Herald Staff
Holyoke High School, Herald Staff, 1969
First row, left to right: C. Schmidt, R. Roy, G. Polansky. L. Pine, N. Walsh, J. Authier, J. Sullivan, K. Swinski.
Second row, left to right: K. Kennedy, C. Greenwood, P. Marcotte, C. Valenti, S. Kudla, M. Walczak, J. Leighton, S. Kaiser, N. Judge.
02 May 1913
Petition for Partition of Valuable Property on Sargeant Street, Holyoke
Judge C. L. Long gave a hearing this afternoon in Probate Court in a petition for partition of the real estate of the late Jeremiah Down on Sargeant Street, Holyoke. The hearing opened at 2:30 o’clock, and seemed likely to occupy the remainder of the afternoon. The deceased died in 1898, leaving a widow, since deceased, and nine children. Two of the latter, John J. Dowd and Michael Dowd, died prior to the death of Mrs. Jeremiah Dowd. The latter had bequeathed his real estate to the widow, in trust, with the provision that upon her death, it should be divided among the nine children.
The widows of two of the sons now sue to have the estate partitioned, in order that they may secure the ninth to which they claim they are entitled. The estate claims, however, that, as the two sons died before their mother’s death occurred, they never became seized of their share in the real estate, and, therefore, their widows have no claim on the property. Mrs. Mary A. Dowd is the widow of John J. Dowd, one of the sons, and the late Michael Dowd, another son, left Mrs. Nora Dowd as his widow.
The real estate consists of a 10-apartment block at the corner of High and Sargeant Streets, Holyoke. Mrs. Nora Dowd has three children, and Mrs. Mary J. Dowd has 10 children.
William P. Hayes and F. J. McKay represent the two widows and T. J. O’Connor is for the estate. The estate is valued at $29,000.
Adapted from The Springfield Republican.
01 May 2013
Stephen Holman, First Principal of Holyoke High School
Stephen Holman, son of Stephen and Hannah (Fuller) Holman was born in Royalston, Massachusetts, December 28, 1820. When he was twelve years of age, his father died and he made his home with his brother, a clergyman in Saugus. He attended school in Saugus Center, Lynn Academy, and Worcester Academy, matriculating at Williams College from which he was graduated A.B. in 1840. Entering the teaching profession, Mr. Holman was principal of the high schools at Winchester, N. H., Gardner, Athol, Phillipston, and Fitchburg, Massachusetts. He came as first principal of the Holyoke High School in June 1852, and in later years he served as a member of the town school committee.
Stephen Holman, son of Stephen and Hannah (Fuller) Holman was born in Royalston, Massachusetts, December 28, 1820. When he was twelve years of age, his father died and he made his home with his brother, a clergyman in Saugus. He attended school in Saugus Center, Lynn Academy, and Worcester Academy, matriculating at Williams College from which he was graduated A.B. in 1840. Entering the teaching profession, Mr. Holman was principal of the high schools at Winchester, N. H., Gardner, Athol, Phillipston, and Fitchburg, Massachusetts. He came as first principal of the Holyoke High School in June 1852, and in later years he served as a member of the town school committee.
Upon leaving the high school, Mr. Holman became paymaster of the Lyman Mills. In 1860 he bought a controlling interest in the Holyoke Paper Company which he managed with such ability that his material success in life is said to have dated from that time. In 1865 he sold his interest in the paper mill most advantageously and established the Holyoke Machine Company, with a branch in Worcester, and later the Deane Steam Pump Company. He was also heavily interested in a large number of cotton mills.
For many years, Mr. Holman resided in Worcester but spent most of his time each week in Holyoke and was known as Holyoke’s leading citizen.
Mr. Holman’s physical and mental activities continued throughout his life. Amid all the cares of business, he constantly kept alive his intellectual interests, particularly the German language of whose literature he was very fond. He made three trips to Europe after he was eighty years of age, and at the age of 92, had returned to this country less than a week when his sudden death occurred on October 13, 1912. He was buried in the historic Mt. Auburn Cemetery at Cambridge, Mass.
First Holyoke High School Graduating Class, 1865
The first class to graduate after establishment of a regular course, although at various times between 1852 and 1865 pupils completed the necessary preparation and entered college or normal school, consisted of six young ladies depicted in the image above. These young ladies were Alice A. Wild, Imogene Heywood, Emma Loomis, Sarah Grover, Alice Emerson, and Maria Kelt. The fine character of these earliest of graduates of the Holyoke High School is apparent in their picture, an examination of their courses, their books, and a knowledge of the painstaking effort put into school work of that day leaves little doubt that all would have found themselves numbered among the honor students of today. Principal F. D. Douglass (M.A., Brown University) said of their graduation, “For the first time in the History of Holyoke High School a class of six young ladies received diplomas of graduation. By the generosity of a few citizens a handsome lithographic diploma has been obtained, and ought never to be dishonored by being unworthily bestowed.”
The Civil War has been a reason offered as a reason for all graduates of this class being young ladies, but this can hardly have been an important factor since four graduates of the next class, 1866, were young men.
Audrey S. Miles
Happy Birthday Mom!
Audrey S. Miles
Holyoke High School,
Class of 1946
1926 – 1989
