The Taylor Brothers go to College By Tim Kinsella

On Nov. 13, 2017 I went to Syracuse University’s Bird Library and looked through multiple records from Genesee Wesleyan Seminary.  Mom (Lucille “CB” Taylor) had asked me to look for evidence that her Grandfather, Bryant Waller Taylor (“BW”) and any of his brothers or sister had gone to Genesee Wesleyan.  SU had many of the Seminary “yearbooks” from about 1830 on so those were my source of information.  These yearbooks listed trustees, faculty, students, and courses of study, along with other information on the institution. 

Bryant Waller Taylor, Taken about 1885
 

I did find evidence that Bryant Waller and his 2 brothers, Carlton Walbridge and Orrin Morehouse, all went to Genesee Wesleyan.  I could only find evidence that they attended the school year 1881 – 1882 however.  The 1880 – 1881 yearbook was missing and they were not listed in the 1882 – 1883 yearbook so perhaps they only went to college for one year.  There was no evidence of their sister, Clara Rockwell Taylor, having attended, but I did find other Taylors who attended and who might have been related.  I have pictures of some of the ‘81 – ’82 yearbook pages if anyone is interested.  

Picture of Genesee Wesleyan Seminary in the 1880s. – 18 miles south of Rochester 

As you might imagine college was very different back in the 1880s.  At Genesee Wesleyan Seminary there were 6 courses of study during this timeframe:

1.    Grammar School Course

2.    Preparatory College Course

3.    Graduating Course in Literature and Science

4.    Musical Course

5.    Course in drawings and painting

6.    Commercial Course

  

1881 – 1882 Listing of Students showing the 3 Taylor Brothers from Oakfield    

It is not clear from the yearbook which courses of study the Taylor brothers were taking.  Some yearbooks listed students by course but in ’81 – ’82 all students were listed together and were not broken down by course.  My guess is that the brothers were in either the Grammar School or Preparatory College course.

Mom says she thinks BW (and his brothers) did not finish school because the family ran out of money. 

The first two courses seem like they are equivalent to what High School is now.  The contents of these courses could be adjusted based on the needs of the students (as determined by faculty) and normally lasted no more than 2 years.

 If the student was making sufficient progress they could start in parallel one of the other 4 courses of study.  At the end of these courses of study they got a college diploma. 

The Grammar school covered subjects such as arithmetic, geography, spelling, composition, and grammar.  All students sat in a large lecture hall that could accommodate up to 100 students.  Given the flexibility of this course of study it seems like perhaps much of the time it may have been self-directed study.  Students “graduated” from this course of study when they successfully passed a Regent’s exam. 

The Preparatory College Course was very heavy in Latin and Greek along with courses in History, Geography, and Algebra.  It was 2 years in length and then students moved onto the Graduating Course in Literature and Science.  This 3-year course continued its heavy concentration in Latin and Greek (reading, writing, study of Greek classics, etc.) and then focused on writing and composition along with a final year in German or French. 

Orrin Taylor

The music school focused either on instrumental or voice while the Drawing and Painting school focused on still life nature, human, or landscape scenes.  Both schools had a 3-year program.

The Business School offered the Commercial Course.  This was a very interesting course of study.  Students could enter whenever they wanted as each student received individual instruction.  The course was divided into theory and practice and the length of study varied by student, typically from 3 – 6 months.  The focus was on accounting, “office work”, and real estate but also included 3 different courses in Penmanship that you could take. 

Tuition for the Seminary was confusing but it appears that for the Grammar, Preparatory College, and Commercial Course tuition was free!  You had to live on campus however for all courses and that cost $3.00 per week.  Ladies had to pay an extra 50 cents per week as their rooms get steam heat. Men could purchase wood or coal to heat their rooms.  Throw in incidentals, washing, and other fees and you might be expected to pay $55 per semester.  If you wanted to take Chemistry or Philosophy you had to pay an extra $1 per week and the music, painting, and Commercial courses required additional supplies that could set you back $25 - $50 per semester.  Prizes of $20 - $50 were awarded to top students in different areas such as oration, literature, recitations, and general scholarship.

Carlton Taylor

Other funny points that were made:

• ·         The introduction to the Commercial Course says: “Having no faith in the superficial methods, or sympathy for the “learning made easy” style of treating a science so eminently worthy of best mental efforts, and earnestly desiring to meet the wants of a large class of students, who are willing to undergo the ordeal of hard study in order to become competent accountants or teachers, the course has been made thoroughly practical, progressive, and complete”. 

•   “Penmanship – The Spencerian System is used, one too widely known and appreciated, to need words of commendation.  Movements and miscellaneous exercises are given as helps to gaining freedom of hand”. 

• ·         “The apparatus for illustration in Chemistry and Natural Philosophy is valued at $3500.  These abundant cabinets and apparatus afford facilities for instruction in the Natural Sciences, unequalled it is believed, by any other seminary in the state”. 

• ·          “To guard against overwork and injury to health, all students are required to retire at 10 o’clock”. 

• ·         “Attendance at church on the Sabbath is required, morning and evening”. 

• ·         “Students should enter at the beginning of the term.  Those coming in a few days late are much embarrassed”.