***Olin Fisk Cummings***
(b. October 27, 1856; d. May 29, 1902)
North Carolina. White.
Occupation: bookkeeper, teacher.
Father's occupation: merchant, preacher, professor, teacher.
Olin Fisk Cummings was born in North Carolina in 1856 to Isabella and Anson W. Cummings. His parents were originally from the Northeast but had moved to North Carolina after his father accepted the position of College President at Holston Conference Female College, a woman's college in Asheville that was affiliated with the Methodist Church. The family's experience in North Carolina was mixed. In a book on the regional history of Methodism, Anson is said to have been a "notable financier" and a "man of superior intellect, [who] wrote well, and preached with ability." However, he is also said to have "loved money too well." In 1866, a church committee found him guilty of financial misconduct. The family then moved to South Carolina and the father became president of the South Carolina Female College in Spartanburg, South Carolina, a position he held from 1866-70. (There is little extent information about the Female College, although it may have been incorporated into what is now Limestone University). The next year (from 1870 to 1871) the father worked as a minster.
The family moved to Columbia in the summer of 1872 when the father took on the position of Professor of Mathematics and Civil and Military Engineering and Construction at the University of South Carolina. The Board of Trustees appointed him after removing Thomas E. Hart, a professor who had been hired in 1869.
Olin registered as a student at the University of South Carolina shortly after the family moved to Columbia. He and his brothers Charles and Francis were among the few students who remained at the university after African American students enrolled in October 1873. (The other students were Edward and Charles Babbitt.)
Fellow student C. C. Scott described Olin as "of quiet demeanor and gentlemanly deportment, a close student and a good scholar." Olin was one of three students to receive a A.B. degree in 1877. The June 15 graduation ceremony was the last public exercise before the closure of the university.
In 1877, he applied to be a cadet at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. Academy records indicate that he was recommended by his former professor Richard T. Greener and South Carolina Governor Daniel Chamberlain, but he ultimately did not attend.
Around the time he applied to West Point, Olin moved with his family to New York state. His father purchased the Riverside Seminary in Wellsville, and the seminary began enrolling students in September, 1877. The seminary offered a curriculum aimed at preparing students for college, the professions, and "the duties of practical life." The faculty consisting of the Cummings family and one Sue V. Fleming. Olin taught foreign languges (Latin and Greek), mathematics, and music.
Olin received an A.M. degree from Syracuse University in 1880. His degree is described as "in cursu to graduates of other colleges." This probably indicates that the degree was awarded for his studies at the University of South Carolina. (Common practice at many U.S. universities at the time was to award A.M. degrees to all A.B. graduates a few years after graduating, sometimes after giving a presentation or passing an exam.)
In 1880, Olin was working at his father's seminary and living with his parents. Later he worked at a tannery and at a Wellsville shop. During part of the late 1880s, he lived in Brockville, Canada.
Olin had returned to Wellsville by 1892 and was working as a bookkeeper for the Empire Gas & Fuel Co. He was a well-regarded member of the community. He was considered as an accomplished pianist and served as organist for the Methodist Episcopal church. He was also a member of several fraternal orders. Among other orders, he was an Eminent Commander of the Wellsville Encampment of the Sons of St. John & Malta.
Tragedy struck Olin's family in April 1897 when a kerosene lamp started a fire in his home. While firefighters were called, the upper level of his home was greatly damaged by fire, and the lower level was damaged by smoke and flooding.
Five years later, in 1902, tragedy struck a second time. On May 29, Olin died suddenly in his sleep after experiencing breathing difficulties. The cause of death was given as heart disease, although Olin had no history of heart problems.
Of Olin, one obituary read
He was a young man of quiet disposition, faithful to any and all duties required of him, loved and respected by his many friends.... He was a true christian, a devoted son and father, an upright, honorable man which [sic] character is a rich legacy to leave to his wife and three young boys
He is buried in Woodlawn Cemetery in Wellsville.
Sources
1). 1880; Census Place: Scio, Allegany, New York; Roll: 809; Page: 349D; Enumeration District: 024.
2). "When Negroes Attended the State University", May 8, 1911. State (published as The State). Page 9.
3). U.S. Military Academy Cadet Application Papers, 1805-1866; (National Archives Microfilm Publication M688, 1 roll); Records of the Adjutant General’s Office, 1780’s-1917, Record Group 94; National Archives, Washington, D.C.
4). Buffalo Evening News. May 29, 1902.
5). 1892 New York State Census. New York State Education Department, Office of Cultural Education. New York State Library, Albany, NY.
6). Price, Richard Nye. Holston Methodism. From its Origin to the Present Time. Volume IV: From the year 1844 to the year 1870. United States: Publishing House of the M.E. Church, South, 1913.
7). Lamb's Biographical Dictionary of the United States. United States: James H. Lamb Company, 1900.
8). 1870; Census Place: Court House, Spartanburg, South Carolina; Roll: M593_1508; Page: 410A
9). 1860; Census Place: Asheville, Buncombe, North Carolina; Page: 245
10). "Olin F. Cummings." Allegany County Reporter, May 30, 1902. p. 8.
11). "Dr. Cummings Heard From." Allegany County Reporter, July 11, 1889. p. 16.
12). "Olin F. Cummings." Wellsville Daily Report, May 28, 1902. p. 5.
13). "Olin Cumming's House". Allegany County Reporter. April 2, 1897. p. 8.
14) p. 577-578.
15) History of Allegany County
Posted 3/25/20