The Browne School Teachers - 1925/1926: Bert Male

Following Beatrice Nathalie Holderness, Bert Male taught at the Browne school for the 1925 - 1926 school year.    Bert's cousins Jennie Male and Olive Male taught at the Browne school earlier in the decade.

Bert Male was born in Malta township, DeKalb county, Illinois on November 29, 1905 to Petra (Hall) and Osmund (Pederson) Male.      The 1910 US Census lists Bert living (lines 31 - 39) in Malta township with his parents and siblings Joseph, Annie, Peter, Lester and a cousin, Kernal Hall as well as a servant, Olga Oleson.

Bert's cousins, Jennie and Olive Male live next door, listed just above Bert's family on the census.

The 1920 US Census lists Bert living (lines 39 - 44) in Malta township with his parents and siblings, Joseph, Annie and Lester.

On October 24, 1920, Bert Male was confirmed at Calvary Lutheran Church in Milan township, DeKalb county, Illinois.     Bert is in the back row on the far left in the photo below.

Bert was teaching at the Browne school while taking courses at the teacher's college in DeKalb, Illinois.  On the front page of the May 26, 1927 edition of The DeKalb Daily Chronicle the list of graduates from the Normal Teacher's College were announced, including Bert Male on page 2.    

The August 30, 1929 edition of The DeKalb Daily Chronicle announced the names of teachers for the Malta grade and high schools on page 6.   Bert Male was to teach the 7th and 8th grades.

The 1930 US Census lists Bert Male living (lines 81 - 85) with his parents Omund and Petra and brother Lester as well as a laborer, John Ness in Malta township, DeKalb county, Illinois.

The census lists Bert employed as a public school teacher.

The 1940 US Census lists Bert living (lines 33 - 37) with his wife, Sophia Mae Moland and their children Marcia and Mary Linn as well as a laborer, Thomas Kingstad.    Bert's sister Anna is listed toward the top of the census with her husband Orlando Berg and their children.

The census lists Bert working as a farmer with no mention of his work as a school teacher.   

On October 16, 1940, Bert Male completed his World War II draft registration.

Bert Male passed away October 5, 1998 in Malta township, DeKalb county, Illinois.    

The memorial for Bert Male can be viewed here.

The Browne School Teachers - 1924/1925: Beatrice Nathalie Holderness

Beatrice Nathalie Holderness taught at the Browne school for the 1924 - 1925 school year, following the 3 years taught by Jennie Male.

Beatrice Nathalie Holderness was born in DeKalb, DeKalb county Illinois on December 25, 1902 to Cara (Carrie) Dell Caswell and Thomas Burton Holderness.     The 1900 US Census lists Beatrice living (lines 63 - 67) with her parents and siblings, Florence and Golda in DeKalb, Illinois.

The 1920 US Census lists Beatrice living (lines 85 - 90) with her parents Bert (Burton) and Carrie and sisters Florence, Golda and Elizabeth in DeKalb, Illinois.

Beatrice Nathalie Holderness attended Northeastern Illinois University in Chicago, Illinois.     This photo depicts the junior class in 1922, however the names are not listed.   

The 1930 US Census lists Beatrice living (lines 55 - 60) with her parents Bert and Carrie and sisters Florence, Golda and Elizabeth in DeKalb, Illinois.     Beatrice is listed as being employed as a filing clerk by a bond company.     I do not know whether Beatrice Nathalie Holderness continue to teach following her assignment to the Browne school in 1924 - 1925.

The 1940 US Census lists Beatrice living (lines 15 - 17) as a lodger at the home of Lillian and Roy Skorborg in DeKalb, Illinois.    Beatrice is employed as a seamstress for interior decorating.

Beatrice Nathalie Holderness passed away on August 18, 1981 in Seattle, King County, Washington.  Burial took place in DeKalb, Illinois according to an obituary which I've been unable to obtain.

August 3, 1922 - Milan Township Financial Statement

The Shabbona Express published the Milan township financial statement on page 2 of their August 3, 1922 edition.      The financial statement covers the period from July 1, 1921 - June 30, 1922.

There was little change in the financial statement from the previous year.     No increase in the teacher's salary and $3.00 for fuel, light, power, water and supplies seems really cheap.       The $15 for janitor expenses would seem to support the conditions of the rural school outlined here.

The Browne School Teachers - 1921/1924: Jennie Male

Following Olive Male who taught at the Browne school during the 1920 - 1921 school year, Jennie Male replaced her younger sister for 3 school terms:   1921 - 1922, 1922 - 1923 and 1923 - 1924. 

Jennie Male was born in Malta township, DeKalb county, Illinois on September 5, 1899 to Martha (Osmundson) and Ole Male.    Olive first appears in the 1900 US Census living (lines 23 - 29) with her parents and siblings Oscar, Peter and Ella as well as a boarder, Oley Tysdal.

The 1910 US Census lists Jennie living (lines 23 - 30) with her parents and siblings, Oscar, Peter, Ella, Olive and Laura.    The family was residing in Malta township, DeKalb county, Illinois.

Jennie attended the Calvary Lutheran Church in Milan township, DeKalb county and completed the confirmation process on October 13, 1913.

Jennie is seated in the front row, furthest to the left.

The 1920 US Census shows the Male family is still living in Malta township.   Jnnie was living (lines 32 - 38) with her parents, Ole and Martha and her siblings, Peter, Ella, Olive and an adopted brother, Roland Vollow.     The census indicates Jennie is not employed.

