Sumter High School: Class of 1902

The Truth... What is it?

Sumter High School, Class of 1902

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 1902 (W&S 4 June 1902, page 3, column 1&2, "Graded School Commencment", HERE):
(the name they apparently "went by" in italics)

Boys (2):

Charles Hurst, (born 1885), FaG mem. # 124237855
William Manning, (born 1886); FaG mem. # 15890561

Girls (9):

Elma Epps, (born 1879), FaG mem. # 98033246
Hattie Lowry, (born 1885), FaG mem. # 197842
Annie Lynam, (born 1885), FaG mem. # 122003731
Cornelia McLaurin, (born 1886), FaG mem. # 65629783
Edna Mortimer, (born 1889), FaG mem. # 155325517
Leona Smith, (born 1885), FaG mem. # 131608171
Isidore Beatrice Teicher, (born 1885), FaG mem. # 101610541
Evelyn Buford Wallace, (born 1886), FaG mem. # 33203036
Bertha Winburn, (born 1885), FaG mem. # 71643253

Lincoln HS Class of 1902:
(it is hard to be sure of gender & student vs. adult & may be ALL grades [no graduate list]...see above W&S, 4 June 1902, p2, column 4, "The Lincoln School Commencement", HERE)

Names of graduating students: Josephine Vertania Baker, Hattie Annette Beasley, Jerry David Dixon, Selina Johneva Edwards, Rosa May Harrison, Rosa Naomi Jones, Rosabelle Elveta Lowery, Robert Mullar Smart, James Eugene Sumter, and Marie Maria Thomas.

Years 1892-1912, LINKS:

1891

1892

1893 (no graduates, HERE)

1894

1895

1896

1897

1898

1899

1900

1901