Sumter High School: Class of 1908

The Truth... What is it?

Sumter High School, Class of 1908

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 1908 (W&S 3 June 1908, page 5, column 2&3, "High School Commencement", HERE):
(the name they apparently "went by" in italics)

Boys (8):

James Jennings Chandler, Sr., (born 1891), FaG mem. # 130877953
William James Crowson, Jr., (born 1890), FaG mem. # 125749531
Anthony Lee Jones, (born 1888), FaG mem. # 61990150.
Frank Lesesne, (born 18), FaG mem. # (not found yet).
Wendell Mitchell Levi, (born 1891), FaG mem. # 80049676
Henry Lee Sandel, (born 1891), FaG mem. # 32181322
John Karl Scott, (born 1892), FaG mem. # 43671931
Quay Donovan Williford, (born 1890), FaG mem. # 39477453

Girls (15):

Emma Richardson Baker, (born 18), FaG mem. # (not found yet).
Helen Broughton, (born 1891), FaG mem. # 128561543.
Irene Allan Bryan, (born 1892), FaG mem. #130156107
"Bessie" Ida Elizabeth Ives, (born 1891), FaG mem. # 143891324
Eva Lee McGee, (born 18), FaG mem. # (not found yet).
Sarah Ann Mellette, (born 1891), FaG mem. # 84618279.
Sarah Richardson Moore, (born 1890), Fag # 59191967.
LaRee Allen Pate, (born 1890), married Walter Haynes Millard, Sr.& was daughter of J. Frank Pate; FaG mem. # (not found yet).
Ulrica Dinkins Pate, (born 1890), FaG mem. # 132240092.
Mary Aretus Pitts, (born 1891), FaG mem. # 132143026.
Virginia Childs Reynolds, (born 1891), FaG mem. # 126524817.
Octavia Harby Schwerin, (born 1892), FaG mem. # 86446461
Ada Frances Seymour, (born 1891), FaG mem. # 85777592.
Vileta Agnes Tisdale, (born 1889), FaG mem. # 125257835