Edythe Ann Quinn:
CLASS OF 1900
Illinois Soldiers & Sailors Childrens SchoolClass of 1900
Normal, IL
Edythe Ann's Story
While I am not a "Homer," I am researching the ISSCH/S where my father, Richard N. Quinn (age 11), and my uncle, James R. Quinn, Jr. (age 2), were admitted in 1895 after the death of their parents, their father James R. Quinn, Sr. being a Civil War veteran. My grandfather entered the war as a drummer boy, accompanying his father (my great grandfather Richard Quinn) serving in the "Fighting 69th," the great Irish regiment raised in New York City. After the war, my grandfather continued in the Army, serving in Indian Territory. Upon his discharge in 1875, he settled in Tuscola, IL, where my father and uncle were born. My grandfather died in 1892; my grandmother in 1895.
Here are two stories from my father's recollections of the Home.
As an adolescent at The Home, my Daddy's most special memories were of visiting the farm(s) owned by Julia Green Scott, a remarkable and progressive woman and the aunt of Adlai Stevenson, the Democratic candidate for president in 1952 and 1956, and Governor of Illinois, 1949-1953. My Daddy spoke so fondly of those visits that I suspect he met Mrs. Scott, in person. I've always presumed he went with a group of children from the home, either to help out on the farms, learning advanced agricultural methods in the process, or to enjoy a vacation from the Home. Undoubtedly, the visits served both purposes. Mrs. Julia Scott's generosity inspired him to be a life-long Democrat.
Even though my mother was a very good cook, after dinner, Daddy always insisted on a slice of buttered white bread, smeared with condensed milk. He told us that this treat had served as dessert at the Home and was comfort food to him.
In 1900, age 16, when he left The Home, my father Richa...Expand for more
rd boarded with a farm family in Oldtown, McLean County. The census lists him as "at school." His continued status as a student at age 16 surprised me, as I thought he'd be working as an apprentice or independently, but confirms his respect for education. He credited the schooling he received at the Home with giving him a better than average education as an orphan. One of my most vivid memories of him is reading the New York Times cover-to-cover each evening.
By 1910, my father, age 26, was living in New York City, where his brother James joined him, having “graduated” from the Home in 1909, age 16. Around 1928, my father started working in the Purchasing Department of Consolidated Edison (ConEd) in Manhattan. In 1931, he met and married my mother and, in a few years, moved to New Jersey. I'm their third child. My sisters, 9 and 10 years older than me, are deceased.
My Daddy died in 1955 and I cherish the memories I have of him. Even though I was only 12 when he died, he has been a major influence on my life: the importance of family and education, of being thankful for one's blessings and of helping others less fortunate. I remember that every year as Christmas approached, we would sit together in the evenings and read “the Most Neediest Cases” series in The New York Times and decide for which case we would make a modest contribution.
As I close my career as a college professor of American History in upstate New York, I'm turning my attention to my family history, including the history of my father’s and uncle’s experiences at the ISSCH/S. Thank you for “listening.” I’m planning on attending this 2017 Reunion on September 15-16. Hope to meet you there. Edythe Ann Quinn, Ph.D., "Edie"
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