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1/31/2021

Pelton's Private High School Exhibition, 1852

In the years before Acton had a high school of its own, students wanting to further their education needed to take opportunities where they could be found.  In Acton’s early days, young men were usually the ones to seek education beyond the schoolhouse; they might be given advanced training or prepared for college by a learned individual, often the town’s minister.  In the 1800s, more opportunities arose for young men and young women; some might board at private academies or, as time went on, commute to a nearby high school.

In the early 1850s, Acton’s advanced students had the option of studying for short periods at a privately-run advanced school.  Our Society’s collection includes a program for an exhibition of F. W. Pelton’s High School in the center district of Acton, starting at 6 p.m. on November 19, 1852.  It must have been a long evening; there were twenty-seven items on the agenda, including two dramatic pieces.
Program, Pelton's High School, 1892
The Exhibition

As evidence of what was going on in the minds of young Actonians in 1852, the “programme” is a revealing document.  Even in a small town, there was obvious interest in the issues affecting the country as a whole.  Abolition was the foremost theme of the evening.  Uncle Tom’s Cabin, though now criticized because of its racial stereotypes, was hugely influential in raising awareness of the evils of slavery.  It had been serialized starting in June 1851 but had only been out in book form since March 1852.  An early performance in Acton, featuring over 30 performers, would have been a notable event.  The song “Little Eva” that followed the performance was based on the book and had recently been published in Boston.  Other items on the program that involved the issue of slavery were “declamations” on Anson Burlingame’s opposition to the 1850 Fugitive Slave Act, Grimke’s “Bible”, presumably Angelina Grimke’s “Appeal to the Christian Women of the South” (1836), and Henry Clay’s attempts to save “The Union” without war.

Other declamations had as their subjects Daniel Webster’s writings on Washington and on “The Present Age,” Lajos Kossuth, a Hungarian leader whose words had managed to catch the popular imagination in the United States, Napoleon, and the Whig Party (written by the schoolmaster himself).  We were not able to identify all of the items performed.  Ames’ “Character” may have referred to one of Fisher Ames’ writings, but there is not enough information to be sure.  Stuart’s “Birthplace of Liberty” and Snowball’s philosophy were similarly hard to pin down.  In online searching, some of the titles are now overshadowed by later writings and events.  A search for Snowball’s “Philosophy” led to many references to George Orwell’s Animal Farm.  Searching for “A Nation Mourns” brought up references to Lincoln’s assassination, and “Modern Humbugs” yielded P. T. Barnum’s book The Humbugs of the World, both dating from the 1860s.  (“Modern Humbugs” by Florentinus may have been a tongue-in-cheek piece written by the schoolmaster; see the section on him below.) 

Drama, songs, and poetry were easier to find.  “The Tongue Bridle” was a dramatic piece for “four older girls” published in Boston in 1851.  Thanks to the Library of Congress’ Music Division, we were able to find the 1849 Ossian’s Serenade, the 1851 Oh, Must We Part to Meet No More?, and The Green Mt. Yankee, a Temperance Medley, published in Boston in 1852.  Once we had navigated past references to Led Zepplin songs, we were able to find an 1848 song by I. B. Woodbury that set Tennyson’s poem "The May Queen" to music.  Henry Theodore Tuckerman’s “Love and Fame,” Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s 1841 “Excelsior,” and Henry Ware, Jr.’s “To the Ursa Major” can all be found in online poetry collections.

The only item with a strictly Acton theme was Pierpont’s poem “Acton Monument.”  One wonders if the entire poem describing the events of April 18-19, 1775 was recited; even at its debut, the audience became impatient with its length.  Rev. John Pierpont of Medford presented the poem at the celebration of the completion of Acton’s Monument in 1851.  The reverend had the misfortune that day of being slated to recite after an hour-long address by Governor George S. Boutwell and just before the meal was served.  Hungry attendees started eating during his recital of the poem, and the clatter of utensils clashed with the sound of the reverend’s voice.  Apparently, he got quite upset.  Acton’s Rev. Woodbury, who could have tried to quiet the crowd, instead said a quick grace and let the dinner officially begin.  Boutwell’s Reminiscences quote Woodbury as telling the poet, “They listened very well, ‘till you got to Greece.  They didn’t care anything about Greece.” (page 130)  By that point in the day’s speeches, the audience might have been losing enthusiasm for Acton as well.  Later, obviously having calmed down, Rev. Pierpont commented on the situation that

“Poets at dinners must learn to be brief, Or their tongues will be beaten by cold tongue of beef.”  [Boston Evening Transcript, Oct. 30, 1851, p.1)

The audience at Pelton’s High School Exhibition had to have been tired by the end of the evening.  After speeches, songs, poetry, and drama, Arthur Cowdrey capped off the event with a declamation in Latin from Virgil.  Presumably this was to wow the audience.  (Clearly, Mr. Pelton was able to teach his students a range of subjects.)  Miss A. B. Fletcher performed her fourth musical number, and the evening was finished.

