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Harriet Hetta Shoen

Harriet Hetta Shoen was born in Stockholm, New York on May 21, 1896. Her parents were Bertram Guy Shoen (of Massena) and Agnes Ruth Russell (of Reese, MI). Harriet was the oldest of six sisters; all of her four brothers died either prematurely or shortly after birth. Early in life, Harriet attended kindergarten in the village of Potsdam and elementary school at Langdon's Corners. The family next moved to Massena where Harriet attended high school. Harriet considered her time in high school as the most important factor influencing her interest in teaching.

After Harriet graduated high school in 1914, she entered the Oswego State Normal School to pursue a degree in teaching. While Harriet was enrolled at Oswego, she took a little more than two years off to teach at Indian Reservation schools in New York and North Dakota. She then returned to Oswego and earned a degree in elementary education in 1918. Between 1918 and 1928, she taught seventh, eighth, and ninth grade in several schools in New York and New Jersey. She also served as the principal of an orphan institute in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania for the 1922-1923 school year.

In the summer of 1929, Harriet traveled to Great Britain for several months to tour the numerous art galleries and museums. In particular, she enjoyed her visits to the British Museum and the Trinity College Library in Dublin, where she was able to study many ancient illuminated manuscripts (including "The Book of Kells"). When Harriet returned to the states, she enrolled at Columbia University, where she would study until 1936. During her time at the university, Harriet earned several degrees, including a Bachelor of Science with a diploma in Elementary Education and a Master of Arts in Teacher Education. Harriet also pursued her doctoral study in the teaching of history. However, her Ph.D. was not awarded until 1944, due to publication problems with her dissertation.

After leaving Columbia in 1936, Harriet took a statistical research position at the Regents Inquiry in Albany for one year. She then devoted several years to free lance writing and various part-time teaching jobs in New York City. By 1942, she had finished the manuscript for a history textbook. However, it was not published due to the start of World War Two. During the height of America's involvement in the war, Harriet took a job at the Ford Instrument Company. Among her responsibilities were dimension interference research and revision and tool design. However, her most important job was her work on lubrication charts which were used on all the Navy's ships during the war. Harriet's work was invaluable as all the men who were familiar with the charts were away on ships or in port, working on installing parts. Following the war, Harriet served as the head of the history department at Davis and Elkins College in West Virginia. Following her retirement in 1949, Harriet led a rather private life until her death in 1967.

All of the research for this paper was performed at The St. Lawrence County Historical Society which has an extensive collection on Harriet Shoen, including letters, diaries, diplomas, and selections of her own publications.