Eliza Jane McKissack
Encyclopedia
Eliza Jane McKissack was a music teacher who, in 1890, became the founding head of music at the University of North Texas College of Music, then called Normal
Conservatory of Music, part of Texas Normal College and Teacher Training Institute, which was founded in 1890 as a private institution. The College of Music
, today, is a comprehensive school with the largest enrollment of any institution accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music
. It is the oldest (and first) in the world offering a degree in jazz studies. Since the 1940s, the College of Music has been among the largest in the country.
of Tennessee, U.S. Senator Edward C. Walthall
of Grenada, Mississippi
, and Orville Brewer of Chicago. She had received her musical training in Boston and New York.
McKissack remained at the college for two academic years: 1890-1991 and 1891-1892. Three years after leaving Denton
, records show that McKissack studied at the New England Conservatory in the academic year 1895–1896. While there, she studied piano with Reinhold Faelten (1856–1949) and took courses in Hand Culture and Sight Playing. At that time, her permanent address was listed as Oxford, Mississippi
. Her Will (probated in Davidson County, Tennessee
), provides two address: 1897 – Boscobel College
, Nashville; January 1899 – Oxford, Mississippi
.
Teachers at the Conservatory
The 1890 catalog listed piano, organ, and voice, all offered through private lessons.
The College, during its first three years, faced a difficult economy, which included the Panic of 1893
. By 1893, not one faculty member from the original group remained.
(1810-1835) and Elizabeth Aykroyd, Bettner (d. Mar. 12, 1869). James and Elizabeth were married on July 12, 1824, in New Bern, Craven County, North Carolina
. Elizabeth, Eliza's mother, was a music teacher in Nashville. Elizabeth's will was filed July 10, 1869, in Will Book 21, Page 345, Davidson County, Tennessee
.
In practically every North Carolina village where there was an academy there was also a music teacher, an art teacher, and sometimes a dancing teacher. In some of these towns, such as New Bern, Raleigh
, Greensboro
, and Wilmington
, there were music teachers independent of academy patronage. In 1823 James Aykroyd, then of New Bern, "respectfully informed the citizens of Hillsboro and its vicinity that he intended giving lessons in music there during the summer months." His terms were "for the Piano, twelve dollars a quarter, for lessons every other week; and three dollars for vocal music, two lessons every other week."
Musical sibling — Eliza had a sister, Maria Caroline Cauthorn, Aykroyd (b. June 20, 1831, New Bern, North Carolina
; d. Sep. 17, 1894). On July 21, 1869, Maria married Benjamin F. Cauthorn (b. July 20, 1836, Virginia
; d. June 1, 1902); both were buried at Mount Olivet Cemetery
, Nashville, Tennessee
(tombstone image for Maria); (tombstone image for Benjamin). Maria was a music teacher in Nashville. Maria's will was filed September 1894 in Will Book 32, Page 438, Davidson County, Tennessee
.
Husband — On August 10, 1854, in Pulaski, Tennessee
, Eliza married Alexander Cogle McKissack (b. 30 April 1831 Roxboro, NC; d. 26 Sept 1898, Memphis, TN). Alexander was an 1852 alumnus of Yale College
. He died near Memphis at the home of his sister (during a visit), Jessie McKissack Peters of Van Dorn and Spring Hill repute.
Alexander McKissack, a native of Pulaski, Tennessee
, moved to Holly Springs, Mississippi
, in 1956 with his wife, Eliza. Except for his tenure in the Confederate Army during the Civil War
, he resided on his plantation, 4 miles north of Holly Springs
, until his death.
Child — Alexander and Eliza had only one child, a daughter, who died early.
Eliza's death — Eliza Jane McKissack died January 15, 1900, Nashville, Tennessee
. The funeral service was held at Christ Church and the burial was at Mount Olivet Cemetery
, Nashville, Tennessee
(tombstone image). Her will was filed January 1900 in Will Book 35, Page 390, Davidson County, Tennessee
. Lacking a surviving sibling, husband, or child, Eliza bequeathed the plantation to her sole nephew, Percy C. Cauthorn (1870–1909; tombstone image for Percy). One of the two witnesses to the Codicil of her Will was Mrs. J. C. Sheegog ( Joella C. Pegues; 1839–1938; widow to James Gowen Sheegog; 1836–1869). William Faulkner
's home, Rowan Oak
, was the boyhood home of James Gowen Sheegog – and was built around 1840 by James' father, Robert Sheegog (1801–1860).
