aCentury

ofChange

African American History
in South Central
Pennsylvania:
the 20th Century

The following is a transcription of an old school theme book containing the names of 284 African American graduates of Steelton High School.  It covers the time period from 1885 to 1940, and lists the Black graduates for each year.  The book was supplied by Clayton C. Carelock of the Friends of Midland organization. Originally formed to rescue and rehabilitate the historic Midland Cemetery, the Friends of Midland also have an interest in local African American history, including the Hygienic School.  They are very interested in hearing from former students of the Hygienic School, and any of the Steelton High students, or their descendants, listed here, and can be contacted at the following address:
Friends of Midland, P. O. Box 7442, Steelton, Pennsylvania 17113-0442.
E-mail:  Friends of Midland

Notes on the transcription:
The headings for each year contain the year, followed by the total number of African American students in that graduating class, with the sex of the students broken down as number of males and number of females.  The numbers in front of each name are consecutive from the first class in 1885.  An asterisk following the name indicates that the person was deceased at the time that the names were recorded.  Since a tally of total deceased persons (twenty--ten males and ten females) only appears after the listing of the 1935 class, and no additional deceased persons are noted after that date, it is believed that the book was begun in 1935, and continued for five more years.

Names in parentheses ( )  indicate the married name of the woman.

Roll of Colored Graduates of Steelton H.S.

1885 - 1 = (1 + 0)  

1. Chas. F. Howard *  Hygienic School teacher.

1890 - 2 = (2 + 0)  

2. Pressley Holiday  Decorated Sgt. in 10th Cavalry, Spanish American War
3. Frank L. Jefferson * 

1891 - 2 = (2 + 0)  

4. John W. Bailor * 
5. James Wm. Porter * 

1894 - 3 = (2 + 1)  

6. John W. Cole * 
7. Aura C. Imes (Manley) Read more about Aura Imes by clicking here
8. Lindsay A. Lewis 

1896 - 3 = (3 + 0)  

9. Edward L. Carey 
10. Otho S. Imes * 
11. Moses Montgomery  Member of Andrew Askins Post 479

1897 - 5 = (5 + 0)  

12. Thomas A. Brown 
13. Samuel M. Cole 
14. Chas. E. Covington 
15. John W. Fields 
16. Joseph W. Steele * 

1899 - 3 = (3 + 0)  

17. Gilbert A. Frazier 
18. John E. Jefferson 
19. Wilmer Phoenix 

1900 - 6 = (3 + 3)  

20. Clarence O. Adams * 
21. Helen A. Fields * 
22. Geo. Lake Imes  Read about George Lake Imes by clicking here.
23. Vernon R. James 
24. Emma F. Ruffin (Hayden) 
25. Leonora B. Wagoner (Gardner) * 

1902 - 1 = (0 + 1)  

26. Viola Payne 

1903 - 1 = (1 + 0)  

27. John W. Lewis 

1904 - 1 = (1 + 0)  

28. Harry E. James 

1905 - 4 = (2 + 2)  

29. Numa P. G. Adams  Read about Numa P. G. Adams by clicking here.
30. Katherine Jones (Ellis) 
31. John H. McKamey * 
32. M. Magdalene Moton (Parson) 

1906 - 1 = (0 + 1)  

33. Idella M. Fisher (Oxley)  Buried in Lincoln Cemetery, Harrisburg.  Taught in Hygienic School.

1907 - 2 = (1 + 1)  

34. Oscar N. Frey  Became a school principal in Delaware.
35. Alice E. Price (Hooper)   Mrs. Hooper taught in Harrisburg Schools.

1908 - 1 = (0 + 1)  

36. Edith A. Moton (Everett) 

1909 - 4 = (2 + 2)  

37. Joseph B. Butler 
38. Emory A. James 
39. Clara Lewis 
40. Maud M. Mason (Whittaker) 

1910 - 4 = (1 + 3)  

41. Susan M. Beckwith (Minor) 
42. Rosa N. Harrod (Imes) 
43. Louis A. Howard 
44. Fannie E. Jackson (Lee) 

1911 - 2 = (1 + 1)  

45. Allen E. Fry 
46. Olive M. Harrod * 

1912 - 10 = (5 + 5)  

47. Trennor T. Beckwith   See the biographical sketch by Barbara Barksdale.
48. E. Rebecca Brant (Hogans) * 
49. Leslie M. Brant 
50. Harold Brown 
51. Mary M. Ferguson (Hart) 
52. Fannie C. Jackson (Parson) 
53. Ruth W. Moss 
54. Chester B. Roebuck 
55. Wm. Luther Stevenson  Member of Andrew Askins Post 479
56. Pressley Taylor

