Sarah Green Jones Atkinson (October 14, 1860 – November 14, 1943) was an American educator based in rural Virginia.

Early life

Born Sarah Green Jones, she was a native of Dinwiddie County, Virginia,[1] and born into a family of educators.[2]

Career

Atkinson and her husband donated land and timber in 1911 to construct the first high school in Dinwiddie County in 1911.[3] She also supported teaching at the school. Sunnyside High School became the first eight-month rural school to gain accreditation in Virginia.[4] Students had that schedule because they were needed during the other months to work on family farms.

Atkinson was also known for her support of the local 4-H Club and its students, which provided education and training for young people in livestock and crop management, cooking and baking skills, and other needed activities.[5] Atkinson also worked for women's suffrage in Virginia, serving on a state committee under Governor Andrew Jackson Montague. The committee convinced him to support women having the right to vote.[4]

Honors

Atkinson was honored in 1986 by a historical marker erected by the Virginia Department of Conservation and Historic Resources. It is located in Dinwiddie County, near the town of McKenney.[4]

Personal life

She married John Pryor Atkinson. Atkinson died in Dinwiddie County.[3] She was interred in the graveyard of Concord Presbyterian Church in Rawlings, in neighboring Brunswick County.[1] Her name on the marker is given as "Sally", a common informal version of Sarah.[6]

References

  1. ^ a b "RootsWeb's WorldConnect Project: The Jones Families of Virginia". Retrieved 25 April 2017.
  2. ^ Delta Kappa Gamma Society. Iota State (Va.) (1963). Adventures in Teaching: Pioneer Women Educators and Influential Teachers. Virginia Iota State Organization, Delta Kappa Gamma Society.
  3. ^ a b Richard Lyon Jones; Dinwiddie County (Va.). Board of Supervisors; Dinwiddie County Historical Book Committee (1976). Dinwiddie County, carrefour of the Commonwealth: a history. Board of Supervisors of Dinwiddie County.
  4. ^ a b c "Sallie Jones Atkinson Historical Marker". Retrieved 25 April 2017.
  5. ^ Virginia Four-H Club Letter. Club Department, Extension Division of the Virginia Agricultural and Mechanical College. 1937.
  6. ^ "Cemeteries of Brunswick County, Virginia: Concord Presbyterian Church Cemetery". Retrieved 25 April 2017.
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