 1873 - 1957 (84 years)
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| Name |
Mary Ann Purcell [2] |
| Birth |
27 Jun 1873 |
St-Alphonse de Rodriguez, Joliette, Québec, Canada  [3] |
| Christening |
28 Jun 1873 |
St-Alphonse de Rodriguez, Joliette, Québec, Canada [3] |
| Gender |
Female |
| _UID |
8313A16262674DFC9BECF53DAFB2D2801729 |
| Death |
20 Sep 1957 |
Sedro-Woolley, Skagit, Washington, USA [1] |
| Person ID |
I9330 |
broderick |
| Last Modified |
4 Jan 2016 |
| Father |
Christopher Purcell, b. 6 Oct 1846, St-Alphonse de Rodriguez, Joliette, Québec, Canada d. Yes, date unknown |
| Mother |
Margaret Cannon, b. 22 Jul 1845, St-Alphonse de Rodriguez, Joliette, Québec, Canada d. Yes, date unknown |
| Marriage |
7 Feb 1871 |
St-Alphonse de Rodriguez, Joliette, Québec, Canada [4] |
| Family ID |
F368 |
Group Sheet | Family Chart |
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| Sources |
- [S39] See text, Miscellaneous webpages, (See text), http://www.skagitriverjournal.com/S-W/Pioneer/Post1900/Purcell1.html (Reliability: 3).
Mary Purcell meant education in Sedro-Woolley
Now her name is only known because of her namesake school, but for much of the first half of the 20th century, Mary Purcell embodied education here. Her first cousin twice removed, Mary (Purcell) Greene helped us research Purcell's childhood. Born in St. Alfonse, Quebec, on June 27, 1873, she was an only child and came with her parents as a school-age child to Custer, Michigan, where she received her early education. In May 1893, as the nationwide financial Depression set in, she graduated from an Industrial School of Business in Big Rapids, Michigan, and returned to teach in the Custer and Stewart public schools. She moved to Skagit County in 1901, apparently to join relatives here, and temporarily took a teaching position at Rexville, which later was consolidated with LaConner schools.
In the spring of 1902 she moved to Sedro-Woolley to live with her relatives, the Paul Neilan family, and replaced Miss Winnie McGrath for the next school year at Sedro Graded School. At that time there were only nine teachers in the Sedro-Woolley district, including a kindergarten teacher and one for the first classes of the planned high school. She was a classroom teacher until 1909, when she was promoted to teaching-principal of the graded school. Two schools stood on the site by then. We found in a 1937 history of schools that the new high school building was constructed in 1902 where the tennis courts now stand north of Central School. When the new term started in August (there was no Labor Day holiday then), students in both schools were allowed to hold an election to name their schools. The students in grades 1-5 at Sedro Graded School named theirs for their favorite U.S. pioneer, Benjamin Franklin. Students in grades 6-8 and the high school classes chose to name theirs for the famed writer, Washington Irving, who was very popular at the time. Irving died in 1859 and was most popular for his book, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.
In July 1918 Purcell earned her "Life Certificate" after additional training at the state Normal School in Bellingham. In 1925 she was appointed principal of both schools until they were razed the next year and replaced by the new Central School. She remained as principal until 1947, when she resigned and retired. She was lauded in a special ceremony in the spring that year. Two years later School District 101 broke ground on the new Mary Purcell Primary School on Bennett Street and it opened for students in September 1951. Your editor was a second-grade student that year, with Miss Denton as teacher. Miss Purcell died Sept. 20, 1957, at age 86.
Story posted on March 27, 2011
This article originally appeared in Issue 53 of our Subscribers-paid Journal online magazine
- [S262] United States. Bureau of the Census, United States Census, 16th, 1940, Washington, Skagit, Sedro-Woolley, ED29-74, sht 11A, img 21, ln 11 (Reliability: 3).
Name: Mary Purcell
Respondent: Yes
Age: 67
Estimated birth year: abt 1873
Gender: Female
Race: White
Birthplace: Canada
Marital Status: Single
Relation to Head of House: Head
Home in 1940: Sedro-Woolley, Skagit, Washington
Map of Home in 1940: View Map
Street: Nelson Street
House Number: 435
Farm: No
Citizenship: Naturalized
Sheet Number: 11A
Number of Household in Order of Visitation: 281
House Owned or Rented: Owned
Value of Home or Monthly Rental if Rented: 4000
Attended School or College: No
Highest Grade Completed: College, 4th year
Hours Worked Week Prior to Census: 40
Class of Worker: Wage or salary worker in Government work
Weeks Worked in 1939: 52
Income: 200
Income Other Sources: No
Household Members:
Name Age
Mary Purcell 67
Paul Nerton 50
Jeanett Smith 28
- [S7] Ancestry.com, Québec Vital and Church Records (Drouin Collection), 1621-1967., ([database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 2008. Includes images of the actual copies of parish registers submitted to the central authorities.), St-Alphonse de Rodriguez, 1873, pp 10v&11, B-22, img 11 (Reliability: 3).
On 28 Jun 1873 was baptized Mary Ann, born yesterday to Christopher Purcell of this parish and Margaret Cannon. Sponsors were Timothy Kelly, farmer of the parish of St-Ambroise de Kildare, and Mary Cannon, his wife.
- [S7] Ancestry.com, Québec Vital and Church Records (Drouin Collection), 1621-1967., ([database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 2008. Includes images of the actual copies of parish registers submitted to the central authorities.), St-Alphonsse, 1871, pp 2&v, M-2, img 2=3 (Reliability: 3).
Bride the daughter of Derby Cannon and Bridget O'Mealea.
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