Mary Sheldon Barnes
Encyclopedia
Mary Downing Sheldon was an American
educator and historian. Her teaching style and publications were considered ahead of their time; she utilized the a source method that encouraged students to develop their own researching utilizing primary sources and their own problem solving skills. Sheldon was teacher of and major influence on author and socialist Anna Strunsky
.
, the oldest of five children, to Fraces Stiles and Edward Austin Sheldon
. Her father was the founder of the Oswego State Normal and Training School
, where she would graduate from in 1869. After graduation, she taught there for two years, before becoming enrolled in the University of Michigan
, graduating in classical studies in 1874. Sheldon returned to Oswego State Normal, where she would teach history
, Latin
, Greek
and botany
. In late 1876 she would begin teaching history at Wellesley College for two and a half years. Her teaching style was considered unorthodox
at the time, focusing on the case method
process. In 1879 she resigned due to poor health and internal conflicts at the college, leaving behind teaching to travel abroad and rest for a year. In 1882 she returned to Oswego Normal to write her work Studies in General History, which was published in 1885.
, and in March 1892 Sheldon joined the department of history at Stanford. At Stanford she taught 19th-century European and Pacific Slope
history. The couple wrote Studies in American History which was published in 1891, and again in 1896. Sheldon would go on to publish Studies in Historical Method, which was directed towards teachers and layman
historians interested in learning about historical method
. In 1897, the couple resigned from Stanford to travel and write in Europe.
in London. Her teaching method encouraged students to "study the primary sources in an 'independent and solitary' way using her questions as guides to problem solving...in order to develop the students abilities to observe, weigh evidence, to generalize and to exercise creative historical imagination." This approach was described as progressive for the time, utilizing a case method that "hastened the improvement of more conventional history textbooks." In 1985 and 1986 the Mary Sheldon Barnes and Earl Barnes Papers were donated to the Sophia Smith Collection
at Smith College
by Betty Barnes, the daughter-in-law of Earl Barnes, and his second wife, Anna Koehler Barnes.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
educator and historian. Her teaching style and publications were considered ahead of their time; she utilized the a source method that encouraged students to develop their own researching utilizing primary sources and their own problem solving skills. Sheldon was teacher of and major influence on author and socialist Anna Strunsky
Anna Strunsky
Anna Strunsky Walling was an early 20th Century American author and proponent of socialism. Her work focused on social problems, literature, and the labor movement....
.
Early life
Mary Downing Sheldon was born in Oswego, New YorkOswego, New York
Oswego is a city in Oswego County, New York, United States. The population was 18,142 at the 2010 census. Oswego is located on Lake Ontario in north-central New York and promotes itself as "The Port City of Central New York"...
, the oldest of five children, to Fraces Stiles and Edward Austin Sheldon
Edward Austin Sheldon
Edward Austin Sheldon was an American educator, and the founding president of State University of New York at Oswego . He also served as superintendent of schools for the cities of Syracuse, New York and Oswego, New York...
. Her father was the founder of the Oswego State Normal and Training School
State University of New York at Oswego
State University of New York at Oswego, also known as SUNY Oswego and Oswego State, is a public university in the City of Oswego and Town of Oswego, New York, on the shore of Lake Ontario...
, where she would graduate from in 1869. After graduation, she taught there for two years, before becoming enrolled in the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
, graduating in classical studies in 1874. Sheldon returned to Oswego State Normal, where she would teach history
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
, Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
, Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
and botany
Botany
Botany, plant science, or plant biology is a branch of biology that involves the scientific study of plant life. Traditionally, botany also included the study of fungi, algae and viruses...
. In late 1876 she would begin teaching history at Wellesley College for two and a half years. Her teaching style was considered unorthodox
Unorthodox
Unorthodox refers to something that is not orthodox.Unorthodox may also refer to:In music:* Unorthodox , a song by Wretch 32* Unorthodox , a doom metal band from Maryland...
at the time, focusing on the case method
Case method
The case method is a teaching approach that consists in presenting the students with a case, putting them in the role of a decision maker facing a problem...
process. In 1879 she resigned due to poor health and internal conflicts at the college, leaving behind teaching to travel abroad and rest for a year. In 1882 she returned to Oswego Normal to write her work Studies in General History, which was published in 1885.
Teaching and writing career
On August 6, 1885 she married Earl Barnes, a former student, who was eleven years younger than her. In 1891 Barnes was appointed head of the department of education at Stanford UniversityStanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
, and in March 1892 Sheldon joined the department of history at Stanford. At Stanford she taught 19th-century European and Pacific Slope
Pacific Slope
The Pacific Slope describes geographic regions in North American, Central American, and South American countries that are west of the continental divide and slope down to the Pacific Ocean. In North America, the Rocky Mountains mark the eastern border of the Pacific Slope...
history. The couple wrote Studies in American History which was published in 1891, and again in 1896. Sheldon would go on to publish Studies in Historical Method, which was directed towards teachers and layman
Layman
A layperson or layman is a person who is not an expert in a given field of knowledge. The term originally meant a member of the laity, i.e. a non-clergymen, but over the centuries shifted in definition....
historians interested in learning about historical method
Historical method
Historical method comprises the techniques and guidelines by which historians use primary sources and other evidence to research and then to write histories in the form of accounts of the past. The question of the nature, and even the possibility, of a sound historical method is raised in the...
. In 1897, the couple resigned from Stanford to travel and write in Europe.
Death and legacy
On August 27, 1898 she died of heart diseaseHeart disease
Heart disease, cardiac disease or cardiopathy is an umbrella term for a variety of diseases affecting the heart. , it is the leading cause of death in the United States, England, Canada and Wales, accounting for 25.4% of the total deaths in the United States.-Types:-Coronary heart disease:Coronary...
in London. Her teaching method encouraged students to "study the primary sources in an 'independent and solitary' way using her questions as guides to problem solving...in order to develop the students abilities to observe, weigh evidence, to generalize and to exercise creative historical imagination." This approach was described as progressive for the time, utilizing a case method that "hastened the improvement of more conventional history textbooks." In 1985 and 1986 the Mary Sheldon Barnes and Earl Barnes Papers were donated to the Sophia Smith Collection
Sophia Smith Collection
The Sophia Smith Collection at Smith College is an internationally recognized repository of manuscripts, photographs, periodicals and other primary sources in women's history. It was founded by Margaret Storrs Grierson in 1942 to be the library's distinctive contribution to the college's mission...
at Smith College
Smith College
Smith College is a private, independent women's liberal arts college located in Northampton, Massachusetts. It is the largest member of the Seven Sisters...
by Betty Barnes, the daughter-in-law of Earl Barnes, and his second wife, Anna Koehler Barnes.