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William Orin Cummings was born on 23 Jan 1853 in Union Wisconsin to George Cummings and Almira Temple. The family moved to Mitchell, Iowa by the time he was 8 and raised on the family farm. In his early years, he helped work his parent's land and was also employed as a "nurseryman", probably for the Gardner Nursery Company in Osage, Iowa which was the area's largest employer at that time. William had an early and lifelong interest in music, but it was in the field of education where he found his footing and pursued a successful career. He graduated...
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William Orin Cummings was born on 23 Jan 1853 in Union Wisconsin to George Cummings and Almira Temple. The family moved to Mitchell, Iowa by the time he was 8 and raised on the family farm. In his early years, he helped work his parent's land and was also employed as a "nurseryman", probably for the Gardner Nursery Company in Osage, Iowa which was the area's largest employer at that time. William had an early and lifelong interest in music, but it was in the field of education where he found his footing and pursued a successful career. He graduated from the Cedar Valley Seminary in Osage, class of 1875, and met his future wife Harriet Delphine Reynolds, another student attending the school. Also, a graduate of the State Normal School in Cedar Falls, William was hired to teach at the institution about 1885, although we know he began his teaching career in Mitchell County schools in the latter 1870s. William and Harriet married on 26 Dec 1878 and lived in Osage when their first two children were born, Avery in 1881 and Donald in 1883. The family still lived in Osage when Donald passed in 1885, but then moved to Cedar Falls before Edna's birth in 1886.
Elected Principle of the Seminary in Magnolia, Iowa in 1887, William retained this position into 1890 at a starting salary of $65.00 per month. His daughter Estelle born in 1889, would have certainly been born in Magnolia and probably Emma as well, whose birth came the year after in May. Following other family members from Iowa to the Pacific Northwest, William had accepted a position with the Prescott, Washington schools and arrived in time to begin their 1890 fall term. But in August of 1891, William and his brother Everett, opened a photography studio in Lewiston, Idaho. Introduced to the community as the "Cummings Brothers", their presence in the former state capitol had been entirely financed by William, including the acquisition of the existing Flemming photography gallery. A partnership lasting little more than one year, there's no indication William was directly involved in the studio's daily operations. Although the brothers moved to the state concurrently, William initially worked in Genesse, 19 miles from Lewiston, until hired as the principal of the Lewiston High School in the later months of 1892. at which time the brothers dissolved their business ties. William's investment in the photography gallery was by design a short-term proposition, primarily to promote Everett's career as a professional photographer. William and Harriet's youngest daughter Joyce was born in December 1892, several months after officially arriving in Lewiston and five years before the family left for Coeur d'Alene.
The Lewiston Teller newspaper of 21 May 1897 credits William as having "earned a place among the best-known educators in the State, by his achievements in the city". Hired as Principle of the Coeur d'Alene, Idaho public schools at a salary of $85.00 per month, his growing reputation in the Pacific Northwest as a dedicated, efficient, and effective educator, preceded him. On Tuesday, July 13, the Cummings family left Lewiston with their belongings for the two-day trip to Coeur d'Alene, arriving Thursday morning. They occupied the Sanburn house, on the corner of Fourth and Lakeside, where several months later on September 5, their daughter Joyce fell into a 20' deep vault on the property. Rescued with a minor injury, this incident foreshadows a series of unfortunate and tragic events to befall the family, over the course of the next several years. Because William as principal of the Coeur d'Alene schools was a prominent figure in the community, newspaper accounts featured him regularly and on a very favorable basis, regarding not just his professional activities, but also his association with the Masons, his politics, and involvement with the church. Active Presbyterians, the Cummings faith occupied a central role in their personal and community lives, with William following an interpretation of theology, consistent with how he viewed his role as an educator. His political affiliation was Republican, although he'd joined a fiscally left-wing and socially moderate party offshoot called the Silver Republicans, who arranged a party fusion with the Democrats and Populist Party at the beginning of the new century. A supporter of Presidential hopeful William Jennings Bryan, William was appointed to a committee at their July 1900 convention held in Coeur d'Alene, responsible for selecting the twelve delegates sent to the state convention later in the year. That October, he led a successful campaign to bring the annual joint teachers institute to Coeur d'Alene and promoted increased access to education, by opening night school and summer school programs. In February 1901, their son Avery was appointed to the West Point Military Academy after passing his entry exams with the #1 ranking in his region and departed for the school in late May. Also in May, William was elected unanimously by the school board to serve once again, as the principal of schools for the following year. His affiliation with the Mason's dated back to 1883 in Iowa and in December 1901, William became a Master Mason, 32nd degree of the Coeur d'Alene consistory. Newspaper articles portraying William favorably regarding his leadership skills and administrative accomplishments provide no indication of any issues affecting his standing in the community, but in April 1902, the school board dismissed William and hired Prof. Benjamin Camp of Kettle Falls as his replacement. Despite his consistently good press, the trajectory of William's status and reputation in the community was inexplicably being challenged, as a series of unfortunate events unfolded and shook his family to its core.