57. Annie P. Beaden (Bullock)
58. H(arry). Frank Broadus *  Member of Andrew Askins Post 479
59. Lulu V. Brooks
60. Irence C. Porter (Quivers)
61. Marguerite Taylor (Carpenter) *

62. Verinda C. Ferguson (Brooks)
63. Lewis N. Harris
64. Sarah C. Holmes *

65. Arthur Blackwell
66. Earl Brown  Member of Andrew Askins Post 479
67. James E. Hammond  Member of Andrew Askins Post 479
68. Emily E. Howard (Stewart) *
69. Wm. G. Jefferson (see the letter from Calobe Jackson, Jr. regarding the education of Dr. William G. Jefferson)
70. Eliza C. Jones (Russell)
71. Naomi V. Payne
72. Anna G. Smothers (Monroe)

73. Clarence J. Armstrong  Member of Andrew Askins Post 479
74. W(illiam). Clyde Broadus  Member of Andrew Askins Post 479
75. Martin Ferguson
76. M. Ola Jackson (Knapper)
77. Joseph B. Shepherd *  Member of Andrew Askins Post 479
78. Ethel M. Watson

79. Molly Ausberry (Gray)
80. Edward R. Jefferson
81. Albert Mobley
82. Jessie A. Palmer (Yarborough)
83. John F. Taylor
84. Lee A. Taylor
85. H. Earl Young

86. Annie M. Ferguson (Newsum)
87. Mary H. Howard (Withers)
88. Nellie M. Polston

89. Howard Butler *
90. Samuel H. Cole (see note below)

91. Eva Brant (Ricks)
92. Somerville Brant (Armstrong)
93. Ethel Frazier (Brooks)
94. Lena Willis

95. Leona Carter (Taylor)
96. Hattie Cole
97. Tonetta Crummey (Wills)
98. Elcora Howard
99. Mary Jones
100. Virginia Keys (Hawkins)
101. Isabella Stevenson (Johnson)
102. Ethel Washington *

103. Esther Beckwith (Whiteside)
104. Jno. Alphonso Broadus
105. Louise Jenkins (Jackson)
106. Russell Keys
107. Benj. Thos. Wells

108. Lillian Ball  (Established Lillian L. Ball's School of Music and Elocution, in Harrisburg and Steelton)
109. Martha Brown  (read more about Martha Brown)
110. Richard Brown (see the letter from Calobe Jackson, Jr. regarding the home of Doctor Richard Brown at 1606 North Sixth Street in Harrisburg)

111. Ada Askin
112. James Goodwin
113. A. Lucille Gray (Woodward)
114. Pauline Keys (Blue)

115. Iola Brown (Stevenson)
116. Beatrice Carey (Reed)
117. Wm. Mont
118. Iamergene Rowland (Roberts)
119. Ruth Walker

120. Naomi James
121. Frederick Mont
122. Myrtle Morgan
123. Merion Thompson (Bernard)

124. Thelma Bailey (Dews)
125. Pauline Dixon *
126. Lillian House (Chapelle)
127. Philome McKamey
128. Walter Polston

129. Ruth Ausberry
130. Rachel Brown
131. Lavonia Fields (Thomas)
132. Dorothy Graves
133. Charline Howard (Conyers)
134. Wm. McCullough
135. Richard Matthews
136. Mary Rowland (Holt)

137. Kelley Goodwin
138. Emmalene Hart (Goodwin)
139. Eleanor Jackson (Thomas)
140. Florence Jackson

141. Clara Atwell
142. Anna Carter
143. Frances Everett
144. Elizabeth Frye (Baer)
145. Wilmer Phoenix
146. Marie Washington

147. Randolph Frye
148. Curtis Hubbard
149. Florence Keys
150. Henry Robinson
151. Charlotte Taylor (Harris)
152. William Trice
153. James Watson
154. Vincent Whiting

155. Emma Allen (Scott)
156. Rozella Blackwell
157. Grover Brown
158. Grace Ferguson
159. Jno. W. Fields, Jr.
160. John Francis Frye
161. John Graves
162. Ulysses Graves
163. Jeffers Jackson
164. Carl Jenkins
165. Ruth Rowland (McKamey)
166. Beatrice Thompson
167. Ernest Washington

168. Cora Brown
169. Virginia Foster
170. Rosie Goodwin
171. William Goodwin
172. Euphazine Graves
173. Ruth Gray (Lawson)
174. Chas. Guthrie
175. Lester Hitchens
176. Raymond Hughes
177. Louis Jackson, Jr.
178. Vivian Jenkins
179. Bessie Monk
180. Lewis Payne
181. Helen Trice