Normal school
A normal school is a school created to train high school graduates to be teachers. Its purpose is to establish teaching standards or norms, hence its name...
Conservatory of Music, part of Texas Normal College and Teacher Training Institute, which was founded in 1890 as a private institution. The College of Music
University of North Texas College of Music
The University of North Texas College of Music, based in Denton, is a comprehensive music school with the largest enrollment of any music institution accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music, and the oldest in the world offering a degree in jazz studies...
, today, is a comprehensive school with the largest enrollment of any institution accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music
National Association of Schools of Music
The National Association of Schools of Music is an association of post-secondary music schools in the United States and the principal U.S. accreditor for higher education in music...
. It is the oldest (and first) in the world offering a degree in jazz studies. Since the 1940s, the College of Music has been among the largest in the country.
McKissack's qualifications
McKissack, from Nashville, was highly recommended for the college position – as pianist and vocalist – by Bishop Charles QuintardBishop Charles Quintard
Charles Todd Quintard was an American physician and clergyman who became the second bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Tennessee and the first Vice-Chancellor of the University of the South at Sewanee.-Medical career:...
of Tennessee, U.S. Senator Edward C. Walthall
Edward C. Walthall
Edward Cary Walthall was a general in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War and a postbellum United States Senator from Mississippi.-Biography:...
of Grenada, Mississippi
Grenada, Mississippi
Grenada is a city in Grenada County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 14,879 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Grenada County.-History:...
, and Orville Brewer of Chicago. She had received her musical training in Boston and New York.
McKissack remained at the college for two academic years: 1890-1991 and 1891-1892. Three years after leaving Denton
Denton, Texas
The city of Denton is the county seat of Denton County, Texas in the United States. Its population was 119,454 according to the 2010 U.S. Census, making it the eleventh largest city in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex...
, records show that McKissack studied at the New England Conservatory in the academic year 1895–1896. While there, she studied piano with Reinhold Faelten (1856–1949) and took courses in Hand Culture and Sight Playing. At that time, her permanent address was listed as Oxford, Mississippi
Oxford, Mississippi
Oxford is a city in, and the county seat of, Lafayette County, Mississippi, United States. Founded in 1835, it was named after the British university city of Oxford in hopes of having the state university located there, which it did successfully attract....
. Her Will (probated in Davidson County, Tennessee
Davidson County, Tennessee
Davidson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of 2010, the population was 626,681. Its county seat is Nashville.In 1963, the City of Nashville and the Davidson County government merged, so the county government is now known as the "Metropolitan Government of Nashville and...
), provides two address: 1897 – Boscobel College
Boscobel College
Boscobel College for Young Ladies was a school in Nashville, Tennessee, that operated between 1889 and 1914. One of its founding objectives was to provide the lowest possible cost of higher-education for young women....
, Nashville; January 1899 – Oxford, Mississippi
Oxford, Mississippi
Oxford is a city in, and the county seat of, Lafayette County, Mississippi, United States. Founded in 1835, it was named after the British university city of Oxford in hopes of having the state university located there, which it did successfully attract....
.
Texas Normal College Conservatory of Music
Classes at Texas Normal College first commenced Tuesday, September 16, 1890.Teachers at the Conservatory
- John Moore (1867–1948) taught an ambitious array of engineering classes, but also taught voice and harmony. Upon arriving at Texas Normal College in 1890, Moore held a B.S. from one college and a B.A. from Lebanon College (National Normal University, in existence from 1855 to 1917), Lebanon, OhioLebanon, OhioThe population at the 2010 census was 20,033. As of the census of 2000, there were 16,962 people residing in the city. The population density was 1,440.6 people per square mile . There were 6,218 housing units at an average density of 528.1 per square mile...
, in engineering, mathematics, and surveying. He then studied at the Universities of LeipzigUniversity of LeipzigThe University of Leipzig , located in Leipzig in the Free State of Saxony, Germany, is one of the oldest universities in the world and the second-oldest university in Germany...
and Heidelberg from 1894 to 1895, and received a PhDPHDPHD may refer to:*Ph.D., a doctorate of philosophy*Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*PHD finger, a protein sequence*PHD Mountain Software, an outdoor clothing and equipment company*PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
from Yale in 1895. His dissertation, Studies of Fatigue, was published in studies from the Yale Psychological Laboratory. He then received a D.D. from Central CollegeUniversity of Central MissouriThe University of Central Missouri is a four-year public institution in Warrensburg, Missouri.- History :...
in Missouri. In May 1918, he became a bishop of the Methodist Episcopal Church South in Dallas.
