The Browne School Teachers - 1910/1911: Mary Jordan

Following Florence Horn who taught at the Browne school 1909 - 1910, Mary Jordan taught at the Browne school during the for the 1910 - 1911 term.

I was unable to locate any documents that confirmed Mary Jordan was a teacher, other than the book published by the DeKalb County Historical and Genealogical Society.    Searching through census records the most likely Mary Jordan to have taught at the Browne school would have been the Mary Jordan living in the adjoining township nearest the Browne school, which was Afton to the east of Milan township.

Mary Elizabeth Jordan was born in DeKalb county, Illinois on March 20, 1892 to Michael and Elizabeth* (Gormley) Jordan.     In 1900, Mary Jordan was living (lines 58 - 62) in Pierce township, DeKalb county, Illinois with her father, Michael and her brother, Thomas and their half brother and sister, John and Josephine.    Mary's mother Elizabeth (Gormley) Jordan passed away in 1896 in DeKalb county, Illinois.

By the time of the 1910 US Census, Mary had moved in (lines 9 - 12) with her half sister Josephine and family, Michael Gallagher and their son, Michael Jr.     They were living in Afton township, DeKalb county, Illinois.     Mary Jordan was 18 at the time the census; no profession was listed.    The census does state she had attended school since September 1, 1900.

The 1905 Afton township map indicates the Gallagher family was living in the northeast quarter of Section 14.     Ethel Mosher who taught at the Browne school in 1908 - 1909 lived nearby in the eastern portion of Section 16.

The Browne school was located in Section 1 of Milan township, adjoining Section 6 of Afton township in the upper left hand corner of the Afton township map.

Sometime between the end of Mary's first year teaching and prior to February 21, 1914, she married William Patrick McCormick Sr.

On March 1, 1914 Mary and husband William moved from Elva, Afton township to Cortland, DeKalb county, Illinois according to the February 14, 1914 edition of The True Republican, page 2.  Elva is the black square shown above in the southeast corner of Section 9 of Afton township, DeKalb county, Illinois.

The 1920 US Census lists Mary Elizabeth (Jordan) McCormick living (lines 37 - 41) with her husband, William and their children, William, Robert and Mary in Cortland township, DeKalb county, Illinois.   No profession is listed for Mary and I've not been able to locate any documentation that she had taught beyond her time at the Browne school from 1910 - 1911.

The 1930 US Census lists Mary living (lines 34 - 37) in Oak Park Village, Cicero township, Cook county, Illinois with husband William and two of their children, Robert and Mary.

In 1940, the US Census lists Mary living (lines 44 - 49) in Maywood Village, Proviso township, Cook county, Illinois with husband William, children Robert, Mary, James and niece, Phyllis Gallagher.

Mary Elizabeth (Jordan) McCormick's memorial and obituary can be found here.

*Elizabeth Gormley was the sister of Michael Jordan's first wife, Anne Gormley.    Following Anne's death, Michael Jordan married his sister-in-law, Elizabeth.