Acton’s Private High Schools

We had thought that perhaps F. W. Pelton’s high school was unique to him.  However, a speech by one of his former students explained that Acton’s private high school, at least for a time, was an annual occurrence taken on by a college student during a break from his studies.  It allowed a college student to earn funds and benefited the townspeople by supplementing their publicly-funded education.  Eben H. Davis told Acton’s high school graduates in 1895 that:

“When I was a boy, the only high school in the town was a private enterprise, held but a few weeks in the fall, in the centre of the town, and kept by some college student to eke out his college expenses.  There was no orderly course of studies, but each student selected such branches as his fancy dictated or friends advised, for which he paid his own tuition.  In this way it was possible to obtain a smattering of Latin or Greek, an introduction to the elements of science, and some knowledge of mathematics.  But, in order to fit for college, I had to attend an academy, one hundred and fifty miles from home.  ... I would by no means speak lightly of the schools of my boyhood days... Nor were those brief terms of high school studies without influence.  They opened up to us new lines of thought, and the personality of the teachers, fresh from college and imbued with zeal for a higher education, made a strong impress.  It was through contact with such influences that I was inspired with an ambition to go to college.”  (Town Report 1896, p. 83-84)

Contrary to what we had expected, this high school was not simply for older students who had progressed beyond the curriculum of Acton’s schoolhouses.  Some of the students were fairly young.  From reading school committee reports of the time, we discovered that the public schools in the early 1850s had a summer term and a winter term; the private school in autumn obviously filled a gap, not just of higher learning, but in a time of the year when scholars would not have been able to continue their studies. 

We have not yet found all of the college students who led a private autumn high school in Acton, but we did find mention of a Mr. Cutler who seems to have run a popular private school in the fall of 1848.  The school committee report of 1848-1849 alludes to the difficulties of a Winter Term teacher, Dartmouth College graduate Mr. Whittier, who had come with great recommendations.  “Mr. Whittier, in assuming the duties of his school, was somewhat in the position of the poor king who followed the people’s favorite, when nature’s poet said, ‘As when a well graced actor leaves the stage, All eyes are idly bent on him that enters next.’  Mr. Cutler in his select school had won all hearts, both of parents and children, and they thought his like would never appear again.  This feeling among the leading scholars was a great injury to the school, which ought to have been one of the best.”  We will set aside research into Mr. Cutler’s identity for another day.  If anyone knows more about him or other Acton private school teachers, please let us know.

The 1852 Schoolmaster, F. W. Pelton

We know very little about F. W. Pelton’s brief time in Acton.  We were able to identify him because the 1853 school committee report mentioned hiring F. W. Pelton “of Union College” to teach the Centre School in the winter term 1853 after he had run a private school in Acton Center in the fall of 1852.  The mention of Union College allowed us to confirm that he was Florentine Whitfield Pelton, born in Somers, CT on April 23,1828 to Asa and Lois Pelton.  According to Jeremiah M. Pelton’s Genealogy of the Pelton Family in America (page 477-478), Florentine Pelton left home at a young age, supposedly taught in New Jersey, and furthered his studies at Wesleyan Academy in Wilbraham, MA and Union College. 

The year in which F. W. Pelton taught in Acton was an unusual one.  At town meeting the previous April, Acton had elected a School Committee of three clergymen.  All three had left town by the end of the year.  (One was Rev. J. T. Woodbury, discussed in a previous blog post.)  Ebenezer Davis and Herman H. Bowers wrote the subsequent School Committee report.  Two of Ebenezer Davis’ children had attended Pelton’s fall High School.

