the immediate termination of employment for the Normal School’s first principal
No comments:
Post a Comment