(The accompanying photo was taken at the time of the marriage of Ida’s sister in 1901.)
If you don’t know who Sarah More is– well she is an amazing historian. I tell tales — Sarah documents technical history as well as stories and I greatly admire this woman. Mississippi Mills is so lucky to have her as well as all of us.
A little story about a much-loved Appleton schoolteacher=—By Sarah More
In the 1870s, William Paul of Mountblow, Ramsay Township (1841-1930), and his wife, Sarah Shaw, moved to just outside of Appleton where they raised three boys and four girls.
William & Sarah’s second daughter, Miss Ida Paul, graduated at the head of her class at Normal School (Teachers’ College). She taught from 1898-1932 on the site of today’sNorth Lanark Regional Museum in Appleton. She was always concerned for a boyfriend who never returned from WWI, as well as, her youngest brother, Charlie, who returned with shell shock and damage to his lungs.
After the death of her parents, Ida came to live with her niece’s family. Ida’s niece remembers all of Ida’s students passed their high school entrance exams. Ida’s great-niece remembers receiving help with Algebra saying, “[Ida] was very kind and always used positive words to solve a problem.” “She expected high marks and encouraged the children to reach them.”
Christmas was fun, because the children were allowed in Ida’s room to open their Christmas stockings which were made of silk and could stretch to about five feet. She used to walk down to the pond to where the children were skating and throw candy on the ice to see who could pick it up the fastest.
The children were also fascinated by her little bottles of homeopathic medicines as most families tried to cure themselves first. Ida’s age was a well-guarded secret for unknown reasons. She even refused to have her year of birth inscribed on the family gravestone. (She died in her 93rd year.) Ida was raised in a Christian home and was a member of the Carleton Place United Church.
Thanks so much Sarah!
I added the following clippings and genealogy about Miss Paul- Linda
lindaseccaspina 