F. W. Pelton’s winter term at the public school seems to have been much less successful than his private school experience.  (School committees in the nineteenth century could be merciless in their reports, and teachers had no ability to present their viewpoint.)  It is likely that having 52 students of varying ages, with an average attendance of 44, was a contributing factor, as well as the fact that the curriculum would not have been driven by students’ interests as it was in the private school. 

Pelton may already have been in career transition during his Acton period.  He soon made the law his career, studying with C. R. Train and at Harvard Law.  He was admitted to the Middlesex County bar in 1855, and practiced first in Marlborough and then in Boston.  He married twice, first to Laura M. Buck, a graduate of the State Normal School at Framingham, MA, on Dec. 18, 1855.  The couple had two children before Laura died from complications of childbirth in 1860 in Newton where they were living at the time.  Pelton married Mary Reed Whitney in Waltham, MA on Nov. 20, 1862, and the couple had eight more children.  In addition to practicing law, Pelton dealt in real estate and was responsible for the construction of a number of houses in Dorchester, MA.  Toward the end of his life, he retired from the law, focusing on various business ventures.  He settled in Dedham, MA where he died of “chronic peritonitis,” probably a complication of his diabetes, on June 25, 1885 in Dedham. 

We found no reference to Florentine W. Pelton’s time in Acton in newspapers, family histories, or obituaries.  However, his experience there may have led to this thought from the report of the Newton Grammar School Sub-Committee, of which F. W. Pelton was a member in the 1860s: ”If the varied, difficult and exhausting work of the school-room could be understood at home, there would be more sympathy and less fault-finding with the teacher.”  (Annual Report, Mass. Board of Education, Vol. 27, 1864,  p. 92)  Indeed.

The Exhibition Participants

There are many names on Pelton’s 1852 Programme, but there were only a few that we could not track down.  Perhaps those students were not residents of Acton; the school committee report of 1853 mentioned that some private school scholars in the past had come from out of town. (p. 5)  In the rest of the cases, we found individuals who would have been between twelve and eighteen in the fall of 1852.  Among the sources we used were school committee reports; it is not surprising to find that young scholars who were enrolled in an extra school in the fall of 1852 were also commended for excellent attendance at the public schools.  

As best we can reconstruct it, the following is our list of Pelton’s high school exhibition participants:


