Names Grafton, Ozaukee county, as the place of her birth. During her early childhood her parents moved to Chippewa Falls, Wis., where they lived for a few years. Subsequently they purchased a farm three mile east of the city on which they are still living. We presume that she received most of her education in the city schools of Chippewa Falls. Began teaching at the age of fourteen.

After teaching in district schools for a few terms she attended the River Falls state normal school for a time. Hearing much of the “pineries” on the Chippewa and the good salaries paid for teaching there, she decided to try to secure a position in one ot the schools. She succeeded and was elected to teach the school in district No. 3, town of Hayward.

Learning that her school was ninety miles from home, she says that she had to summon up an extra amount of courage to undertake the work. One morning in Oct., 1893, she took the train at Chippewa Falls and came to Hayward. Tommy Manwaring, district clerk, was to meet her at the station, but he failed to put in an appearance until the next day. She informs us that her parents actually went to the Chippewa Falls station the next day to meet her, but instead, she was seated on a heavily loaded wagon with a stranger, a “tote’ teamster, at her side.

Mr. Manwaring’s home (now the Paul Lessard place) was twenty-eight miles from Hayward and they were two days on the road. Here she had to remain two days. She was to teach the Ackley (now Bishop) school which was five miles further down the Chippewa. As there was no road, she was taken in a boat (a dug-out) which was heavily loaded with a stove, some lumber and her trunk.

Mr. Manwaring and his scaler managed the boat all right down the river through the rapids, and landed her at W. S. Ackley’s where she was to board, and teach in their ‘summer kitchen,” for the next four months.

At that time the nearest post office was at Hayward. During the following year one was established at Glover (now Trading Post) and the next year after that one was located at Manwaring’s. Both of these offices were afterwards discontinued and the nearest office for the people of this neighborhood is at Hayward.

Miss Gillette taught twenty months in this school-the longest period with one exception (and that only by two months) that any person has taught in any one of the rural schools of Sawyer county. The last term or two of her teaching in this school was in a new school house, located about two miles from Ackley’s toward Mr. Manwaring’s. There was no bridge across the Chippewa at that place, and the teacher’s boarding place and the school house were on opposite sides of the river. She and some of her pupils were obliged to pole the boat across the river when there was no one else to do it.

Miss Gillette intended to teach in the village schools of Hayward during the school year ’85-86 but the people prevailed upon her to remain another year. An organ was bought at her boarding place and she paid for her board by giving music lessons. During the following year she taught at Spooner. For the next two years she had second and third grade work in the Hayward village schools. The following year she taught at Thorp, Wis. She then attended school at Minneapolis for a time. From there she went to Bloomer, Wis., and taught one year. Was reelected for another year, but resigned to accept a position in the Chippewa Falls schools, in which place she has since had first grade work. Is now under contract to teach in the same school during the coming year.

During the summer of ’98 she had charge of the model department of a summer school at Medford, Wis. We might add that the building in which Miss Gillette did her last teaching in the Ackley, or Bishop school, is still used for school purposes, having been moved twice since that time, and now stands near the Bishop bridge.

In 1886 H. B. Shue was assessor for the town of Hayward and. at that time, was living at Crane Creek.

After completing her work in the Bishop school, Miss Gillette, while on her way to Hayward, remained at the Shue residence long enough to make the assessment roll for that year. He reports that the work was well done.