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Brother, William B. Foster, Jr.	Stephen's "big brother", the one to whom the family looked up to as being a father to Stephen as well as a brother. It was he who first had Stephen attend Athens Academy and who paid many of the young boy's bills and, in fact, Stephen's debts during most of his life. William Foster was a very able and competent man; he had left home in 1826, the very year that Stephen was born and when he was only seventeen years old. Mr. Milligan's Foster biography states that William's career as civil engineer came about through the coincidence of a party of engineers stopping at the Foster home for dinner one night, on their way to locating a route for the proposed canal from Pittsburgh to Kiskiminetas. As they were in need of more men, William's father suggested they take his older son along. This was the beginning of a very brilliant career. He became chief engineer of Public Works of the State of Pennsylvania, was one of the engineers of the Pennsylvania Railroad, and at the time of his death was it's first vice-president. William was known as having a big, warm heart, but it was not until quite late in the life of Stephen that brother William understood and encouraged the boy's talent for music. (Photo: Copyright Sims Visual Music Co.)
Stephen's (presumably) First Letter to His Brother William.	This letter was written with reference to his going to Athens Academy. It is interesting to note the promises he makes to gain his point and remain in Towanda, rather than go to Athens to live, namely; that he will not be seen out of doors during the hours of nine and twelve and one to four and to devote those hours to whatever study William might want him to follow." Further, "I will also promise not to pay any attention to my music until after eight o'clock in the evening." This would bear out the statements of some of his schoolmates that the talent for music was an ever present thing in Stephen and that while he was at school, he would steal away from studies and classes to work out some tune or theme. It is also known that later in life, when he finally devoted his entire time to music, he would often jump up during the night from a sound sleep and jot down some phrases which had come to him while he slumbered. (Photo: Copyright Sims Visual Music Co.)
Another Letter from Stephen to Brother William
This was written while Stephen was still in Athens, attending the academy. He seems to have been vigorously pursuing his academic studies and it is interesting to note that he was studying Philosophy, Grammar and Arithmetic and put in a bid for Bookkeeping. One can hardly imagine the poetic Stephen at bookkeeping, but it is also recorded that at tone time he pleaded to become a navy man. (Photo: Copyright Sims Visual Music Co.)
Washington-Jefferson College
as it looked in the days when it was only Jefferson College. Previous to that title, it had been called Dr. McMillan's Log Cabin Academy (rt). This was one of the first schools to be put up after the emigration of the families from Virginia to Pennsylvania and it will be remembered that James Foster was one of the founders of this seat of learning; in fact, it became the first post of learning west of the Alleghenies. Stephen Foster entered Jefferson College after he left Athens Academy and though he began his studies at this institution with high spirits, he remained only a short time, as he was totally out of sympathy with the regime.

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