This photograph was taken about 1910 of the pupils of the Geise School in Lykens Township, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania. The teacher, standing far left, is Miss Anna Schoffstall, who, according to school records, served several years, including 1907, 1901, and 1913-1915.
The school was also known as the Gise School and was in existence for 100 years from about 1854 to 1954 when it closed and students from this part of the township began attending school in Gratz Borough.
Many of the students in this photograph have been identified, and those identifications are given first. They may not all be correct. For these reasons, a numbered key is given below.
Front Row (12 boys sitting on ground, only 11 names given including “unknown”): Jacob Kissinger; Earl Dietrich; —–?—–; Harrison Sitlinger; Albert Sitlinger; Ford Shade; George Shade; Ernest Kissinger; Elmer Shade; Emory Sitlinger; Charles Sitlinger.
Second Row (standing, 13 in this row, only 12 names given including “unknown”): —–?—–; —–?—–; Florence [Philips] Minich; —–?—–; —–?—–; —–?—–; —–?—–; Ralph Hoffman; —–?—–; —–?—–; Laura Dietrich; Harvey Evitts.
Back Row (standing): Miss Anna Schoffstall, teacher; Sarah [Wise] Sitlinger; Helen [Hoffman] Dietrich; Charles Shade; Benjamin Wise; Albert Shade; Ralph Philips; Allen Schoffstall; William Dietrich.
Positive identifications for the following: #2 – Earl Dietrich, my great uncle; #24 – Laura Dietrich, my great aunt; #26 – Miss Anna Schoffstall, teacher; #28 – Helen [Hoffman] Dietrich, my grandmother; #35 – William Dietrich, my grandfather.
Additions and corrections should be appended as comments to this blog post.