Life for the Cummings in Coeur d'Alene had thus far been nothing less than enviable, but January 1902 was likely the month their 15-year-old daughter Edna conceived her first child out of wedlock. Her pregnancy probably became common knowledge or otherwise evident by mid-April, to coincide with the board's decision to release William from his position. One week later on April 25, their youngest daughter Joyce lost an eye in a regrettable mishap at home, followed by Edna's marriage several weeks later on May 7. The newlyweds immediately left town for Pony, Montana where five months later, Edna's baby was born one month shy of her 16th birthday. In May 1902, William secured a new position in nearby Post Falls as their School Principal and moved with his family in August. Then in March 1903, the Coeur d'Alene school board dismissed his successor after just one term and reinstated William for the following year. But just as the family was preparing a return to Coeur d'Alene, tragedy struck in early May when their daughter Joyce was confined to the home with scarlet fever, followed by Emma and then Estelle. All three girls died days apart before months' end and are buried together at Forest cemetery. It's impossible to express how the couple managed to cope with such a devastating tragedy, except to say depression led to William's temporary leave from his professional responsibilities. Estelle's obituary can be read in the Friday, May 30, 1903, issue of the Coeur d'Alene Press and reads in part: "The fever claimed the last victim in the home of Prof. and Mrs. Cummings at Post Falls, when Estelle, the remaining daughter passed from life last Saturday. The funeral took place last Sunday when the remains were laid beside those of her two sisters, who had preceded her less than one month." "Such sad misfortune seldom comes to one family in so short a time and on all sides are heard expressions of deepest sympathy for the father and the mother, whose home is so suddenly rendered asunder". That June, Avery came home for the summer from West Point and daughter Edna and her family, traveled from Pony, Montana to visit their grieving parents.
In April 1904, the school board elected William as Principle for the following year and did so again in April 1905, but abruptly held a special meeting on a protest motion to reconsider his hire. After due deliberations, the board stood by its original vote to retain William, who under the impression his position was secured, traveled with his wife Harriett to New York in June to attend their son's graduation from West Point. Upon returning with Avery in early July, William learned the board had again reversed its position and was preparing to actively consider other applicants, selecting Northport, Stevens, Washington Prof. Hubert Barton Sr. as his replacement. William assumed Barton's vacated post at the end of August, which allowed little time to move and prepare for the new September term. His exemplary status as head of the Coeur d'Alene school system had somehow been overshadowed by issues some members of the board, believed more relevant to the question of his future, than his eight-year record of merit. The reasons William and Harriett Cummings left Coeur d'Alene on such short notice is frankly a matter of speculation and with little else to go on, the general social and religious attitudes of the era may help to explain what happened. William subscribed to a liberal view of Christianity, which believed knowledge, science, individual reason, personal experience and the theory of evolution, were applicable to contemporary interpretations of the bible, whereas Evangelicals adopted an intolerant and literal analysis of scripture. Believing their values were threatened, a clash between traditional religious views and modern science fostered a campaign of disinformation, promoting the notion those accepting Darwinism engaged in illicit activities including premarital sex, gambling, drinking, and prostitution. Used to blame their liberal counterparts for society's ills and moral decay, this mentality may have been the lens under which an "enlightened" William was maliciously scrutinized. The notion of his own daughter's teen pregnancy may have fueled fears that William should not be afforded the "moral authority" of educating their children, should be considered. It's evident that whatever the reasons may have been, William had accrued his share of detractors within the community and as the final ordeal, the Cummings endured in Coeur d'Alene, their subsequent move to Washington State represented a brand-new chapter. News accounts regarding William's activities from here on, focused almost exclusively on his successes as an educator, a testament to his confident resiliency and fortitude in the face of extraordinary adversity.
William's tenure in Northport, Washington lasted just one term and in 1906, he became the new principal of the Colville high school. In this new position, he taught classes in physics and chemistry, and his favorite subjects were reported to have been mathematics and history. William quickly established his professional reputation thru dedication and hard work and in February 1908, he successfully added his high school to the state's accredited list. As the first school in Stevens County to be so designated, funding increased for additional teachers, student resources, and a new high school building nicknamed "the brick", which officially opened in 1911. The school's growing reputation attracted more students, increasing the size of their graduating classes and the number of students accepted at notable colleges and universities. Because of these early successes, William was elected Superintendent of all Colville schools in September 1908, at a salary of $125.00 per month.
