The Browne School Teachers - 1936/1938: Ethel (Coultas) Pike

Ethel (Coultas) Pike followed the five school terms of Bertha Finnestad at the Browne school.   Ethel taught the 1936 - 1937 and 1937 - 1938 school years.

Ethel Mary (Coultas) Pike was born in Artesia township, Iroquois county, Illinois on May 1, 1884 to Florence E Purinton and William Wallace Coultas.     The 1900 US Census lists Ethel living (lines 64 - 68) with her parents and siblings Bertha and Avis.   The family is living in Cortland, Cortland township, DeKalb county, Illinois.

Ethel's father is listed as a school principal.

Ethel's photo appeared in the yearbook, the Northern in 1904 as a member of the senior class of the Northern Illinois State Normal School.

Ethel Mary Coultas and Oscar Garfield Pike applied for a marriage license and were married on September 15, 1906 in St. Joseph, Berrien county, Michigan.

The marriage was announced on the front page of the November 10, 1906 edition of The True Republican.  The article mentions Ethel graduated from the Normal school and had taught at a school in Berwyn, Cook county, Illinois.

The 1910 US Census lists Ethel Mary (Coultas) Pike living (lines 28 - 30) with her husband Oscar and their son Edwin in Chicago, Cook county, Illinois.

Ethel is not listed as being employed.

The 1920 US Census lists Ethel Pike living (lines 78 - 82) with husband Oscar and their children, Edwin, Mary Jane and Helen Jean living in Shabbona, Shabbona township, DeKalb, Illinois.

Again, Ethel is not listed as being employed.

Ethel's husband, Oscar Garfield Pike passed away on May 29, 1929 in Chicago, Cook County, Illinois.   His obituary was published on page 5 of the June 6, 1929 edition of the DeKalb County Express.

Oscar's obituary notes that his wife Ethel (Coultas) was the daughter of former County Superintendent of Schools, William Wallace Coultas.

In 1930 the US Census lists Ethel living (lines 1 - 4) with her children Edwin, Mary and Helen in Chicago, Cook county, Illinois.

Ethel is working for a corset company as a corsetier. 

Ethel's father W. W. Coultas passed away May 16, 1932 in DeKalb, DeKalb county, Illinois.  His obituary provides much more detail of his life's journey than most obituaries.   It appeared on page 3 in the May 26, 1932 edition of the DeKalb County Express.

The 1940 US census lists Ethel living (lines 60 - 64) with her daughter, Mary Jane (Pike) Harris, Mary's husband Stanley and their children Nancy and John.    The family is living in Malta, Malta township, DeKalb county, Illinois.

Ethel is listed as a teacher for a rural school.   I do not know which school Ethel taught at following her 2 year stint at the Browne school from 1936 - 1938.

Ethel Mary (Coultas) Pike passed away on August 11, 1969 in DeKalb, DeKalb county, Illinois.  Her memorial can be viewed here.