Grace Elizabeth (Townsend) Stemple
Father: Frank Sumner Townsend
Mother: Hattie Alice (Sage) Townsend
Brother: Arthur Sage Townsend
Husband: Forrest Wilbur Stemple
Daughter:
Son:
Born:
Married:
Died:
Grace graduated from what is now known as West Virginia Wesleyan College. When she attended the school was called the West Virginia Conference Seminary. The first year the school published a yearbook was 1904. It appears that the publication year was one year behind the year highlighted because Grace is shown as a freshman in the 1904 edition, a junior in the 1905 edition, and a senior in the 1906 edition. Frank Sumner Townsend wrote in his autobiography that Grace graduated in 1905. Below are some pages that I either found interesting or which feature Grace.
The cover and title page of West Virginia Seminary's 1904 Yearbook, "Murmurmontis"
The main seminary building.
The 1904, 1905 & 1906 yearbooks in pdf can be downloaded at the bottom of the page if you would like to read the text. I found the photos of Seminary founders to be fascinating and to set the tone for the time period.
I'm not sure if Grace lived in the Ladies Hall or at home.
There were two literary societies. Grace is listed under the Excelsior Society.
Excelsior Hall.
Grace is also listed as a member of the Young Women's Christian Association.
The Title Page of the 1905 volume of Murmurmontis
Grace is the top right photo. She is listed as "Grace Elizabeth Townsend, Music, Buckhannon, W. Va., Excelsior."
She is also shown under the Music Department section of the yearbook. For her parts of the recital she planed, Idylle, Op. 26 & Czardas, Op. 24 by MacDowell, Rondo Capricioso Op. 14 by Mendelssohn, and a duo of Chromatic Galop by Liset.
She continue to be in YWCA and the Excelsior Literary Society during her Junior Year.
She is shown as the Spring Term class secretary, and my favorite out of all of the yearbook items, the "Grinds" section states, "T-w-s-nd:-"She, like music, hath charms to soothe the savage breast."
The Title Page of the 1906 Volume
She is shown as a member of the editorial staff, "On July the sixth, 1886, the home of Rev. and Mrs. Townsend was made happy by the bright eyed little girl who was christened GRACE ELIZABETH. She grew up, as many preacher's children do, a little here and a little there. Nevertheless, in spite of this constant moving about she entered school in the fall of 1900 and graduates in the Musical course of the University. Miss Townsend is an active member of the Excelsior Society, where she is well known on account of her piano playing. She is the first editor the Musical Department has ever had on the staff of the school paper and her reports from that source are very much appreciated. Grace contemplates entering New England Conservatory of Music next year. Her standard of work here insures success wherever she may go. As we look down through the coming years we see rocks and trees and creeping things responding to her musical touch."
In 1905 the main Seminary building caught fire. The administration used the fire as a rallying point and renamed the school. "Since the beginning of the West Virginia Conference Seminary in 1890, it has speedily risen to the heights of power and distinction, until it is now recognized as one of the leading schools in the state. The fact of its size was seen last year by the trustees, who, realizing that it should no longer be known as a Seminary, very wisely gave it a new name, 'The Wesleyan University of West Virginia.' It is a face, beyond doubt, that this school has risen..."
An artist rendition of, "The New Building" was shown in the yearbook.
In 2011 the main building looks like this. The date on the cornerstone is 1909.