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Archiver > ARIZARD > 2000-09 > 0968007453


From: "Paula Killian" <>
Subject: [ARIZARD-L] Singing School
Date: Sun, 3 Sep 2000 13:57:33 -0500


I have a Certificate of Proficiency issued on 04/24/1912 by the Eureka
School of Music to my Grandfather, William Joseph "Joe" Boles. His
daughter, Stella Mae Boles Bryant, is my mother. She has some of his
songbooks but is 94 years old and seems not to know where he taught singing
schools after he received this certificate which qualified him to teach.
The certificate was issued at Wiseman, AR and was signed by W. A. Langston,
teacher, Patrick M. Coleman, Pres, Stephen J. Oslin (not sure of sp on
Oslin), Sec. and Fletcher Willbanks, V. Pres (of the music school). My
mother was born at Oxford and lived at Day and at Wiseman at various times
before they moved to Guion where they lived until her father's accidental
death in Aug. 1932, when I was just over a year old. Mother would have
been 6 years old at the time the certificate was issued. She is llittle
help to me in my genealogy searches because it depresses her to remember
and she simply does not wish to think or talk about it. About the only
remembrance of her father which she has shared with us ever was his love of
music and his always singing, day and night. There was never a musical
instrument in their home that I can determine which I found to be curious
since they were not too poor for that, at least in the later years of his
life.. She and her mother and her sister had good voices but never used
them publically.

Thought you who are interested in singing schools might like this little
bit of history..

Paula Bryant Killian

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