280. VALENTINE SIMMONS8 ALMY (John Simmons7, Frederick6, Sanford5, John4, Job3-2, William1),b. Little Compton, RI, 14 Aug 1863; d. Providence, RI, 4 Mar 1917.
He m. 15 Jul 1895, CLARA WILKINSON HULL, b. Providence, 13 Oct 1871; d. 3 Oct 1931; dau of John M. and Emma S. Hull.
Children:
| 422 | i | JOHN HULL9, b. Cranston, RI, 30 Jan 1897; d. Barrington, RI, 7 Oct 1983; m.(1) ME, 2 Sep 1925, MINONA ROGERS, b. ME, 12 Feb 1898; d. Fall River, MA, Mar 1967; dau of Adelbert Rogers. He m.(2) 1970, LUCIA (BLISS) HARVIE. |
| 423 | ii | RICHARD, b. Cranston, 8 Jun 1900; d. Lancaster, PA, 20 Sep 1962. |
| iii | EMMA WILKINSON, b. Auburn, RI, 6 Feb 1905; d. Cranston, 12 Jan 1991; m. Providence, 7 Jun 1930, WARREN DEAN KENT, Jr. One known child: Joan Kent m. ...... Hereld of Tolland, CT. |
Clara W. Almy of Little Compton made her will 7 Apr 1930, proved 23 Oct 1931. She named sons John H. Almy of Cranston and Richard Almy; Minona Almy, wife of John Hull Almy; and daughter Emma W. Almy.
At the time of his death on March 4, 1917, Valentine Almy (1407-1426) was Deputy Commissioner of Education for the State of Rhode Island. Born in Little Compton, he received his education in that town's public schools and at the Rhode Island State Normal School, from which he graduated in 1890. After teaching in Massachusetts for two years, Valentine Almy returned to Rhode Island to become principal of the grammar school in Auburn, the Doric Avenue School. Three years later, he was appointed Superintendent of Schools in Cranston, a position he held for seventeen years until his appointment as Deputy Commissioner in September 1912.
His interest in the schools of Cranston continued, and in 1914 Valentine Almy became a member of the Cranston School Committee. His other activities included the National Education Association; secretary-treasurer of the New England Association of School Superintendents; offices in the Barnard Club, the Rhode Island Institute of Instruction and membership in many other societies both in Cranston and Providence.
According to his obituary, written for the Cranston Annual Report of 1917, ``Mr. Almy was distinguished as a progressive leader, who, however, was never led astray by educational fads. He worked consistently for such beneficial measures as medical inspection, evening schools, industrial education, closer sympathy between parents and teachers, higher pay for teachers, and more sanitary conditions for pupils. Unobstrusively and without thought of personal gain, he devoted his life to the welfare of the public schools.''
The Valentine S. Almy family was in the 1900 Federal census for Cranston, RI, living with his brother-in-law, Charles A. Hull. The family consisted of Valentine 36, b. RI, Aug 1863; Clara W. 28, b. RI, Oct 1871; and John H. 3, b. RI, Jan 1897.
REFERENCES: Cranston Herald of 29 Aug 1979; FAMILY RECORDS; FEDERAL CENSUS; LAWTON p. 79; LITTLE COMPTON FAMS pp. 10-11; PROV VR.