  • R. P. Bass (actually Boss)
    • Robert Prior Boss, Jr. was born on January 9, 1840 in Charlestown, MA and died in Acton only months after the Exhibition, on July 29-30, 1853.  He is buried in Woodlawn Cemetery with his parents Capt. Robert P. Boss and Hannah Sampson.
    • For more information about the family, especially the father, see our blog post Searching for Captain Robert. 
  • William H. Bass (actually Boss)
    • William Henry Boss was born about May 1842 in Charlestown, Mass., son of Capt. Robert P. Boss and Hannah Sampson, brother of Robert, Jr.
    • Reported as neither absent nor tardy during the 1854 East School Winter Term in the school committee report.
    • For more information about William and the rest of the family, see our blog post Searching for Captain Robert.
    • During the Civil War, he enlisted in Company D, Third Regiment, Massachusetts Volunteer Heavy Artillery. 
    • Acton Memorial Library’s Online Civil War archives has more information about William Boss and his Civil War service.
  • Arthur Harris Cowdry (Cowdrey)
    • Arthur H. Cowdrey was born on Jan. 17, 1836 to Acton’s doctor Harris Cowdrey and Abigail Davis.  Harris Cowdrey who was on the school committee before and after F. W. Pelton’s Acton teaching.
    • Arthur attended Lawrence Academy in 1852 and 1853, studied medicine at Berkshire Medical School, Harvard Medical School and Jefferson Medical School.  Served in the Civil War and then practiced surgery and medicine in Stoneham.
    • Married Mary Walcott Emery on Feb. 16, 1859.  Two daughters: Maud and Helen.
    • Acton Memorial Library’s online Civil War Archives has more information about Arthur H. Cowdrey and his Civil War service.
  • Miss Alice E. Davis
    • Alice Elizabeth Davis was the daughter of Luther Davis and Elizabeth Horne.  She was born about 1840 in Acton.  Birth record not found.
    • Reported as neither absent nor tardy in Winter Terms 1852 & 1853, East School
    • She never married; she seems to have kept house for her father in their home at 292 Great Road after her mother died.  In 1880, she was keeping house for her brother.  In 1920, she was next to his family in the census.  She died in Acton on Jan. 31, 1929.
  • Eben Harlow Davis
    • Son of Ebenezer Davis and Susan Bradford.  Born in Acton around 1839.  Brother of Susan Augusta Davis, also on Pelton’s program.  (Ebenezer Davis came onto the School Committee during F. W. Pelton’s teaching year.)
    • Reported as neither absent nor tardy in Winter Term 1853 and 1854 East School Winter Terms
    • Prepared for college at Kimball Union Academy and graduated from Dartmouth College, Class of 1861.  Attended Harvard Law School for a year but had to teach to make ends meet.  Made teaching his career.
    • In the 1865 census, he was a teacher, age 25, living with his parents Ebenezer and Susan Davis and sister Susan Augusta.
    • Married Elizabeth B. Tainter in Watertown, MA on June 30, 1868.  Son: Robert.
    • Spent eight years as principal and superintendent in Nashua, NH, then several more as superintendent in Woburn, MA.
    • In 1884, Eben was elected superintendent of the Chelsea schools where his methods were apparently an acknowledged success.  He also became a noted textbook writer.
    • Examples of his textbooks:
      • First Reader
      • Third Reader
    • Wife Elizabeth died Dec. 25, 1895.  On July 5, 1897 in Boston, Eben married Esther D. Woodberry, (daughter of Charles & Esther). They divorced, and she remarried in 1908.
    • Died Dec. 2, 1915 in Chelsea, MA, buried in Acton.
  • N. Davis – Had male part in Uncle Tom’s Cabin.  We were not able to identify this person.
  • Susan Augusta Davis
    • Daughter of Ebenezer Davis and Susan Bradford, born about 1838 in Acton.  (Ebenezer Davis came onto the School Committee during F. W. Pelton’s teaching year.)  Sister of Eben H. Davis
    • Reported as neither absent nor tardy in Winter Term 1852, 1853 & 1854 East School
    • Taught in Acton schools.
    • Married Luther Conant, also a teacher, on Jan 21, 1869 in Acton. Children: Susan, Luther, Charlotte and Augustine.
    • Died in Acton 3 Feb. 1903.
  • Rev. Benjamin Dodge
    • Pastor, Congregational Orthodox Church, who had been installed Oct. 28, 1852, following the tenure of Rev. J. T. Woodbury
    • Born in Maine.
