Sumter High School: Class of 1899

The Truth... What is it?

Sumter High School, Class of 1899

Dave Pettigrew, SHS class of 1971, has developed an outstanding website in which yearbooks are being scanned onto his free website (HERE..click on a yearbook image) with many class photos, lists of graduates, and an outstanding graphics and text page of the school's history (HERE).

On this page you are now viewing, the memorial #s are memorials on the free Find a Grave (separate but owned by the subscription genealogy website, Ancestry.com).

I want to directly link to some old, online newspaper sources (Sumter's The Watchman & Southron via Library of Congress' Chronicling America, which detail some history and the senior class graduates.

S. C. petition of Legislature, May 1888, HERE.
Commisioner J. T. Green's 1890 letter about the schools, HERE.
Sumter public school system opens 2 Sept 1889, young John B. Duffie, superintendent.
First year (9 months) ends (students: 310 whites & 294 blacks), HERE (Watchman & Southron issue of 4 June 1890, vol. IX #43, page [image] 3, 2nd column from viewer's left near page top).

Links to classes 1889-1912, HERE . W & S of 1910 has 1891-1910 lists HERE and W & S of 1912 lists 1891-1911 HERE.

***(1889-1913, only 10 grades; 1914-1944, only 11 grades)***

***(Student names: before maybe 1915, names by which people were baptized were frequently & without legal process, changed before, say, age 12. Grade school nicknames often changed as the person became older (HERE). In cases of those with 1 or 2 middle names, either or both of those might be deleted as they became older or married. Old printed source material was printed by a more tedious process than today & typos were not uncommon. Females are especially hard to track down from names on graduate lists; so, the birth year range of a graduation group becomes helpful.)***

Sumter HS Class of 1899 (W&S 7 June 1899, page 6, column 3, "Graded School Commencement", HERE):
(the name they apparently "went by" in italics)

Boys (3):

Charles J. Gaillard, (born 1880), FaG mem. # 132166174
Harry Green, (born 1883); FaG mem. # 33924355
George Davis Levy, (born 1883); FaG mem. # 33924396

Girls (7):

Ethel Carson, (born 1881), FaG mem. # 211642718.
Annie Cunningham, (born 18), FaG mem. # (nothing found yet).
Jeannie Gibson [? Jennie Gibson], (born 18), FaG mem. # (nothing found yet).
Alice Harby, (born 1883), FaG mem. # 19451890
Mamie Sanders, (born 1881), FaG mem. # 17209418.
"Kate" Katherine Sumter, (born 1881), FaG mem. # 29735914.
"Annie" Anne Warren, (born 1882), FaG mem. # (nothing found yet).

Lincoln HS Class of 1899:
(it is hard to be sure of gender & student vs. adult [no graduate list]...W&S, 7 June 1899, p6, col. 4, "Lincoln School Commencement", HERE)

Names that appear to be students vs program participants: Rebecca Spann, Katie Brunson, Mary Sampson, Dorcas Brunson, Elijah Bradley, Lucy Ellis, Mary Brownsfield, Armeta Hayes, Katie Baker, Naomi James, F. A. Bostick, Susan Andrews, F. I. Davis, Edna Lowery, & Alethia Edwards. And class song (by Julia Jayroe of class of 1898).

Years 1892-1912, LINKS:

1891

1892

1893 (no graduates, HERE)

1894

1895

1896

1897

1898

1899

1900

1901