Grubb Family Tree

From: "GRIPS" Historical Souvenir of Cortland page 106
http://tcpl.org/local-history/documents/county-history-CNY/Grips_of_Cortland/grips092-107.pdf

James M. Milne, well known in educational circles as an ardent supporter at Albany of the state system of higher education, as a prolific writer on educational and other topics, as a speaker and as the author of a practical system for teaching higher grammar which he has prepared for the press, has been a resident of Cortland for several years. It was here, where he was principal of the academic department of the Cortland Normal school during 1873 and the three following years and where he filled the chair of Latin and Greek in the same institution from 1877 to 1889, that Dr. Milne began a twenty-one years' career as instructor. Finally, through his work at Albany, and among the educational associations, as well as through his writings, his services were requisitioned in an extended field of operation and his acquaintanceship became quite large.

In 1889 he was called upon to accept the responsibility of getting a new school on firm legs and safely started in that field of bitter competition for public favor which every candidate for pupils in the higher branches of education in this state is required to run. Two days after Governor Hill had signed the Arnold bill creating an Oneonta Normal school, the local board met and its first act was to elect Dr. Milne the principal. This was April 19, 1888, before ground had been staked out, and a year before the school was opened. The testimonials Dr. Milne brought with him from Oneonta when, nine years later he retired from that position to devote his time to law and literary pursuits, speak louder than the "trumpet's brazen note" of the success he had achieved. It is just and fair to add, that he placed that school among the leading Normal schools of the state and the people of Oneonta give him credit for doing so. Upon Dr. Milne's return to Cort land in 1898, he settled down to active work in his enlarged field of labor, giving some of his time to the lecture platform and taking the opportun ity to complete his school grammar and get it on to the press. Another field of usefulness, unsought, was opened up to him in Cortland. When the Democratic county committee of 1899 organized he was induced to accept the positionof chairman, which, such as it is in a party absolutely in the minority, offered no reward beyond the self consciousness of performing one's duty to his party. In the local political contest of that year, however, Dr. Milne rallied to his support the full party strength and, with the influence of experienced Democrats behind him, succeeded in securing a victory for the Democratic candidates for commissioners in the two school districts, the only officers upon which the two parties made a bitter fight.

Dr. Milne was born in Scotland, Sept. 29, 1850, and received his early education in the schools of Edinburgh. He is a graduate of the State Normal school at Geneseo and of the Rochester university at Rochester; and afterward studied at Heidelburg, Germany, and has received the degree of Ph. D. from Colgate university, Hamilton, N. Y. He is a life member and has been the president of the New York State Teachers' association and has occupied the high position of President of the Normal Department of the National Educational association. He has also been a member of the American Philological association. In the Masonic order he belongs to the Oneonta lodge, F. & A. M., and the chapter R. A. M. of Oneonta, is a Sir Knight in the Malta Commandery of Binghamton and is one of the Cypress Shriners of Albany. He is also a member of the Tioughnioga club of Cortland. In 1880 he was married to Susan M., the oldest daughter of the late Jas. A. Schermerhorn of Cortland.

Biographical sketch in the introduction to his collected papers at SUNY Oneonta
http://nyheritage.nnyln.net/cdm/ref/collection/ZBM/id/107

James M. Milne was born in Scotland on September 29th, 1850. He received his early education in Edinburgh before his family moved to America. Milne graduated from the State Normal School at Geneseo and went on to attend the University of Rochester. He received his Ph.D. from Colgate University in Hamilton, NY. He was a longtime resident of Cortland NY, where he was principal of the academic department at the Cortland Normal School. He was principal from 1873 to 1876 and then became chair of Latin and Greek studies from 1877 to 1889. In 1889, Milne was elected to become the first principal of the Oneonta Normal School. He stayed for nine years before he was forced to resign in 1898 due to a controversy with the board. He went on to study law and was admitted to the bar in 1901. In November of 1903, Milne was at a Masonic group meeting in Waterville where he gave a speech. Soon after finishing his address, he collapsed and died. He was buried in Cortland NY