{"id":11191,"date":"2018-05-22T22:31:30","date_gmt":"2018-05-23T02:31:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/getitright.pmss.net\/?page_id=11191"},"modified":"2018-05-22T22:40:37","modified_gmt":"2018-05-23T02:40:37","slug":"louise-merrill","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/staging.pinemountainsettlement.net\/?page_id=11191","title":{"rendered":"LOUISE MERRILL"},"content":{"rendered":"
Pine Mountain Settlement School
\nSeries 09: Biography – Staff\/Personnel<\/h5>\n

Louise Merrill
\n<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Housemother at Practice House, Far House, and Boy’s House,\u00a01930(?)-1936
\nHousemother and Dietician\u00a0at\u00a0Laurel House, 1935-1936<\/strong><\/p>\n

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TAGS:<\/strong> Louise Merrill; Louise Moody\u00a0Merrill ; Mrs. B.M. Bartlett ; Pine Mountain Settlement School ; housemothers ; Practice House ; Far House ; Boy’s House ; dieticians ; Laurel House ; archive records ; letters ; librarians ; Josephine Merrill ; Medical Settlement at Big Laurel ; teachers ; personnel files ; Wellesley College ; Helen Bartlett (Mrs. Norman Johnson) ; Office ; secretaries ; Ellen Merrill ; Barbara Bartlett ;<\/p>\n

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Louise Merrill was a much-loved housemother at Pine Mountain Settlement School. She came to the School in c. 1930 to work as a\u00a0\u00a0housemother at Far House<\/a> for the very young children who attended the School. Pine Mountain archive records indicate that, during the period of c.1930-1936, she was also a housemother at Practice House<\/a> and Boy’s House<\/a>. During her last year at the School, 1935-1936, she served as\u00a0a housemother and dietician\u00a0at\u00a0Laurel House<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Louise’s\u00a0experiences as housemother to a group of young children are vividly described by her\u00a0in a letter to her mother, written in the 1930s.\u00a0The following\u00a0excerpt from that letter\u00a0recounts early-morning\u00a0preparations\u00a0of the housemother and children to attend\u00a0breakfast at Laurel House:<\/p>\n

Twenty minutes to get dressed! I dressed quickly, and fastening my collars as I went, snatched up the bell, rang it vigorously, then rushed on to light the hall lamp and be ready for the children. You see, we have\u00a0to rise ten minutes earlier than the five-thirty rising-bell, in order to get over to Laurel House<\/a> on time. “‘Miss Merrill, Linda says she’s\u00a0got the chicken-pox and don’t feel like getting up,”\u00a0“Miss Merrill I can’t\u00a0find my\u00a0stocking,”\u00a0“Miss Merrill, this button’s off,”\u00a0“Miss Merrill, I’m freezin’,” are some of the things I hear and at the same [time I] issue orders like this: “Maud, see that every child’s nose is blown,” “Iona, have the girls left their wash-basins and soap-dishes clean,” “Grant, are the boy’s teeth and washstands clean, and are their beds turned back to air?” “Laura, are the windows all open?”<\/em><\/p>\n

The breakfast bell rings, and the larger boys and girls help the little ones with their wraps.<\/em>
\nThen we start on, and are overtaken by Maud, who reports that the lights are out, the screen’s on the fires and there is no water on the floors. (We can’t have nice oiled floors if the water is left on them, so we are particular to get it wiped up.) And I walk on, my disturbed nerves are soothed by the rippling of Isaac’s Run and the twinkling of the stars.<\/em><\/p>\n

Her married name was recorded as “Mrs. B. M. Bartlett.” After leaving PMSS, she worked as a librarian in Newport, New Hampshire.<\/p>\n

Other “Merrills” and “Bartletts” have been found in Pine Mountain School records. According to the PMSS Staff Directory<\/a>,\u00a0Miss Josephine\u00a0Merrill <\/strong>was\u00a0Louise Merrill’s sister. She began working\u00a0in 1931 at the Medical Settlement at Big Laurel<\/a>. In 1933 her position changed to\u00a0housemother at Boy’s House\u00a0which lasted until 1946, followed by two years as a teacher of English, Bible and History in 1947-1949. Personnel\u00a0files<\/a> indicate that she was at the School until 1954. Before coming to Pine Mountain, Josephine had earned a B.A. degree at Wellesley College in Massachusetts. Her summer\u00a0address was “in care of” her sister, Mrs. B.M. Bartlett in Newport, New Hampshire.\u00a0She died in 1954, the last year of her stay at Pine Mountain.<\/p>\n

Miss Helen Bartlett (Mrs. Norman Johnson) <\/strong>worked in the Office as a secretary in 1943 and 1944 as noted in the staff directory and\u00a0her\u00a0personnel file<\/a>. The PMSS staff directory also states that she is the “possible niece of Josephine [Merrill].”\u00a0Her last known address was Northwoods Narrows, New Hampshire.
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

Ellen Merrill<\/strong>\u00a0was a teacher in 1913, the year before\u00a0the School was founded. Her name appeared on a “List of Workers to 1928.”\u00a0Also, a\u00a0personnel file<\/a> exists for\u00a0Barbara Bartlett, <\/strong>a staff member in\u00a01929-1933.\u00a0It is not known whether either of these two persons were\u00a0related to Louise and Josephine Merrill.<\/p>\n

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GALLERY: Louise Merrill<\/h3>\n\n\t\t