William Augustus Mowry (August 13, 1829 – January 24, 1917) was an American

educator 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 ...

and historical writer, born at

Uxbridge Uxbridge () is a suburban town in west London and the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Hillingdon. Situated west-northwest of Charing Cross, it is one of the major metropolitan centres identified in the London Plan. Uxbrid ...

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

Family

William Augustus was an eighth-generation descendant of the Mowry family that immigrated from

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

Providence Providence often refers to: * Providentia, the divine personification of foresight in ancient Roman religion * Divine providence, divinely ordained events and outcomes in Christianity * Providence, Rhode Island, the capital of Rhode Island in the ...

in 1666. He was born to Johnathan Mowry and Hannah (Brayton) Mowry. His mother was from

Rehoboth, Massachusetts Rehoboth is a historic town in Bristol County, Massachusetts. Established in 1643, Rehoboth is one of the oldest towns in Massachusetts. The population was 12,502 at the 2020 census. Rehoboth is a mostly rural community with many historic sites i ...

. His father was from Uxbridge. It appears that William Augustus had two sisters and that he was the youngest in the family. His father was a farmer, a "fanner" and a boot and shoemaker. One of his sisters died in childhood. His father died at the age of 32 after a severe flu-like illness. His sister, Emmeline Maxwell Mowry, became a teacher at the age of 15. She was a scholar of botany, natural sciences, mathematics, and English literature. His great-grandfather, Richard Mowry, was a nodal point in his boyhood at Uxbridge; William Augustus wrote a book about the older man's life, his ancestors and his descendants.''A Family History of Richard Mowry of Uxbridge, Massachusetts, His Ancestors and His Descendants (1878)
/ref> The family history of the Mowry family authored by William Augustus mentions

Roger Williams Roger Williams (21 September 1603between 27 January and 15 March 1683) was an English-born New England Puritan minister, theologian, and author who founded Providence Plantations, which became the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantation ...

, John Brown, and other prominent Rhode Islanders of Colonial times related in some way to the early Mowry settlement in the

Rhode Island Colony The Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations was one of the original Thirteen Colonies established on the east coast of America, bordering the Atlantic Ocean. It was founded by Roger Williams. It was an English colony from 1636 until 1 ...

. The family was prominent in Northern

Rhode Island Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is the List of U.S. states by area, smallest U.S. state by area and the List of states and territories of the United States ...

and southeastern

from the 17th century onward. By the 19th century, the Mowry family had migrated across the continent, as far as

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

, the text says.

Education

From 1854 to 1857, he studied at

Brown University Brown University is a private research university in Providence, Rhode Island. Brown is the seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the United States, founded in 1764 as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providenc ...

, from which he received an honorary

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...

in 1866.

Career

He also served as Superintendent of Schools in

Salem, Massachusetts Salem ( ) is a historic coastal city in Essex County, Massachusetts, located on the North Shore of Greater Boston. Continuous settlement by Europeans began in 1626 with English colonists. Salem would become one of the most significant seaports tr ...

. For many years, he was engaged in educational work in

and

. He served as president of

Martha's Vineyard Summer Institute Martha's Vineyard Summer Institute was the first summer school for teachers in the United States. The school was started in the summer of 1878 and closed in June 1906. It was situated in Oak Bluffs, Massachusetts, Cottage City, Massachusetts, Cotta ...

from 1887 till its closure in 1906. In 1884 and 1885, he was editor of the ''

Journal of Education The Journal of Education () is an academic journal, published by SAGE Publishing on behalf of the Boston University Wheelock College of Education & Human Development, with Hardin Coleman as its editor-in-chief. It bills itself as "the oldest educ ...

'' and from 1886 to 1891 of ''Education''.

Publications

He wrote the following published works: * ''A Family History of Richard Mowry of Uxbridge, Massachusetts, his ancestors and his descendants'' (1878)Text at archive.org
/ref> * ''Who Invented the American Steamboat?'' (1874) * ''Political Education in the Schools'' (1878) * ''The School Curriculum and Business Life'' (1881) * ''Talks with my Boys'' (1884; fifth edition, 1909) * ''Elements of Civil Government'' (1890; new edition, 1913) * ''War Stories'' (1892) * ''Art Decorations for School Rooms'' (1892) * ''Sunshine upon the Psalms'' (1892) * ''Lov'st Thou Me More than These?'' (1892) * ''A History of the United States'' (1896) * ''The

Uxbridge Academy The Uxbridge Common District is located in downtown Uxbridge, Massachusetts. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Historic buildings in this district include the Uxbridge Academy, Uxbridge Free Public Library, the Debora ...

, a Brief History with a Biographical Sketch of J. Mason Macomber, A.M., M.D., Preceptor'' (1897) * ''First Steps in the History of our Country'' (1898; revised edition, 1914), with A. May * ''American Inventions and Inventors'' (1900) * ''

Marcus Whitman Marcus Whitman (September 4, 1802 – November 29, 1847) was an American physician and missionary. In 1836, Marcus Whitman led an overland party by wagon to the West. He and his wife, Narcissa, along with Reverend Henry Spalding and his wife, E ...

and Early

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

'' (1901) * ''The Territorial Growth of the United States'' (1902) * ''American Heroes'' (1903), with Blanche S. Mowry * ''American Pioneers'' (1905) * ''Essentials of United States History'' (1906; revised edition, 1914) * ''Recollections of a

New England New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian provinces ...

Educator'' (1908)

References

Sources

San Francisco Public Library catalog listing (source for death date)
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Mowry, William Augustus 1829 births 1917 deaths American educators People from Uxbridge, Massachusetts Writers from Providence, Rhode Island Brown University people Historians from Massachusetts