The advocate. [volume] (Charleston, W. Va.) 1901-1913, 1910-07-28
Father | Of
Education. 4!
AMONG ! = oREtsID pEoI,LR
OF sA AsyAILEY ra,:-,
4 ( I Way. 4#.a.5 1t.. 4 /.
Presto 81 Stor,eg,r
Was DIR. NathA g Facketf sanii
member of @ --conss4p ulns,Ss4l Il ll3s,ss Z W.
with Sheridan - army In both $S,f !, I
which positions he rendered an 1
fective service.> @a.a %s,.s 5sss. sSSa

which positions. he rendered. s az \
fective service.> ".~%i,t-h a 3..,s sE sSya
Harper's Ferry, July % 20 Dr. N. .3C. !
Bracket, for many years president
OF Storer College and treasurer for
the past eight or ten years, died here
Wednesday after a long illness and !
was buried Friday in the town ceme- \
terry. ~ H. H. u y :.
Nathan Cook Bracket was born at
West Phillips, (then Berlin), Maine.
July 2S, 1886, and was a graduate at
Dartmouth College in July 1864. Mr..
Bracket received his degree of Ph. DE-
twenty years later from Bates college.
His ambition to take a college course
inspired by his mother, was develonr
ed into firm purpose by Professor
burnham, of Pennington Academys:
when at the age of IA he had the good !,
fortune to be under that prince of
.. 80. ....,
He began teaching school at IL.
teaching at Salem, Strong, Phillips.
Ihorndlke and a number of other
places in his native state. In August.
after graduating, in July, 1854, he en-
tered the christian commission and
was sent to Harpers Ferry. After
the battle of Winchester, September
~, he was made field agent of the
U. s. c. c. and put in. charge of the
work In Sheridan's army with heAd-
quarters at Winchester, Va. One Of
the many services Of the Christian
commission to the soldiers was to re-
celVe and send to their friends at
nome such portions, of their. pay as /
they might wish to send. As the near.
| eafs eSprssa4 flag an ;atfs As
W. Va, or Harper's Ferry, about aO
miles away, the handling of many
thousands entrusted to him by SOL
diers, involved great care and some.
times serious risks. ,r&
The day before the battle OF Cedar
Greek, Mr.. Bracket followed Sheridan
from Martinsburg to Winchester ON
MS return from a journey to the near
est express Office with a large sum of
soldiers money. =
ALTER the surrender at Appomattox.
and before the work was finished for
| the U. S. G. G. Mr., Brackett had what
ne calls the greatest compliment of
MS life. He was the unanimous
cholce of the two committees. one
Union and the other Confederate All
prominent citizens Of Winchester. IN
take charge of contributions from
baltimore, to enable. the people along
the pathway of Sheridan's destructive
| RAIDS, to make a new start. In this
service Mr.. Bracket was the .faEsbt
Yankee to go up the valley from Win.
| chester unarmed ,t...
| october 1G, 1855, he married NJ.
Louise Wood, of Lewiston, Me. and
entered upon what prove d his life,
work, the education of colored peop1e.
| Inc field assigned Mr.. Brackett by
the Free Will Baptist mission. and
the Freedmen's bureau, was known
in the north as the Shenandoah Valley
and in all about 25 missionary teBcht.
ers' mostly young women were sent
| south to begin the work of educating
the race. Schools were started from
Shepherdstown and Martinsburg, this
state, to Lynchburg, Va, in all the
principal towns over a territory 1b0
miles long and about 80 miles broad.
In 1867 Storer College was organ.
lied, of which he was principal for
80 years and has been treasurer and
| business manager from the first till
the day of his death. Meanwhile he
always took an active part in affairs
| OF the county and state Of his adoptto,
having been frequently member of
the town council and for two years
county superintendent of free schools.
| Mr.. Bracket also served two terms or
four years as regent Of the Bluetielti
Colored Institute, being president OF
the board for over four years. He
had recently bought farm Of 40
acres in Henry County, Va. to which
he said he intended to retire if .hA
found himself old. -,