    • In the 1855 census in Acton, Rev. Dodge and family were in the household of Davis Parlin (and son Henry Davis Parlin, one of the Exhibition participants).  Family members were Rev. Dodge's wife Elizabeth and children DeForest Benjamin and Francilla Elizabeth.
    • Acton pastorate ended in April 1855.
  • Cyrus Granvill(e) Dole
    • Born 30 July 1838 to Cyrus and Sarah Ann (Hodgman) Dole, in Acton Center.
    • Married at age 34 to Frances A. Gassett.  Had two children, son Cyrus and daughter Augusta who married Chester B. Robbins.
    • He was a produce dealer and had a stall in the “New Faneuil Hall” for 54 years. 
    • Lived for many years in Cambridge or Boston.  In 1897, bought the house (487 Main St.) on the farm where he grew up, along with 40 acres, to use as a summer place.  Put on a fireworks show for the town there on July 4, 1897.
    • Died in Acton on 22 Sep 1920, age 82.
  • Charlotte C. Faulkner
    • Born in Framingham 8 June 1838, Charlotte Cornelia Faulkner, parents Winthrop E. & Martha Abigail (Bixby) Faulkner.  Nickname Lottie.  Sister of Winthrop H. Faulkner.
    • 1854 South School Winter Term – neither absent nor tardy
    • Taught in Acton schools for 17 years
    • Marriage (as Lottie C.) at age 37 to George F. Flagg on June 23, 1875 in Acton. (George was a mason, age 28, born in Concord).  Charlotte was widowed after only a few years.
    • Death Record names Charlotte Clemens Flagg, died Dec. 30, 1909, age 71 years, 6 months, 22 days.
  • Winthrop H. Faulkner
    • Born Jan. 14, 1841.  Son of Winthrop E. & Martha A. (Bixby) Faulkner, brother of Charlotte C.
    • 1852 and 1854 South School Winter Terms – neither absent nor tardy
    • Married Caroline A. Page on Nov. 22, 1865 in Lowell, MA.
    • Died March 10, 1885 in Cambridge, MA, where he was a grocer.
    • See Acton Memorial Library’s Online Civil Archives for information about Winthrop H. Faulkner’s Civil War service and later life.
  • Abigail Billings Fletcher
    • Abigail Billings Fletcher was born in Acton to John & Clarissa Fletcher.  (See our blog post about shoe manufacturer John Fletcher, his politics, business, and influence on Acton center.)
    • Abigail was reported as neither absent nor tardy in Winter Term 1853 Centre School (with F. W. Pelton, teacher)
    • Abigail Billings Fletcher married, at age 22, Henry Martin Smith of Worcester, age 26, on May 3, 1857 in Acton.  It was his second marriage.  He was the brother of another Pelton Exhibition student Carrie H. Smith.  The Society owns glass plate photographs from this Smith family. 
  • Benjamin Hapgood
    • With the caveat that Benjamin Hapgood was not a unique name in Acton, the most likely candidate is Benjamin, son of Simon and Mary Fraser.  In the 1850 census, he was aged 16 and had attended school within the year.  In 1855, he was listed as a farmer, still in Simon Hapgood’s household. Lived in vicinity of the households of Solomon Smith and Capt. Robert P. Boss, both of whose children also attended Pelton’s school.
    • Farmed in Acton throughout his life.  Apparently never married.
    • Died at age 86 years 3 months and 1 day in Acton on Feb. 28, 1920. 
  • Calvin Harris
    • The 1850 census shows the household of Calvin and Harriet Harris with 14-year-old Calvin P. Harris.  Assuming he was their child, we were not able to find out what happened to him in later life.  A Calvin P. Harris died elsewhere in MA later, but the father’s name was not Calvin. 
    • Reported as neither absent nor tardy in Winter Terms 1852 East School
  • Henry Hartwell
    • In the 1855 census, Henry Hartwell, age 20, was living with Silas & Lucinda Jones (a shoemaker, he must have been boarding with farmer Silas Jones.)
    • No other information available.
  • Cyrus Hosmer
    • Born in Acton to Samuel Hosmer and Jerusha Barker probably April 9, 1834
    • In 1850 household of Samuel Hosmer (with step-mother Mary Conant and her children Mary E. and Charles F. Spaulding, both Pelton High School students).  In 1855, Cyrus was listed in his own household with Mary Matilda Hosmer.
    • Occupation - in early adulthood, mast hoop maker like his father, later a mechanic or woodworker.
    • Married four times
      • Mary Matilda Brown, born in Stow to John Brown and Almira Chapin.  Married April 22, 1855 in Stow, died Nov. 3, 1863.  Children: Addie Sophia and John Franklin Hosmer.
