Julie Pearsall, one of Seward's great-great-great granddaughters, is among the descendants who said they're angered by the sale plan.

WSJ: Seward supporters irked by plan to sell NY artwork

"We think of it as the collective intelligence of all the people reading on Kindle, " says Amazon spokeswoman Kinley Pearsall.

WSJ: Your E-Book Is Reading You

Principal Terry Pearsall-Hargett, with 22 years in the Army under her belt, brought in veteran teachers from her old school and hired several from Teach for America, a Peace Corps-like nonprofit that recruits college students to work in troubled schools.

WSJ: Comeback School Misses Mark