Latin School of Chicago

Latin Magazine Fall 2016

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Looking Back Celebrate events, people and places from Latin's history with a visit to the school's archives. Oh Canada! A quest to find Mabel Slade Vickery's gravesite leads to a shocking revelation. Unofficial Latin archivist Teresa Sutter details the search for Ms. Vickery's grave, and the startling discoveries along the way: "Following Latin's 125th anniversary, I began developing an idea of honoring Mabel Slade Vickery's final resting place with a plaque or stone celebrating her founding of Latin and her many other contributions to education. But we didn't know where she was buried. So during Spring Break of 2016, I started a quest to track down Mabel's grave. Mabel Slade Vickery died August 22, 1944 in Natick, MA. Her death was reported in the Chicago Tribune and local Massachusetts papers, but none mentioned any information regarding funeral services or interment. So I decided to begin my search by looking through census records, with the hope of being able to pinpoint her last known address, and from there locate nearby cemeteries. Beginning with the 1940 census I was able to find Mabel S. Vickery, (or Mable S. Wickery as it was recorded by the census taker) 85 years old, living alone at 9 Underhill Road, Natick, MA. Wanting to know how long she lived at this address, I examined the 1930 census record as well. Sure enough, Mabel S. Vickery, Head of Household, resided at 9 Underhill Road in 1930 with her sister, Grace, a companion, and a maid. Clearly 9 Underhill Road was where she made her home after retiring from Latin in 1929. But when I scrolled over to the column listing Mabel's nationality and birthplace, I was shocked to see that it read: Canada. Canada? Mabel Slade Vickery wasn't Canadian. We'd always been told she was born and raised in Winchester, MA. Surely it had to be an error. I began searching U.S. census records for Ms. Vickery's family starting in 1860 and could find nothing. Now I was intrigued. So I decided to check Canadian census records, and lo and behold, there they were. In the 1861 Canadian census, Ms. Vickery's father, Jonathan, is recorded as living in Cumberland, Nova Scotia, with a son, wife, and three daughters. e first time we see Ms. Vickery's name in print is in the 1871 Canadian census records: Mary (Remember, her birth name was Mary Isabella; she changed it to Mabel when she was 30.) Vickery, aged 16, born in Nova Scotia, Canada, attending school (see next page). We then see Ms. Vickery listed in Mary Isabella Vickery's 1854 birth record Canada? Mabel Slade Vickery wasn't Canadian. We'd always been told she was born and raised in Winchester, MA. Surely it had to be an error." Looking Back 54

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