- Joshua Crittenden Chilton (1852–1896), the college's founding president, taught music historyMusic historyMusic history, sometimes called historical musicology, is the highly diverse subfield of the broader discipline of musicology that studies the composition, performance, reception, and criticism of music over time...
and theory of sound.
The 1890 catalog listed piano, organ, and voice, all offered through private lessons.
The College, during its first three years, faced a difficult economy, which included the Panic of 1893
Panic of 1893
The Panic of 1893 was a serious economic depression in the United States that began in 1893. Similar to the Panic of 1873, this panic was marked by the collapse of railroad overbuilding and shaky railroad financing which set off a series of bank failures...
. By 1893, not one faculty member from the original group remained.
First music students of Texas Normal College
Six music students were awarded medals at the college's first commencement exercises on June 18, 1991:- Miss Annie Carson – Proficiency in Vocal Music
- Miss Josie Bell – Improvement in Instrumental Music
- Madge Spalding – Improvement in Vocal Music
- Ed Hann
Family
Musical parents — Eliza Jane McKissack was born in New York to James P.James P. Aykroyd
James P. Aykroyd was an early American composer, arranger, and music educator of piano, organ, and voice in New Bern, North Carolina, Raleigh, North Carolina, and Nashville, Tennessee. He also owned a general store — first in New Bern, then in Nashville — selling dry goods, groceries,...
(1810-1835) and Elizabeth Aykroyd, Bettner (d. Mar. 12, 1869). James and Elizabeth were married on July 12, 1824, in New Bern, Craven County, North Carolina
Craven County, North Carolina
Craven County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. The estimated population in 2006 was 94,875. Its county seat is New Bern.Craven County is part of the New Bern, North Carolina, Micropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...
. Elizabeth, Eliza's mother, was a music teacher in Nashville. Elizabeth's will was filed July 10, 1869, in Will Book 21, Page 345, Davidson County, Tennessee
Davidson County, Tennessee
Davidson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of 2010, the population was 626,681. Its county seat is Nashville.In 1963, the City of Nashville and the Davidson County government merged, so the county government is now known as the "Metropolitan Government of Nashville and...
.
In practically every North Carolina village where there was an academy there was also a music teacher, an art teacher, and sometimes a dancing teacher. In some of these towns, such as New Bern, Raleigh
Raleigh, North Carolina
Raleigh is the capital and the second largest city in the state of North Carolina as well as the seat of Wake County. Raleigh is known as the "City of Oaks" for its many oak trees. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city's 2010 population was 403,892, over an area of , making Raleigh...
, Greensboro
Greensboro, North Carolina
Greensboro is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the third-largest city by population in North Carolina and the largest city in Guilford County and the surrounding Piedmont Triad metropolitan region. According to the 2010 U.S...
, and Wilmington
Wilmington, North Carolina
Wilmington is a port city in and is the county seat of New Hanover County, North Carolina, United States. The population is 106,476 according to the 2010 Census, making it the eighth most populous city in the state of North Carolina...
, there were music teachers independent of academy patronage. In 1823 James Aykroyd, then of New Bern, "respectfully informed the citizens of Hillsboro and its vicinity that he intended giving lessons in music there during the summer months." His terms were "for the Piano, twelve dollars a quarter, for lessons every other week; and three dollars for vocal music, two lessons every other week."
Musical sibling — Eliza had a sister, Maria Caroline Cauthorn, Aykroyd (b. June 20, 1831, New Bern, North Carolina
New Bern, North Carolina
New Bern is a city in Craven County, North Carolina with a population of 29,524 as of the 2010 census.. It is located at the confluence of the Trent and the Neuse rivers...
; d. Sep. 17, 1894). On July 21, 1869, Maria married Benjamin F. Cauthorn (b. July 20, 1836, Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
; d. June 1, 1902); both were buried at Mount Olivet Cemetery
Mount Olivet Cemetery (Nashville)
Mount Olivet Cemetery is a 250-acre cemetery located in Nashville, Tennessee.Mount Olivet has been continuously operated since its establishment in 1856. It serves as the final resting place for many of Middle Tennessee's political and business leaders, including several former governors of...
