Woman of the Century/Adah J. Todd

TODD, Miss Adah J., author and educator, was born in Redding, Fairfield county, Conn. ADAH J. TODD. Descended on her father's side from Christopher Todd, one of the pioneer settlers of New Haven Colony, and on her mother's side from Jehue Burre, of Fairfield, she inherits sterling character from a double line of Puritan ancestry. As her father had a large family and little wealth, he could give his daughter only the advantages of the common schools and a preparatory school. Her thirst for knowledge was insatiable, and by teaching in summer and writing throughout the year she succeeded in paying her expense in college and received from Syracuse University the degree of A.B., in 1880. By her own efforts and in opposition to the wishes of her friends, she continued her studies in Greek and philosophy and won the degree of A.M., in Syracuse, in 1883. In 1886 Boston University conferred upon her the degree of Ph. D. for work in languages and literature. She was valedictorian of one of her classes and salutatorian of another. With the tastes of a student she combined practical and executive ability. In 1880-81 she was teacher of languages and lady principal in Xenia College, Ohio. She resigned to continue her studies. In 1883 she accepted the position of science teacher in the Bridgeport, Conn., high school, and was the first to introduce the full laboratory method into the public schools of Connecticut. Her work in that department was very successful and she received for it about half the salary a man would have received. At a later period she took charge of Greek in the same school, fitting pupils for Yale, Harvard and women's colleges, and having many private pupils in both Greek and Latin. In the summer of 1887 she had care of the department of physiology in the summer school for teachers in Martha's Vineyard. She always had a strong inclination for literary work, and her first published articles appeared when she was sixteen. During the last ten years she has written for various papers and magazines, made translations, assisted in the revision of Shepard's "Elements of Chemistry," and furnished weekly papers on natural history for the "Living Church" of Chicago, in 1891. In the summer of 1892 her first book was published under the title, "The Vacation Club." She is a member of several literary, philanthropic and social clubs. Her home is in Redding.