182. James Bernard Allen
183. James Francis Corbin
184. James Norman Davis
185. Peter Richard Garnett, Jr.
186. Wm. Duncan Goodwin
187. Vincent Leroy House
188. Maurice Clarence Morgan

189. Cora Louise Chivis (Hunt)
190. Bertrand Davis Frye
191. Reuben Louis Garnett
192. Arlington Levaster Jackson
193. Mervin Robert Johnson
194. Dorothy Virginia Matthews
195. Edward Harry Polston
196. Russell Ulysses Roebuck

197. John Archie
198. Helen Brooks
199. Wm. Brown
200. Jean Chivis
201. Geo. Curtis
202. Bessie Hart
203. Walter Hill
204. Vivian Hitchens (Bowers)
205. Helen Jackson
206. Colonel Lyles  (see photo “Choir of Emanuel Church of God in Christ")
207. Geo. McKamey
208. Nestine Phoenix (House)
209. Annie Small
210. Mozella Stannard
211. Jas. Stevenson
212. Ora Walker

213. Matthew Barrett 214. Geraldine E. Boulding
215. Ollie Virginia Brookin
216. Zaron W. Burnett
217. Lester W. Bush
218. Geo. Eugene Cole
219. James A. Dixon
220. Elsie Louise Felton
221. Ruby Goodwin
222. Preston Hill
223. Herman P. Keys
224. Robt. Ashton Payne
225. Preston F. Russell
226. Carl Bailey Simpson
227. Robt. Pinkerton Spears
228. Jos. Howard Stevenson
229. Inza Margaret Ruby Taylor (Braxton)

230. Allen, Wm.
231. Anderson, Chelstan
232. Brown, Harold
233. Brown, Idella
234. Brown, Mildred
235. Burnett, Edna
236. Carter, Walter
237. Dennis, Martha
238. English, Charline
239. Garnett, Eleanor
240. Harrington, Lewis
241. Hill, Henry
242. Jackson, Raymond
243. Lewis, Maurice
244. Lyles, Robert
245. McKeever, Yvonne
246. Moten, Clarence
247. Phoenix, Roscoe
248. Saunders, Theodore
249. Troxler, Mary (Lyles)
250. Wright, Ida (Washington)

251. Allen, Bernice Vivian
252. Atwell, Alyeth Kermit
253. Brandt, Julian Jacques
254. Brooks, Nelson Carter
255. Brown, Frank Stewart
256. Colbert, Samuel E.
257. Curtis, Alfred Brantley
258. Goodwin, Hugh Wesley
259. Hill, Edythe Mae
260. Hill, Florence Geneva
261. Nickens, Emmit W.
262. Pollard, Wm. S.
263. Spivey, Ruth (Allen)
264. Tyson, M. Jack
265. Wise, Wyndal

266. Julia May Anderson
267. Edward Lamar Arp
268. Ralph Aubrey Brookin
269. Martin Ferguson Brooks
270. Samuel Brown
271. Leo Burnett
272. Pershing Jackson Coles
273. Ralph Edsel Curtis
274. Alfred Dunbar
275. Betty Jean Fleming
276. John Lewis Garnett
277. Dorothy Gertrude Green
278. Ella Louise Hawkins
279. Ruth Helena Headen
280. Annie Delmonte Hughes
281. Merriman Maurice Johnson
282. Margaret Phanatta McKeever
283. Daisy Louise McNeil
284. Herbert McNeil

[end of transcription] 
See also: "Former Teachers in the Hygienic School"
See also: "African American Graduates of Steelton H.S., 1943, 1951, 1952"

Notes:

Samuel H. Cole (1919) became the second principal of the Hygienic School, taking over after the retirement of Charles F. Howard in 1936.  He had previously worked in the local steel mill and in Detroit factories for ten years prior to enrolling in Shippensburg State Teachers College (now Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania).  After twenty-three years as Hygienic School principal, Cole taught at Steelton-Highspire Junior High School until his retirement in 1966.  He was twice elected to the Steelton-Highspire School Board, in 1967 and 1971.  Cole Crest Housing Development was named in his honor. (from John B. Yetter, Steelton, Pennsylvania; Stop - Look - Listen, Harrisburg, PA, 1979, page 125).

Other Steelton Articles:

• The Hygienic School
• Former Teachers in the Hygienic School
• Aura and George Imes - Hygienic School Teachers
• Veterans of Andrew Askins VFW Post 479
• Historic Midland Cemetery

• About the Friends of Midland
  
  

• Clayton E. Carelock

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