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(c) Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association, Deerfield MA. All rights reserved.
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Teaching was considered a respectable and reasonable profession for young women and teaching itself became much more a female profession during the 19th century. In 1830 in Massachusetts, there were nearly as many women as men teachers; by 1860, there were three times more women than men teaching. And many young women taught: in 1855, 20% of all women aged 15-29 had been a teacher at some point. Miss Sarah M. Briggs taught at one school in Deerfield, Massachusetts. Her certification, attested to here, was made after an examination by a school committee composed of respected members of the village.

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