, Nashville, Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
(tombstone image for Maria); (tombstone image for Benjamin). Maria was a music teacher in Nashville. Maria's will was filed September 1894 in Will Book 32, Page 438, Davidson County, Tennessee
Davidson County, Tennessee
Davidson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of 2010, the population was 626,681. Its county seat is Nashville.In 1963, the City of Nashville and the Davidson County government merged, so the county government is now known as the "Metropolitan Government of Nashville and...
.
Husband — On August 10, 1854, in Pulaski, Tennessee
Pulaski, Tennessee
Pulaski is a city in Giles County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 7,870 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Giles County. It was named to honor the Polish-born American Revolutionary War hero Kazimierz Pułaski...
, Eliza married Alexander Cogle McKissack (b. 30 April 1831 Roxboro, NC; d. 26 Sept 1898, Memphis, TN). Alexander was an 1852 alumnus of Yale College
Yale College
Yale College was the official name of Yale University from 1718 to 1887. The name now refers to the undergraduate part of the university. Each undergraduate student is assigned to one of 12 residential colleges.-Residential colleges:...
. He died near Memphis at the home of his sister (during a visit), Jessie McKissack Peters of Van Dorn and Spring Hill repute.
Alexander McKissack, a native of Pulaski, Tennessee
Pulaski, Tennessee
Pulaski is a city in Giles County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 7,870 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Giles County. It was named to honor the Polish-born American Revolutionary War hero Kazimierz Pułaski...
, moved to Holly Springs, Mississippi
Holly Springs, Mississippi
Holly Springs is a city in Marshall County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 7,957 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Marshall County. A short drive from Memphis, Tennessee, Holly Springs is the site of a number of well-preserved antebellum homes and other structures and...
, in 1956 with his wife, Eliza. Except for his tenure in the Confederate Army during the Civil War
Civil war
A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same nation state or republic, or, less commonly, between two countries created from a formerly-united nation state....
, he resided on his plantation, 4 miles north of Holly Springs
Holly Springs, Mississippi
Holly Springs is a city in Marshall County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 7,957 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Marshall County. A short drive from Memphis, Tennessee, Holly Springs is the site of a number of well-preserved antebellum homes and other structures and...
, until his death.
Child — Alexander and Eliza had only one child, a daughter, who died early.
Eliza's death — Eliza Jane McKissack died January 15, 1900, Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
. The funeral service was held at Christ Church and the burial was at Mount Olivet Cemetery
Mount Olivet Cemetery (Nashville)
Mount Olivet Cemetery is a 250-acre cemetery located in Nashville, Tennessee.Mount Olivet has been continuously operated since its establishment in 1856. It serves as the final resting place for many of Middle Tennessee's political and business leaders, including several former governors of...
, Nashville, Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
(tombstone image). Her will was filed January 1900 in Will Book 35, Page 390, Davidson County, Tennessee
Davidson County, Tennessee
Davidson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of 2010, the population was 626,681. Its county seat is Nashville.In 1963, the City of Nashville and the Davidson County government merged, so the county government is now known as the "Metropolitan Government of Nashville and...
. Lacking a surviving sibling, husband, or child, Eliza bequeathed the plantation to her sole nephew, Percy C. Cauthorn (1870–1909; tombstone image for Percy). One of the two witnesses to the Codicil of her Will was Mrs. J. C. Sheegog ( Joella C. Pegues; 1839–1938; widow to James Gowen Sheegog; 1836–1869). William Faulkner
William Faulkner
William Cuthbert Faulkner was an American writer from Oxford, Mississippi. Faulkner worked in a variety of media; he wrote novels, short stories, a play, poetry, essays and screenplays during his career...
's home, Rowan Oak
Rowan Oak
Rowan Oak, also known as William Faulkner House, is William Faulkner's former home in Oxford, Mississippi. It is a primitive Greek Revival house built in the 1840s by Robert Sheegog. Faulkner purchased the house when it was in disrepair in the 1930s and did many of the renovations himself. Other...
, was the boyhood home of James Gowen Sheegog – and was built around 1840 by James' father, Robert Sheegog (1801–1860).