My Genealogy Hound

PROF. GEORGE J. EDGCUMBE, A. M., Ph. D., Principal of Benton Harbor College, was born near Plymouth, England, November 17, 1844, and is the son of William and Eliza (Jayne) Edgcumbe. His childhood years were passed in his native place, and he enjoyed exceptional educational advantages, his studies being carried on under the preceptorship of some of the most noted teachers of England. It may with justice be said of him that he availed himself to the utmost of his opportunities, and through diligence in study and a systematic course in reading, he gained in his youth a broad knowledge of historical subjects on general topics of interest. He was graduated from Victoria University in 1875 and later from Wesleyan University, receiving the degree of Ph. D.

After filling some of the best positions in the public schools of the country, and gaining the reputation of being one of the most successful disciplinarians and instructors, in 1883 he came to Benton Harbor, where he became Superintendent of the city schools and continued in that capacity for a period of three years. While occupying that position, he effected many improvements in the character of the branches taught, as well as the mode of teaching, and succeeded in placing the schools here upon a substantial footing.

In 1886 he founded the Benton Harbor Normal and Collegiate Institute, which he conducted with a continually increasing attendance until 1892. During that year the school was incorporated and the name of the institution changed to the Benton Harbor College and Normal, under which title it is now conducted. Here students are prepared for the higher universities and colleges, and many go directly from this institution to Wellesley (Mass.) College, the State University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, Northwestern College, and other prominent universities.

The building is a fine frame structure, four stories in height, and most beautifully located on the Morton Bluff, overlooking the lake and the city. It has an attendance in the academic department of two hundred and forty, and for the summer session an attendance of sixty-seven. The music conservatory has an attendance of fifty-two, while in all the departments there is an average of four hundred and sixty students. Eighteen teachers constitute the working force of the institution, under whose careful and intelligent guidance the students make rapid advancement in then chosen studies. There are two good dormitories occupied by teachers and students, and in these board maybe secured at $2.25 or $2.50 per week, while good accommodations are also furnished by private families near the college. The institution, both in point of attendance and grade of scholarship, ranks among the best in the State, and great credit is due the gentleman to whose intelligent labors and well-directed efforts these results may be attributed.