      • Mary Esther Hutchins of Acton (born Westford c. 1835 to John & Lois), married on April 24, 1864.  She died in Westford, MA on Nov. 4, 1869.  Child Hattie Sargent Hosmer born Sept. 24 and died Oct. 4, 1869.
      • Lucy Maria Farrington, b. in Northborough, May 21, 1842 to Daniel and Mary Farrington, married in Lowell on April 19, 1870.  Died in Lowell July 26, 1890.  Child Wilbur Farrington Hosmer.
      • Martha Ann Lathrop on Sept. 15, 1891 in Boston.  (She was a dressmaker, born in Coles County, Illinois c. 1840 to Rufus Lathrop and Ruth Shaw.) Died in Dracut, MA Feb. 24, 1908.
    • Apparently lived in Acton, Westford, and Lowell at various points.
    • Died Feb. 6, 1919 in Wakefield, MA where he had been living with his son Wilbur.
  • A C Miles (female part in Uncle Tom’s Cabin) – This may have been a typo.  We were not able to pin down an A.C. Miles.
  • Annette E. Miles
    • Born in Littleton on Oct. 10, 1833 to physician John Murray Miles and Myra Kings (or possibly Taylor)
    • On Aug. 15, 1854, Annett married Martin J. Hubbard of Hopkinton, (a shoemaker, age 23, born Chesterfield NH son of Eben), probably in Groton on Aug 15, 1854.  (It was Martin’s 2nd marriage, Annette’s first). 
  • Augusta Sophia Miles
    • Augusta Sophia Miles born about 1836 in Littleton to Dr. John M. and Myra Miles
    • Reported as neither absent nor tardy in Winter Term 1853 Centre School (with F. W. Pelton, teacher)
    • 1854 Centre School Winter Term – mentioned as tardy only once, “from necessity”
    • Married Silas Raymond Huse, (b. Brookfield VT, residence Waterbury VT, son of Eben B. and Sophronia R. Huse) on Oct. 1. 1857 in Acton.  Apparently a double wedding with Luther R. Forbush (b. Acton to Abel & Susan Forbush, 2nd marriage) and Augusta’s sister Louisa Maria Miles (b. Littleton April 10, 1832, 1st marriage).
  • Edwin F. Parker
    • Edwin Francis Parker was living in the household of Asa and Eliza Parker in 1850 and 1855 (age 18) in Acton.  By 1855 Edwin was listed as a farmer.  Birth record not found for an Edwin or Francis Parker in Acton. 
    • Asa Parker died in Nov. 1855.  In January 1856, Edwin F. Parker of Acton, son of Asa, requested that George G. Parker of Milford, MA be appointed his guardian.
    • Edwin may have been the full brother of George G. Parker (born in Acton to Asa and Ann Margaret Parker) who graduated from Union College in 1852 and settled in Milford, MA in 1856.  The college may have been F. W. Pelton's connection to Acton.
    • An Edwin (middle initial possibly T.) Parker, a druggist born in Acton c. 1838 to Asa and Rachel Parker, married Amelia J. Aldrich of Milford, MA on May 1, 1861 in Sudbury.  The mother's name does not match either known wife of Asa Parker. 
  • Asaph Parlin
    • Asaph Parlin, son of Asaph and Sarah Farrar Sanderson, was born April 12, 1837 in Carlisle. 
    • Farmer. Married Candace Marie Pike on Feb. 21, 1861, resided in Acton. Son Gilman Henry.
    • Sister Mary Ann married Henry Davis Parlin, a distant cousin and fellow Pelton High School student.
    • In 1910, after they were both widowed. Asaph and sister Mary Ann lived together.  Asaph at that time was serving as school janitor.
    • Asaph died Oct. 11, 1922.
    • His home near the Town Hall and Memorial Library is now owned by the town of Acton.
  • H A Parlin – male part in Uncle Tom’s Cabin. 
    • This could have been an error.  We were not able to pin down an H. A. Parlin.
  • Henry Davis Parlin
    • Henry D. Parlin was born at Acton, Aug. 2, 1836 to Davis Parlin and his second wife Sarah Keyes.
    • Reported as neither absent nor tardy in the 1852 and 1854 Centre School Winter Terms.
    • Reported as neither absent nor tardy in Winter Term 1853 Centre School (with F. W. Pelton, teacher)
    • At age 23, Henry D. Parlin married Mary Ann Parlin, (daughter of Asaph Parlin, sister of classmate Asaph Parlin, and Henry’s 2nd cousin once removed.  She was born in Westford but was living in Acton.  Marriage in Acton on Nov. 17, 1859.
    • Served in the Civil War.  See Acton Memorial Library’s Online Civil War Archives information about Henry D. Parlin.
    • Died Dec. 14, 1899 in Acton.
  • Miss Mary Augusta Richardson
    • Mary Augusta Richardson, born July 3, 1840 in Acton to Charles F. Richardson and Mary Davis.  Mary was a Hosmer descendant.