On page 3 of the October 21, 1921 issue of The DeKalb Daily Chronicle, an announcement was made for an upcoming Basket Social which would take place on October 28, 1921.    Jennie Male is mentioned as the teacher at the Browne school.  Note the 'e' has dropped off from the Browne name.

Page 4 of the September 20, 1922 edition of The True Republican published the names of rural school teachers for the year.     Jennie Male is listed under the Malta listing for the Browne school, #80.

Jennie Male made the newspaper again on page 6 of the September 13, 1924 edition of The DeKalb Daily Chronicle.   Jennie had donated books geared toward 1st - 8th graders to the Malta public library.     Most likely these books were used at the Browne school.    Jennie would have finished her last year teaching at the Browne school a few months earlier, either in May or June 1924.

The 1930 US Census lists Jennie living (lines 86 - 89) with her parents, Ole and Martha and adopted brother, Roland Vollow still living in Milan township, DeKalb county, Illinois.    It is interesting the census does not mention Jenny's employment as a schoolteacher.

Page 6 of the February 6, 1937 edition of The True Republican reported that Jennie Male was deemed insane and committed to the Elgin State Hospital.   Interestingly, mental illness was not necessarily a reason for someone to be committed to an institution.

In 1940, the US Census lists Jennie living with her father, Ole in Malta township.    I did not locate a census for that year in the town of Elgin; apparently Jennie's stay at the Elgin State Hospital was for a short time, if at all.

Jennie Male passed away November 5, 1993 in DeKalb, DeKalb county, Illinois according to her obituary.

The memorial for Jenny can be found here.

July 21, 1921 - Milan Township Financial Statement

The Shabbona Express published the Milan township financial statement on page 6 of their July 1, 1921 edition.    The paper listed the financials for the individual rural schools for the July 1, 1920 - June 30, 1921, unlike the previous year's financial statement.

The Browne school district #80 began the year with $474.75 and ended with $1507.52.    

The Browne school expenses for teacher salaries for the year was $895.    The value in 2021 when considering inflation would be $12,995.90 which is not considered a living wage.

New equipment for the year totaled $94.12.   I wonder if that was for gym equipment.      The value of $94.12 in 2021 would be $1,366.67 adjusted for inflation, a better outcome than the annual salary.

The photo above might have been similar to the merry-go-round at the Browne school.

The Browne School Teachers - 1920/1921: Olive Male

In the fall of 1920, Olive Male* followed either Gertrude Nealis or Allene Griffin teaching at the Browne school.     Gertrude married just days prior to the 1920 US Census, so it's most likely Allene Griffin taught the 1920 school winter and spring semester at the Browne school.      Olive taught for the 1920 - 1921 school year.

Olive Male was born in Malta township, DeKalb county, Illinois on March 13, 1902 to Martha (Osmundson) and Ole Male.    Olive first appears in the 1910 US Census living (lines 23 - 30) with her parents and siblings, Oscar, Peter, Ella, Jennie and Laura.    The family was residing in Malta township, DeKalb county, Illinois.

Olive went through the confirmation process and was confirmed at her church, Calvary Lutheran in Milan township, DeKalb county on September 15, 1915.

Olive is sitting the furthest to the left in the photo above.

The 1920 US Census shows the Male family is still living in Malta township.   Olive was living (lines 32 - 38) with her parents, Ole and Martha and her siblings, Peter, Ella, Jennie and an adopted brother, Roland Vollow.     The census indicates Olive is not employed.

Olive Male made the news on page 8 of the May 26, 1922 issue of The DeKalb Daily Chronicle when they reported Olive hosted an ice cream social at her school.   The name of the school was not mentioned, but it would have been a rural school in Milan township following her 1920 - 1921 teaching assignment at the Browne school.

Unrelated to her profession as a teacher, Olive Male was involved in a car accident on September 3, 1922 as reported on the front page of The DeKalb Daily Chronicle in their September 5, 1922 issue.

 

In 1930, the US Census indicates Olive Male had moved to Sioux City, Woodbury county, Iowa and was teaching as a public school teacher.     Olive was living (lines 44 - 46) in the household of Aida Smith and her son Kenneth.

Two years later, on July 30, 1932 at the First Lutheran Church in Lee county, Illinois, Olive Male and Reverend Sakarias Harry (Fredrickson) Stoutland.

The 1940 US Census lists Olive (Male) Stoutland living (lines 12 - 16) in the village of Creston, Dement township, Ogle county, Illinois with her husband, Harry and their children Frederick, Martha and Oliver.    Olive is not listed as being employed.    This was common among single female schoolteachers.  Often they dropped out of the workforce following a marriage.

Olive (Male) Stoutland passed away February 26, 1986 in DeKalb, DeKalb county, Illinois and was laid to rest at the Union cemetery in Alto township, Lee county, Illinois next to the Calvary Lutheran Church located across the country line in Milan township, DeKalb county, Illinois.    

Olive's obituary appeared in the February 27, 1986 edition of The DeKalb Daily Chronicle.

Olive's memorial can be viewed here.

*Male is spelled Mæle in Norway from Nedre Mæle, Årdal, Rogaland, Norway.    Årdal is a local parish within the parish of Hjelmeland in the county of Rogaland.