History of Middlesex, (Yates County) New York United States of America

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John Franklin Forbes, educator, was born in Middlesex, Yates county, N.Y., June 13, 1853; son of the Rev. Merrill and Maria Jane (Palmer) Forbes, and grandson of Philo and Nancy (Johnson) Forbes, and of George and Mary (Hallett) Palmer. His emigrant ancestor, James Forbes, was born in Culloden, Scotland, in 1610-12, and his first American ancestor, James Forbes of Hartford, Conn., died Nov. 27, 1692. John F. Forbes entered the freshman class of the University of Rochester in 1871, and one year later accepted the position of teacher of mathematics in Middlebury, N.Y., academy, where he remained for six months and then became principal of the Union school at Castile, N.Y. In 1874 he went to Europe and studied and travelled in Germany, Austria, Italy and France, returning in 1875 to the principalship of the Union school at Castile for a year. He then re-entered the University of Rochester as a junior and was graduated in 1878. He was elected principal of the high school at Mount Morris, N.Y., in the fall of 1878, but was almost immediately called from this position to that of professor of Greek and Latin in the State normal school at Brockport, N.Y., which he held from 1878 to 1885, resigning to accept the presidency of De Land, Fla., academy, afterward the John B. Stetson university. In 1879 he was married to Ida A. Higbie, daughter of Abijah Higbie of Penfield, N.Y. In 1895-96 he spent a year abroad in extensive travel, also pursuing the study of educational problems, especially in Germany and France. The honorary degree of Ph.D. was conferred upon him by the University of Rochester in 1887.

From: Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans, Johnson, Rossiter, editor

History of Middlesex, (Yates County) New York

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