Polly Barber (also known by her married name, Polly Scovill; 25 September 1803 – 23 February 1898), was a

teacher A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching. ''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. whe ...

farmer A farmer is a person engaged in agriculture, raising living organisms for food or raw materials. The term usually applies to people who do some combination of raising field crops, orchards, vineyards, poultry, or other livestock. A farmer mig ...

, and businesswoman, notable for becoming the "most prosperous farmer of Sutton," as stated by a newspaper after her death.

Biography

Early life

Barber was born on September 25, 1803, in Saint-Armand,

Lower Canada The Province of Lower Canada (french: province du Bas-Canada) was a British colony on the lower Saint Lawrence River and the shores of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence (1791–1841). It covered the southern portion of the current Province of Quebec an ...

, to Asahel Barber and Polly Armes. Her father was the son of a

physicist A physicist is a scientist who specializes in the field of physics, which encompasses the interactions of matter and energy at all length and time scales in the physical universe. Physicists generally are interested in the root or ultimate caus ...

and her mother's family had many

clergy Clergy are formal leaders within established religions. Their roles and functions vary in different religious traditions, but usually involve presiding over specific rituals and teaching their religion's doctrines and practices. Some of the ter ...

men. Barber was able to use this situation to her advantage and became well-educated.

Teaching career

In 1820 Polly started her teaching career in Saint-Armand, giving lessons in private homes where she was making 4 livres a week. She paid for her room and board through weaving and other crafting activities to make money on the side. She moved to Sutton Township with her family, where she became the

schoolmaster The word schoolmaster, or simply master, refers to a male school teacher. This usage survives in British independent schools, both secondary and preparatory, and a few Indian boarding schools (such as The Doon School) that were modelled after B ...

in 1834. As the schoolmaster, Barber made $1 a week in addition to room and board.

Farming career

Around 1834 Barber married Stephen Scovill Jr, a farmer from Sutton Township, who owned 250 acres of land. They were produced wool and cloth. Her husband died on November 7, 1847, leaving her a

widow A widow (female) or widower (male) is a person whose spouse has Death, died. Terminology The state of having lost one's spouse to death is termed ''widowhood''. An archaic term for a widow is "relict," literally "someone left over". This word ...

and pregnant at the age of 44. She continued developing the farm, raising children, and started a clothing factory. In 1861 her farm cost $5,000. She educated her daughters and her son, Smith, whom she established on land within the township. Later, because of health problems, she left the farm near

Abercorn Abercorn (Gaelic: ''Obar Chùirnidh'', Old English: ''Æbbercurnig'') is a village and civil parish in West Lothian, Scotland. Close to the south coast of the Firth of Forth, the village is around west of South Queensferry. The parish had a p ...

to her eldest daughter, Judith Smith. She spent her last years with her daughter, Julia, and her son-in-law at Scottsmore in Dunham Township. On January 8, 1880, she wrote her last will and testament, dividing her property equally among her children. She died on February 23, 1898, at the age of 95.

References

1803 births 1898 deaths Canadian schoolteachers People from Montérégie {{Edu-bio-stub