Sunday School Work

Both Fred and Mary Ella served/worked in Sunday Schools in American Falls, Idaho. I don't know how Sunday Schools were structured back then: was it like a Sunday seminary class? I believe it was much more like a school than how we have sunday school as an hour of the 3-hour block meetings today. Fred served in two Sunday Schools: the American Falls and the Neeleyville Sunday Schools. I found some records of this in the Jubilee History of Latter-day Saints' Sunday Schools: 1849-1899 (Salt Lake City: Deseret Sunday School Union, 1900).

The Neeleyville Sunday School began in September 1882, and Fred is listed as the superintendent of that Sunday School from August 1896 to July 1899. This Sunday School grew a lot in 18 years (it only goes up to 1900, when the report was published of course) from 4 officers and 13 pupils to 14 officers and 72 pupils. The school convened in the district schoolhouse of Neeleyville, Oneida County, Idaho. I bet that this district schoolhouse could be located, or pictures of it be found if I looked for them, or went out to Neeleyville. This information was found on page 266.



The American Falls Sunday School began April 9, 1899, and started with about the same amount of pupils when the Neeleyville Sunday School began (4 officers, 12 pupils). Fred is listed as its "first assisant and secretary," from November 1 to December 31, 1899. Given that the report only goes up to 1900, it seems safe to assume Fred was still following through with these duties in 1900. It also looks like Fred transitioned from being the Superintendent of the Neeleyville Sunday School (July '99) to working in the American Falls school (November '99). Fred's wife, Mary Ella, is also listed as the "second assistant" in the American Falls Sunday School from April 9, 1899 to November 1, 1899, when she was replaced by Gertrude Rowberry. The school convened in the ward schoolhouse, which again I imagine I could locate.