Jane M BancroftJane Marie Bancroft was born in West Stockbridge, Massachusetts, on December 24, 1847. Her mother, Caroline J. Orton, came from an old Dutch family in New York City, while her father was derived from early English settlers in New Jersey. Her father, ev. George C. Bancroft, had been a Methodist Episcopal Church member for more than 50 years. Emma Willard founded the Troy Female Seminary, from which Bancroft graduated in 1871. In 1872, she graduated from the State Normal School in Albany, New York, and was immediately named preceptress of Fort Edward Collegiate Institute at Fort Edward (town), New York, where she served until 1876. During the years 1870 to 1876, colleges for women were formed, and avenues formerly only open to males were opened to women. Jane Bancroft, encouraged by her foresighted mother, decided to take a college course. While in Fort Edward, she took individual advanced studies classes, and in the fall of 1876, she enrolled as a senior at Syracuse University, where she graduated in 1877. Read More Read Less