Ypsi's Cleary College had a Correspondence Course

Ypsilanti's Cleary College, founded by onetime itinerant handwriting teacher P. R. Cleary, had a correspondence course if you couldn't attend in Ypsi. I was rather excited to find this out as I don't recall this aspect of Cleary being discussed before. Below is the application to apply at the school.

This is the application filled out in the summer of 1907 by 21-year-old Romulus girl Estelle Armstrong. She had finished 10th grade and lived at home. On this application she said she would have 2 to 3 hours to devote to Cleary correspondence work each day. The course she chose was no. 2.

In 1900, Estelle was a 14-year-old schoolgirl in Romulus. She lived with her 61-year-old carpenter father William, who owned his home, and her 45-year-old mother Julia. In 1907, Estelle applied for her correspondence course. In the December of next year, William died. In 1910, Estelle lived in Romulus, 24 years old and single, with her widowed 65-year-old mother Julia.Julia had her own private income and Julia worked as an independent dressmaker.