During the remainder of his career in Washington, William served as Superintendent for four of the county's school systems: Colville, 1908-1914; Deer Park, 1914-1917; Molson, 1917-1918 and Marcus, 1918-1919. So, when he announced his candidacy for the nomination of County School Superintendent in June 1918, his resume also included two college degrees, teachers' life diplomas issued in Iowa, Idaho, and Washington, and 31 years of teaching experience. William handily won his 1918 election which in no small part, was due to his acknowledged "remarkable executive abilities", demonstrated over the course of his 12 years in the County. The Cummings moved back to Colville in May 1919 from Marcus following his election victory, to their home on South Oak Street opposite the courthouse, originally purchased from the attorney and longest-serving school board member, John B. Slater in 1909. Among his many accomplishments as County School Superintendent, William expanded the Colville Library, athletic and literary societies were organized under his supervision, dedicated numerous new school buildings countywide, and added additional schools to the state's accredited list. Courses in domestic science, manual training, and commercial study were also introduced, as were evening school and summer school programs. In 1920, William organized a new school district at the Spokane Indian Reservation, a 126-mile round trip from his home and all totaled, 250 schools were now under his jurisdiction.
Just as William and Harriet were preparing their move back to Colville from Marcus following his County Superintendent election victory, their son Avery returned to the U.S. in April 1919, after his service in France and Belgium with the American Expeditionary Forces. Having been awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for "extraordinary heroism" during the great war, Avery was promoted to the rank of Colonel with details of his exploits published in the Colville Examiner's January 11 edition. Their daughter Edna, who delivered her first child at age 15, was the mother of three before her family moved to Butte, Montana in 1910. The low wages her husband earned working as a miner, made life for the family of five difficult, so William and Hattie paid for Edna's education at the Butte Business College and occasionally supplemented her family's personal finances as well. After graduating, Edna was hired as a typing instructor at the college, where she taught until moving to Colville with her two younger children in late 1924. Now living close to her parents again after nearly 20 years, her arrival came just three months before her father's death and nine months before her mother's. Of the Cummings eight children, only Avery and Edna survived them, along with four grandchildren and one great-grandchild.
William's reputation in Stevens County had solidified quickly after his 1906 arrival to Colville. His tenacity and focus in pursuit of his objectives earned him a reputation as one capable of accomplishing whatever he set his mind to do. Described as possessing a "calm and unruffled personal demeanor", William pursued his agenda in an "orderly and mathematical manner", always "seeking facts to serve as the foundation of his reasoning" and "believed in sympathy and perhaps help as the path to understanding and resolving issues." In 1908, the Statesman Index, newspaper, attacked William after he forgot to provide the paper's editor with gratis tickets to attend the high school's first graduation as an accredited school. In what the editor considered a snub, he sought to avoid William's blow-back by waiting until the Cummings left town on vacation, before berating him in his paper. Infuriated by the article, William's students wrote a letter of their own in his defense, condemning the editor's action. Their response was published in other area newspapers, followed by a visit to his office, to personally demand a signed letter of apology. Fast-forward to November 1919, the Annual Teachers Institute was held in Colville, with teachers from all over the county attending the three-day event. One veteran teacher remained anonymous, in her open letter published in the November 29 edition of the Examiner. She began, by stating Colville "is really friendly around the edges", but cited the local restaurant was inadequately prepared to feed the 200 hungry teachers attending the seminar. She complained about the overheated and stuffy school auditorium where the convention was held, as the reason so many teachers had fallen ill. In closing, she referenced William, "And our grand old man of Stevens County, our superintendent. He has lived long and much. There is a warmth to him. We feel it around our hearts. We are glad to come to his institute! We find he wants it to mean much to us and it does."
His death 1 Feb 1925 came rather suddenly. William had just turned 72 eight days earlier and celebrated his 46th wedding anniversary in December. William complained of not feeling well for several weeks prior to his passing but still attended the basketball games in the gymnasium Saturday evening. Later that night he was unable to sleep, but finally drifted off and was discovered at about 7 am, with his death apparently caused by a stroke. At his passing, William was a member of the Colville Masonic Lodge #50, a member of the Eastern Star, and treasurer of the Stevens County Teachers Association. Clergyman John Charles Evans officiated his funeral service and his burial was conducted by the Masonic fraternity on February 6, at 2:30 pm. A large number of floral tributes on display at the First Congregational Church of Christ, reflected his standing in the community, with the high school dismissed so students could attend his funeral. Quotes from several obituaries are indicative of William's stature in the community. "His corrections of pupils or his arguments with mature minds, were of a kind and rational manner", which to many was, "reflective of a great heart and of a great mind". "As an educator, a citizen and a friend, he was one of those exceptional men whose hold on the affections of people, is based on his service to the people" and finally, "His own exemplary character was so reflected in all his dealings with mankind that no one encountered his activities without realizing his greatness". William's wife Harriet joined him in death six months later.
Sources:
The Library of Congress, Chronicling America, Historic Newspapers website; The Lewiston Teller, The Coeur d'Alene Press, and the Colville Examiner for all issues available to me on this site.
Several newspaper obituaries were saved by the family, surviving documents and stories were passed down to us thru his daughter Edna.
Census records and family photos.
Scott Adell
2016, 2020 |
