Elementary Textbooks by Frank J. Prout and Other Sanduskians

Between 1924 and 1936, Frank J. Prout and other local authors produced several reading textbooks that were published by the University Publishing Company, which had offices in Lincoln, Chicago, Dallas and New York.

The book, Thought Test Readers, for First Grade students, is shelved in the Woolworth Bookcase in the Quiet Reading Room of the Sandusky Library. The authors were Frank J. Prout, Emeline Baumeister, and Nellie Mischler, with illustrations by Helen Renner. In 1930, when this title was published, Mr. Prout was the Superintendent of Schools in Sandusky, Emeline Baumeister was a second grade teacher at Campbell School, and Nellie Mischler was a first grade teacher at Barker School. Dr. Prout would later serve as president of Bowling Green State University.

The King's Drum was written in 1937 by Dr. Prout, and Ms. Baumeister, who by this time was the Principal of Campbell School in Sandusky. This title, another in the Thought Test series, was designed for use with students in Grade Four. Ruth Mary Hallock illustrated the book. The illustrations were done in shades of aqua, green, and orange.

Included in this book were fictional stories, tales from other lands, stories about numbers, citizenship, and animals. Chapter 10 was entitled “Song and Story” and featured background information about familiar songs. To view this title, which is located in the Sandusky Library Archives Research Center, inquire at the Reference Desk of the Sandusky Library.

Copies of books written by Frank Jay Prout, Emeline Baumeister, and Nellie Mischler are found at several colleges in Ohio, the Library of the R. B. Hayes Presidential Center, the Ohioana Library in Columbus, Ohio, and the Library of Congress. A Thought Test Reader is also housed at The Richard L. Venezky Collection of 19^th and 20^th Century American Primers and Readers at Stanford University in California.

Books by Hudson and Emma Tuttle

This small paperback book from the Lyceum Series was written in 1874 by Hudson and Emma Tuttle, who lived on a farm in Berlin Heights. Hudson Tuttle and his wife, the former Emma Rood, were authors who were also very active in Spiritualism. In the story “How an Acorn Becomes an Oak,” the Tuttles point out that from one small acorn, a huge tree eventually grows, and it not only withstands the winds of storms, but it provides food and shelter to birds and small animals. In “The Beautiful Lady” a young girl learns how a caterpillar transforms into a lovely butterfly. A review of the book which appeared in The Lyceum Stage stated that the book was “an elegant little volume to put into the hands of the young.” The book was nonsectarian, and sold for twenty five cents. 

An engraving of Mr. and Mrs. Tuttle is found on page 487 of The History of the Fire Lands, by W. W. Williams (Leader Printing Co., 1879.)

Several books by Hudson Tuttle are available full-text online at the Internet Archive. In 1907, the Tuttles published A Golden Sheaf, which was a souvenir of their golden wedding anniversary.

Visit the Sandusky Library Archives Research Center to view the book written by Hudson and Emma Rood Tuttle. Hewson L. Peeke provides biographical information about Mr. and Mrs. Hudson Tuttle on pages 1048-1051 in his book A Standard History of Erie County, Ohio.