    • At age 19, Mary Richardson, married Nov. 24, 1859 Francis (Frank) Hosmer of Acton.  Frank was age 24, a hoopmaker, born in Acton to Samuel and Jerusha Hosmer, brother of Pelton student Cyrus Hosmer and step-brother to Charles F. and Mary Elizabeth Spaulding, both also students at the Pelton school.
    • Mary died Aug. 4, 1926 in Acton.
  • Elbridge Jones Robbins
    • Son of Elbridge Robbins and Charlotte White, born in Acton in Oct. 1834
    • In the 1855 census, the family of Elbridge Robbins, age 44, included Elbridge Jones Robbins (age 20) and Luke Robbins (age 18)
    • At age 27, Elbridge J. Robbins (Produce Dealer) married Ellen Maria Ames on Feb. 13, 1862. She died of tuberculosis on Sept. 25, 1875 in Acton.
      • Sons Fred Linwood Robbins, George Laforest Robbins
    • Married Lelia A. Farnum on Dec. 28, 1876 in Acton. 
      • Son Chester B. Robbins
    • Farmer and cattle dealer in East Acton.
    • See Acton Memorial Library’s Online Civil War Archives information about Elbridge J. Robbins
  • Luke Robbins
    • Born in Acton Sept. 3, 1837 to Elbridge and Charlotte (White) Robbins.  Brother of Elbridge J. Robbins. 
    • In the 1855 census, he (age 18) and his brother Elbridge Jones Robbins (age 20) were both listed in the family of Elbridge Robbins, age 44.
    • Served in the Civil War in the Navy, killed in action in Galveston, Texas on May 24, 1865.
    • See Acton Memorial Library’s Online Civil War Archives information about Luke Robbins
  • Luke Jones Robbins
    • Born in Acton Sept. 6, 1836 to Luther Robbins and Lucinda Jones
    • Worked as a carpenter.  Served in the Civil War.
    • Married three times
      • Anne E. Clough, born Saco, ME c. 1835. Married Dec 14, 1856, probably in Holliston, MA where both were living.  Died Sept. 28, 1865 in Acton.
      • Mary Warren Blodgett, born in Acton July 10, 1843 to Jonas and Ann E. W. (Piper) Blodgett.  Married Feb. 3, 1867 in Acton.  Died Nov. 28, 1876 in Acton.
        • Sons: Horace Herbert Robbins, Harry G. Robbins
      • Julia Anna Barrett, born Stoddard, NH c. 1842 to Levi & Julia Barrett.  Married Feb. 25, 1877 in Acton.
    • Died Feb. 8, 1912 in Acton.
    • See Acton Memorial Library’s Online Civil War Archives information about Luke J. Robbins
  • F. Russel (male part in Uncle Tom’s cabin) – No further information has been uncovered
  • Caroline Hayward Smith
    • Carrie Hayward Smith was born in Acton on Sept. 19, 1836 to Solomon Smith & Catherine E. Faulkner.
    • Reported as neither absent nor tardy in Winter Terms 1852, 1853 and 1854 East School
    • Married pencil manufacturer Horace R. Hosmer on April 30, 1868 in Acton.  (He was age 37, born Concord to Joseph & Lydia (Davis) Hosmer, his 2nd marriage.)  Carrie’s brother Henry also went into the pencil manufacturing business.
    • Child: Emily Bertha Hosmer
    • Carrie died of chromic Epilepsy on March 2, 1900 in Acton.
  • Charles Francis Spaulding
    • Born about 1837 to Charles and Mary (Conant) Spaulding
    • In the 1850 census, he was living with his mother Mary and stepfather Samuel Hosmer (Mast Hoop Maker).  Also in the household were his sister Mary E. Spaulding and Cyrus Hosmer, apprentice, both Pelton High School students.
    • Reported as neither absent nor tardy in Winter Term 1853 Centre School (with F. W. Pelton, teacher)
    • In the 1855 census, Charles Francis Spaulding, student, was still in the household of Samuel and Mary Conant Spaulding Hosmer, along with his sister Mary Elizabeth Spaulding
    • Charles died Dec. 12, 1859 in Acton of Consumption.  He was listed as a student, aged 22.
  • C. H. Spaulding – A male part in Uncle Tom’s Cabin
    • No other information available.  Possibly a typo.
  • Miss Mary Elizabeth Spaulding
    • Born b. 1840 (possibly on March 26) in Brighton or Cambridgeport, MA to Charles Hastings Spaulding and Mary Conant, sister of Charles Francis Spaulding.
    • In the 1850 census, she was living with mother Mary and stepfather Samuel Hosmer (Mast Hoop Maker).  Also in the household were her brother Charles F. Spaulding, Cyrus Hosmer, apprentice, and Francis “Frank” Hosmer.
    • Reported as neither absent nor tardy in Winter Term 1853 Centre School (with F. W. Pelton, teacher) and in the 1853 Summer Centre School
    • Married William H. Teele, an Acton farmer, on July 31, 1856 in Concord, MA (?) at age 16.  (See his entry below.)  Ten children.
    • Descendants have donated various items from the Teele family to the Society.
    • Died May 3, 1908 in Acton.
