May Higdon Papers

Collection

Identifier: M117

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

This collection contains a Bible, a notebook, two letters of recommendation, a social letter, a teacher’s certificate, a church program, and two newspapers relating to the life and work of Miss May Higdon, who taught in Mississippi's public schools for many years. The collection consists of four folders.

In the first folder is a small New Testament Bible, dated 1885. This Bible was presented to Ella May Higdon on June 3, 1889, and is inscribed in a child’s cursive handwriting. E. V. Sherar was the book agent who presented her with the Bible.

The second folder contains a notebook. It has several pages of hand written mathematical word problems, and the names and ages of May Higdon's students at the schools in which she taught (Gilchrist, Homochitto, Chamberlain, Topisaw, Nola, Newell, Macedonia, Mission Hill, Wesson, and Riceville Consolidated). She also has written in the names of the Principals and Assistant Principals for four of her schools (Macedonia, Mission Hill, Wesson and Riceville Consolidated), and a list of the faculty at Wesson. Towards the end of the notebook are three personal notes that begin with “Remember well…”

Folder number three contains a variety of personal materials. The first item is a letter of recommendation from A. H. Ellett of Blue Mountain, Mississippi, May 21, 1903. It is addressed to "School Authorities", informing them of May Higdon's skills and personality. The second item is also a letter of recommendation written by C. W. Grafton, Wesson, Mississippi, July 21, 1909. The letter informs its recipient of May Higdon's good religious background, skills and personality. The next letter, dated January 29, 1908, is to May Higdon from her Aunt Hattie, and it discusses flowering plants, the illness of Miss Higdon's mother, and Uncle Dennis' 61st birthday. The fourth item is May Higdon’s lifetime teacher’s certificate, dated September 4, 1908. The final item is a program for the 100th Anniversary of the Organization of East Fork Church in Amite County, Mississippi, dated September 10, 1910.

There are two newspapers in this collection. "The Golden Age" is a newspaper printed in Atlanta, Georgia and dated January 30, 1908. "The New Standard" is a Blue Mountain, Mississippi newspaper, dated May 14, 1903. The paper features articles by the students and faculty of Blue Mountain College, including a lengthy article titled, "An Address", written by May Higdon’s former teacher, A. H. Ellett.

Dates

1889-1927

Conditions Governing Access

Noncirculating; available for research.

Conditions Governing Use

This collection may be protected from unauthorized copying by the Copyright Law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code).

Biographical / Historical

Ella May Higdon grew up in Caseyville, Mississippi, a town that was originally in Copiah County, but is now in Lincoln County. Little information is available concerning her family, but it is known that she had an aunt named Hattie and uncle named Dennis.

While May Higdon was attending the Blue Mountain Female College, she studied under Mr. Albert Hamilton Ellett, the Director of the Training School and the author of four books: "The Poems of Professor A. H. Ellett", "Ellett’s Outline of U.S. History", "Outline of Mississippi History", and "The Federal Union and Mississippi; a Civil Government for use in the Grammar Grades of the Public Schools".

May Higdon’s first job after college was to teach the winter semester at the Gilchrist School in Jasper County, Mississippi, where her students ranged from the ages of six to sixteen. She moved on to Homochitto School in Amite County for the summer session of 1904. She continued to work at a different school every year (Chamberlain, Topisaw, and Nola) until she reached the Newell Shed School in 1907. Her students at this school ranged between the ages of five and eighteen.

While Higdon was working at the Newell Shed School, she was lucky enough to earn her Lifetime Teachers Certificate in 1908. This certificate was signed by Joe Cook, E. Brown, and Y.W. Huddleston. Joe Cook later became the first President of the Mississippi Normal College (now the University of Southern Mississippi).

Higdon continued teaching at Newell Shed School until 1909, when she became the principal at Macedonia School for a year. She moved to another principal position in the Centerville, Mission Hill School in 1910. In 1911 she began teaching fourth grade at Wesson High School, where her students ranged in age from eight to fifteen. Records indicate that she taught there until 1913. In 1926 she became the assistant principal at the Riceville Consolidated School in Harrison County, and stayed there for a year.

Extent

.25 Cubic Feet : MC1/D5

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Provenance

Unknown. The collection was accessioned in December 1979.

Existence and Location of Copies

For Digitized Materials from this collection, see: External Documents link at bottom of page.

Sources

Contents of the Collection.

Brieger, James F. "Hometown Mississippi", Second Edition. 1980.

Mississippi State Census: 1900, 1910.

Subjects

Certificates. Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
Church bulletins. Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
Clippings (Books, newspapers, etc.). Subject Source: TGM II, Genre and physical characteristic terms
Fliers (Ephemera). Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
Letter. Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
Newspapers. Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
Teachers. Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
Teaching -- Outlines, syllabi, etc. Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings