Palmer Stone Elementary School
by David Stone Eady
This piece was prepared by David Stone Eady in response to a proposal by the Newton County School Board to place the name of Palmer-Stone School on a new school being built in 2010
The Palmer-Stone School bears the name of two families who were instrumental in its founding and in its evolution. It can trace its roots back to the Oxford Female Academy, chartered by the Georgia General Assembly in December 1840. My great-great-great grandfather, William Capers, was among the men appointed as Trustee of the Oxford Female Academy. The initial trustees include other names of historic significance to our community, such as James Andrew, Augustus Longstreet, Samuel Bryan, Richard Sims, and William Mell.
In 1860, my great-great-grandfather, George W. W. Stone, son-in-law to William Capers, joined with James E. Palmer, William J. Parks, J. J. Griffin, Dr. Henry Gaither, and Luther M. Smith as trustees to the Oxford Female Academy, as the school had been re-chartered in the town of Oxford by the Georgia General Assembly. The trustees soon after began to build a brick schoolhouse on the property where Palmer-Stone Elementary School now stands.
After the death of James Palmer in December of 1861, the school was renamed Palmer Institute in his honor. At that time, it is rumored, although not confirmed, that the trustees wanted to name the school “Palmer-Stone Institute,” in honor of George Stone as well as James Palmer, but family folklore suggests George Stone insisted that the school be named only for his friend and colleague.
It came about that the Board of Education wanted to honor the men for whom the Palmer Stone School is named by “transferring” its name from its historic location to a new school being built on Highway 142 and Airport Road. I wondered at this, in light of the Board’s belief that such a gesture would somehow honor these men, I wondered how much the Board knew about these men and why the school was named for them in the first place. So, I attended a meeting of the Board of Education and told them, hoping to persuade them to leave things as they had naturally come to be.
James Elmore Palmer was born in Richmond County, Georgia, in 1828. He graduated from Emory College in 1848 and was appointed head of the preparatory department of Emory College immediately upon his graduation. In 1849, he became professor of natural science in the Wesleyan Female College and in 1858, he became professor of Latin and treasurer of Emory College, serving in these positions until his death on December 13, 1861. He was just 33 years old when he died.
James Palmer was both friend and colleague to my great-great grandfather, George Stone. George Stone was born in Columbia County, Georgia in 1818. He also attended Emory College, graduating in 1842, just six years ahead of James Palmer. George Stone taught at Emory College for nearly all his professional career as a professor of Latin, mathematics, and natural science. In 1852, my great-great-grandfather bought a house 3 blocks from where Palmer Institute would be established nearly 10 years later, and he resided in Oxford until his death in August 1889.
Professor Palmer’s son, Howard Palmer, graduated from Emory College in 1872 and married George Stone’s daughter, Emma Stone. George Stone’s son, Harry Stone, attended Palmer Institute and went on to graduate from Emory College, where he taught applied mathematics and served as librarian for his entire professional career. Harry Stone was appointed to serve on the Newton County Board of Education in 1890, and he served as the Board’s President for 42 years. During his tenure, the county school system came to be recognized as one of the finest school systems in the state.
Harry Stone named one of his sons Howard, in honor of his brother-in-law, Howard Palmer. My grandmother, Susanne Stone, and my great-aunt, Emma Louise Stone, affectionately called their brother “Buddy Howard.” My great aunt, who was like a second grandmother to me, so greatly admired her uncle that she legally changed her name from Emma Louise Stone to Emmalise Palmer Stone. As you can imagine, I learned most of what I know about the Palmer-Stone connection and our family’s legacy from my great aunt, Emmalise, whom we affectionately called “Memmie.”
My great-great uncle, George Stone Jr., was among the first students at Palmer Institute, and he shared in letters to his nieces that the school was known to be among the finest in the region. My cousin, Polly Stone Buck, wrote about attending Palmer Institute in the early 1900’s in her book, Our Blessed Town. G. C. Adams was serving as principal at Palmer Institute when he first organized the agricultural clubs that would later become the 4-H Club. Our school attracted many “young scholars” from Atlanta to Augusta, including Ina Dillard Russell, the wife of State Supreme Court Justice, Richard B. Russell Sr., and mother of the United States Senator Richard B. Russell Jr. Among the school’s notable graduates is another cousin of mine, descended from George Stone, Dr. Sarah Elizabeth Branham, who became a renowned medical researcher and is credited for discovering the cure for spinal meningitis.
As the public education system took shape, other schools in northern Newton County were consolidated with Palmer Institute. The expanded school was renamed, “Palmer-Stone” to honor Harry Harlan Stone, my great-grandfather (son of George Stone, Sr.), for his 42 years of leadership as president of the Newton County School Board (1890 – 1932) and for his contributions to education in the county.
In the early 1900’s, land and money were donated by the Candler family, the founders of the Coca-Cola Company, to establish Emory University in Atlanta. When Emory College was relocated to the university campus in 1919, my great-grandfather, Harry Stone, chose to remain on the faculty at the Oxford campus, then renamed Emory Academy. He felt it was important to continue the legacy of learning in Oxford, the place where it all started. Although the trustees of Emory University moved the college to a new location, the history of teaching young scholars in Oxford was destined to continue at this place due to the dedication and commitment of men like my great-grandfather.
Palmer-Stone isn’t just a name to be given to a school that the Board of Education commissions plan on building somewhere in the county; it isn’t just a name to take from one place and assigned to another. It is the name of this school, built by these men in their community.
How does it honor these men to strip their names from the school they built, and attach them to a school with absolutely no connection to their lives -- one that is removed from their legacy as educators within our community? My family lives three blocks from the property on which James Palmer and George Stone joined with their neighbors to build a school that would serve this community for 150 years. Harry Stone was born, raised, and now lies buried within three blocks of the school he attended as a child and then nurtured as an adult. As a representative of the human legacy left by these men, I say that associating the Palmer-Stone name with a new school that is disconnected from its history, its family, its community, does not honor these men.
In 1860, my great-great-grandfather, George W. W. Stone, son-in-law to William Capers, joined with James E. Palmer, William J. Parks, J. J. Griffin, Dr. Henry Gaither, and Luther M. Smith as trustees to the Oxford Female Academy, as the school had been re-chartered in the town of Oxford by the Georgia General Assembly. The trustees soon after began to build a brick schoolhouse on the property where Palmer-Stone Elementary School now stands.
After the death of James Palmer in December of 1861, the school was renamed Palmer Institute in his honor. At that time, it is rumored, although not confirmed, that the trustees wanted to name the school “Palmer-Stone Institute,” in honor of George Stone as well as James Palmer, but family folklore suggests George Stone insisted that the school be named only for his friend and colleague.
It came about that the Board of Education wanted to honor the men for whom the Palmer Stone School is named by “transferring” its name from its historic location to a new school being built on Highway 142 and Airport Road. I wondered at this, in light of the Board’s belief that such a gesture would somehow honor these men, I wondered how much the Board knew about these men and why the school was named for them in the first place. So, I attended a meeting of the Board of Education and told them, hoping to persuade them to leave things as they had naturally come to be.
James Elmore Palmer was born in Richmond County, Georgia, in 1828. He graduated from Emory College in 1848 and was appointed head of the preparatory department of Emory College immediately upon his graduation. In 1849, he became professor of natural science in the Wesleyan Female College and in 1858, he became professor of Latin and treasurer of Emory College, serving in these positions until his death on December 13, 1861. He was just 33 years old when he died.
James Palmer was both friend and colleague to my great-great grandfather, George Stone. George Stone was born in Columbia County, Georgia in 1818. He also attended Emory College, graduating in 1842, just six years ahead of James Palmer. George Stone taught at Emory College for nearly all his professional career as a professor of Latin, mathematics, and natural science. In 1852, my great-great-grandfather bought a house 3 blocks from where Palmer Institute would be established nearly 10 years later, and he resided in Oxford until his death in August 1889.
Professor Palmer’s son, Howard Palmer, graduated from Emory College in 1872 and married George Stone’s daughter, Emma Stone. George Stone’s son, Harry Stone, attended Palmer Institute and went on to graduate from Emory College, where he taught applied mathematics and served as librarian for his entire professional career. Harry Stone was appointed to serve on the Newton County Board of Education in 1890, and he served as the Board’s President for 42 years. During his tenure, the county school system came to be recognized as one of the finest school systems in the state.
Harry Stone named one of his sons Howard, in honor of his brother-in-law, Howard Palmer. My grandmother, Susanne Stone, and my great-aunt, Emma Louise Stone, affectionately called their brother “Buddy Howard.” My great aunt, who was like a second grandmother to me, so greatly admired her uncle that she legally changed her name from Emma Louise Stone to Emmalise Palmer Stone. As you can imagine, I learned most of what I know about the Palmer-Stone connection and our family’s legacy from my great aunt, Emmalise, whom we affectionately called “Memmie.”
My great-great uncle, George Stone Jr., was among the first students at Palmer Institute, and he shared in letters to his nieces that the school was known to be among the finest in the region. My cousin, Polly Stone Buck, wrote about attending Palmer Institute in the early 1900’s in her book, Our Blessed Town. G. C. Adams was serving as principal at Palmer Institute when he first organized the agricultural clubs that would later become the 4-H Club. Our school attracted many “young scholars” from Atlanta to Augusta, including Ina Dillard Russell, the wife of State Supreme Court Justice, Richard B. Russell Sr., and mother of the United States Senator Richard B. Russell Jr. Among the school’s notable graduates is another cousin of mine, descended from George Stone, Dr. Sarah Elizabeth Branham, who became a renowned medical researcher and is credited for discovering the cure for spinal meningitis.
As the public education system took shape, other schools in northern Newton County were consolidated with Palmer Institute. The expanded school was renamed, “Palmer-Stone” to honor Harry Harlan Stone, my great-grandfather (son of George Stone, Sr.), for his 42 years of leadership as president of the Newton County School Board (1890 – 1932) and for his contributions to education in the county.
In the early 1900’s, land and money were donated by the Candler family, the founders of the Coca-Cola Company, to establish Emory University in Atlanta. When Emory College was relocated to the university campus in 1919, my great-grandfather, Harry Stone, chose to remain on the faculty at the Oxford campus, then renamed Emory Academy. He felt it was important to continue the legacy of learning in Oxford, the place where it all started. Although the trustees of Emory University moved the college to a new location, the history of teaching young scholars in Oxford was destined to continue at this place due to the dedication and commitment of men like my great-grandfather.
Palmer-Stone isn’t just a name to be given to a school that the Board of Education commissions plan on building somewhere in the county; it isn’t just a name to take from one place and assigned to another. It is the name of this school, built by these men in their community.
How does it honor these men to strip their names from the school they built, and attach them to a school with absolutely no connection to their lives -- one that is removed from their legacy as educators within our community? My family lives three blocks from the property on which James Palmer and George Stone joined with their neighbors to build a school that would serve this community for 150 years. Harry Stone was born, raised, and now lies buried within three blocks of the school he attended as a child and then nurtured as an adult. As a representative of the human legacy left by these men, I say that associating the Palmer-Stone name with a new school that is disconnected from its history, its family, its community, does not honor these men.