  • William H. Teel (Teele)
    • Born about 1837 in Charlestown or Somerville, MA to Jonathan W. Teele and Emeline Learned.
    • Married Mary Elizabeth Spaulding (see her entry above).  Ten children, eight of whom lived to adulthood.
    • Farmed and had ice business for many years in West Acton.  Sold to the Boston market. 
    • Lived in Acton 70+ years.  Died in Acton on Jan. 2, 1923.
  • Miss Angelia Tuttle
    • Born May 30, 1838 in Acton Center to Joseph W. Tuttle and Henrietta Jones.  Their family lived briefly in Shirley and Leominster after her birth, then came back to Acton Center and South Acton.
    • According to a reminiscence at Jenks Library, Angelia attended school for a time in Cambridge, probably after the 1852 school.
    • Also according to the reminiscence, she married Edward Nelson Robbins at #38 Sheafe Street in Boston on Nov. 12, 1857, although Acton’s vital records indicated that she married him Nov. 13, 1857 in Acton.  He was born in Acton, the son of Tilly and Joanna Robbins.  Children: Nettie and Clifford Warren Robbins.
    • During the 1860s and 18780s, the family moved a number of times, living in South Acton, Boston, and Chelsea, MA and Keene, NH in 1870-1872.  Spent late 1870s-1898 in South Acton.
    • Husband Edward died in 1898.  Angelia spent time in Waltham and South Acton after that.
    • Died Oct. 14, 1932 in Waltham, MA.
  • H Tuttle (female part in Uncle Tom’s Cabin)
    • We were not able to determine who this person was.
  • Mary Maria Tuttle
    • Born in Acton, MA c. Jan. 1837 to Charles and Maria Hildreth Tuttle.  In the 1850 census, her family was listed immediately after the Asaph Parlin family. 
    • Reported as neither absent nor tardy in Winter Term 1853 Centre School (with F. W. Pelton, teacher)
    • 1854 Centre School Winter Term – mentioned as tardy only once, “from necessity”
    • In 1860, Mary M. Tuttle, 23, was living with her parents and working as a teacher.
    • On Aug. 1, 1862 in Thetford, VT, married Thomas N. Chase whose career included teaching at Atlanta University.
    • Died Rockingham, VT on April 24, 1900 at age 63 years, 3 months, and 6 days. Birthplace given as Acton, MA.
  • Miss Sophia Taylor Tuttle
    • Sophia Taylor Tuttle was born in Acton on Aug. 14, 1839 to Francis Tuttle and Harriet Wetherbee, the youngest of 12 children.  In 1846, her family moved to the house now home to the Acton Historical Society.
    • Working at her brother James Tuttle’s store in South Acton, she met Andrew Thomas Haynes, a trader, whom she married on Dec. 25, 1862.  The marriage would have taken place at the Society’s “Hosmer” House. 
    • The couple lived briefly in Springfield, MA and then settled in North Sudbury where Thomas died of Tuberculosis on July 13, 1866.
    • Sophia moved back to Acton and lived in her siblings’ households in South Acton for the rest of her life.
    • Sophia died Mar. 23, 1924 in Acton.  She was buried with her husband in Sudbury, MA. 
  • Miss Clara Wetherby (Wetherbee)
    • Born 16 Sept. 1839 in Acton to Daniel Wetherbee and Clarissa Jones
    • 1854 East School Winter Term – neither absent nor tardy
    • Listed as a former student in Catalogue of the Teachers and Pupils of the Concord School, as of June 1, 1860.  This was a private school (49 Sudbury Road) run by Franklin Benjamin Sanborn, a Harvard graduate and friend of Ralph Waldo Emerson.  It was in existence ~1857-1862. 
    • Married 11 Sept. 1866 to Joseph R. Bassett in Acton.  Three (known) children: Minnie G., Blanche M., and Eva C.
    • Died Acton 31 July 1892 of anemia in Acton.


Obviously, our synopses of the lives of the participants in Pelton’s exhibition are brief, but it is clear that his students had a variety of life experiences in later years.  Some stayed in Acton while others found opportunities elsewhere.  They faced the tumultuous 1850s and 1860s in which the issues that were discussed in the Exhibition eventually led to the Civil War.  Despite their different life circumstances, all were probably, as Eben H. Davis said, “opened to new lines of thought” as a result of their time in Pelton’s High School.

We would like to acknowledge Elizabeth Conant (1929 - 2013) whose years of work at Jenks Library are still yielding insights for us and whose helpful notes on Pelton’s Programme got us started on this project.

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