3. The later years - from 1870

Maria’s personal skills began to be highlighted in the local papers. The Pittsburgh Weekly Gazette for June 24, 1871 described a meeting of the Allegheny Teachers association where Maria gave what amounted to a lecture on public speaking.

 

Maria’s speaking ability would stand her in good stead many years later when she went on the road to defend CTR in the 1894 troubles.

Maria gave another lecture the following year. From the Pittsburgh Daily Commercial for April 3, 1872 – from the annual meeting of the Allegheny County Teachers’ Institute (Second Day) “In the evening, Miss Mariah Ackley read an essay entitled Will It Pay?”

Two more references from 1872. The Pittsburgh Daily Post for June 20, 1872 – “the following teachers have been elected for the 19^th ward public schools: Grammar, Miss Lyons and Miss Ackley.”

Then the Pittsburgh Weekly Gazette for July 27, 1872 – “Miss T (?) Ackley was elected teacher to fill the vacancy in Room no. 7 of the North Avenue building.”

 

1873 adds another dimension to Maria’s work when she is now elected as a Sunday School Teacher. From the Pittsburgh Weekly Gazette for April 5, 1873:

 

Three years later she is still teaching in Sunday School and is given a pin-cushion to show appreciation. From the Pittsburgh Daily Commercial for January 4, 1876:

In 1877 she is mentioned in the teacher elections for the public schools.

 

She is elected as Marie F Ackley for the North Avenue School. Also elected is a Mary D Lecky. We will come back to her shortly.

However, not all was plain sailing in the teaching profession. In early 1878 Maria was accused of assaulting a pupil. It made the newspapers. From the Pittsburgh Daily Post for January 19, 1878:

It appears that her fellow teacher in the North Avenue School, Mary Lecky, was concerned that someone might think it meant HER. There was a hasty bit of damage limitation. The Pittsburgh Daily Post for January 22, 1978, carried a clarification:

 

Putting this in context, we must remember that corporal punishment was allowed at this time and the complaint may have been malicious. However, for a 27 year old female teacher to be accused of “cruelling whipping” a 12 year old boy still seems unsual. Those who enjoy cooincidences may like to note that the name of the pupil on the receiving end was Knorr. Don’t worry – it has been followed up. While the famous Knorr family of Watch Tower history came from Pennsylvania, it was a different part of the State and also a different era.

There is no information in the newspapers as to how the investigation turned out, but we must assume Maria was cleared of misconduct. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette for July 3, 1878 carried a report of the latest election of teachers. For the Second Ward, North Avenue School, Marie F Ackley was elected again; as was Mary Lecky.

However, with that kind of experience and after a decade of teaching (with more of the same old same old looming ahead) perhaps Maria was getting tired of it all. Getting married, as her two older sisters had done before her – that was the normal escape route for a single woman.

On March 13, 1879, she married Charles Taze Russell.