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.