USA > Connecticut > Fairfield County > Fairfield > This is Fairfield, 1639-1940 > Part 30
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Female Seminary at Fairfield (Connecticut)
Under the superintendence of Miss Allen on in- troducing this School to the public, some brief state- ment of the teacher's views may be necessary. It is not her object to make superficial scholars, but use- ful and accomplished women: not to burden the memory, while the understanding remains torpid; but to elicit thought and excite inquiry on every subject which may engage the attention of her pu- pils. The course of studies pursued is designed to elevate the intellectual character, to establish female worth on a solid basis, and to qualify the mind for a proper discharge of the various duties of life. Conscious that religious principles and virtuous hab- its are the foundation of all happiness and respect- ability, the Principal of this school will be solicitous to check the growth of evil passions and conteract bad habits, rather by rectifying the internal prin- ciple, than influencing the external deportment.
The summer term will commence on the first Tuesday of May next. As the number of pupils will be limited, persons who design to place their daugh- ters at this seminary, are requested to make im- mediate application.
Terms of tuition from $4 to $5 per quarter, Board $1.50 per week-beds and bedding found by the pupils. Washing, firewood and candles extra charges. Or $2 per week, beds and washing included.
The character and standing of the School may be ascertained by reference to any of the following gentlemen of Fairfield: Hon. Roger M. Sherman Eben Dimon, Esq.
Samuel Rowland, Esq. Hon. David Hill
David Judson, Esq. Rev. Nathaniel Hewit
Gold Silliman, Esq. 68 South St., N. Y.
N.B .- Fairfield lies upon Long Island Sound, and is one of the most pleasant and healthy villages in the State, and the mail from New York arrives there every evening, Sundays excepted.
April 1825
On December 10, 1856, it was voted to ap- point the School Visitors as the existing School Law required-6 to be appointed.
Dr. I. T. Denison Rev. I. S. Purdy School Visitors for 3 years
Rev. William I. Jennings
Rev. T. B. Sturges School Visitors for 2 years
Rev. Christopher Leffingwell ) Sherwood Sterling
School Visitors for 1 year
The records of one of the six districts estab- lished in the First Located School Society-the
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Jennings Woods district for 1856-1893 are at the Fairfield Historical Society and are most in- teresting and really give a picture of the think- ing of that particular period. This was a one room school like the others.
The minutes for November 10, 1856 open the book and follow here:
Nov. 10, 1856 -
Meeting called to order. Moderator chosen. The warning read and accepted. We agree to lay a new floor, writing desks and seats, the seats to be low- ered three inches and seated the same as at present and do any other necessary repairs and then Albert W. Knapp made a motion to the effect, seconded by Seeley Bibbins carried by a unanimous vote. It is moved and accepted that this business be left with the Committee to do. It is moved and accepted that the wood to furnish the school the coming year should be set up at auction. The wood to be hard wood, one third hickory, bid off by Alden Wilson at $9.00. There is also a motion passed that we have a female teacher wages not to exceed $3.25 per week. J. B. Wilson, Clerk protem.
The Selectmen were ordered to alter and de- fine the school district lines later that same year and their established district is also recorded.
We the Selectmen of the Town of Fairfield ap- pointed to alter and define the school district lines and limits of the Town of Fairfield do establish the following as the limits of the Jennings Woods Dis- trict School. Beginning at the Court Bridge which crosses Mill River in Wilson's Highway near the dwelling of Morris Gould, thence following said riv- er south westerly to the head of Pequonne Road near Hull's Bridge. Thence eastwardly following said road to Osborne Road, thence south on the Os- borne Road to the mouth of the cross road leading by the house of Anson Nichols which last mentioned road is a line of the District to the Pequonne Road thence south and east on Pequonne Road to the Center of the Black Rock Turnpike. Thence a direct course eastwardly to the Parish line near the eastern corner of Thomas McCann's Homestead to the cen- ter of the North and South road, thence north on the Parish line along the last named road to the point of the long lots and thence taking the Eastern line of Silliman's Long Lots up to the Eastern cor- ner of the seventeen acre Lot so called where there is now standing a small walnut tree. Thence west- erly in a direct line to the north end of the bridge near Andrew Bulkley. Thence westerly on a line at right angles to the longest line to Wilson's Highway. Thence south on Wilson's Highway to the before mentioned Court Bridge. Fairfield, Dec. 19, 1856, Robert Wilson, Simon Sherwood, Selectmen.
At later meetings there were many notes of in- terest. A few were:
April 1857-Motion made to hire a teacher for 20 weeks or more if she gives good satisfaction if not to leave at a vote of the district. The teacher's name was Miss Eleanor Wheeler and her wages
amounted to $2.50 a week. (I presume that she continued in service for I found no report of her dismissal.)
Oct. 22, 1858-Meeting of Jennings Woods Dis- trict School called to order, Moderator chosen. Warning read and accepted. After proceeding with the meeting awhile and a number of votes taken, there was a motion made and seconded to lay the minutes of said meeting thus far on the table and this was passed in the affirmative.
Motion made and seconded that we leave the business of hiring a teacher with the Committee either male or female as he thinks proper, passed in the affirmative.
Motion made and seconded that we limit the committee on wages, a male teacher not to exceed $24 a month and female $18 and board themselves, passed in the affirmative.
Motion made and seconded the wood be set up at auction at the lowest bidder, passed in the affirma- tive.
Motion made and seconded the moderator be auctioneer, tis a vote.
Wood sold at $10 for the season furnished by Alden Wilson Jr., if soft wood all season, if hard one half.
Motion made and seconded that we adjourn, passed in the affirmative.
James B. Wilson, Clerk.
The teacher at that time boarded "around" probably with a member of the School Commit- tee for the district. A later meeting shows:
Meeting called to order. Oliver Beers chosen moderator, the warning read and accepted. Motion that we hire a teacher and for her to Board around. Passed in the affirmative. Motion made and accept- ed that the teacher shall come from out of the district.
Motion made and accepted instructing the com- mittee to hire a teacher and the wages not to ex- ceed $1.50 per week and board.
Motion made and accepted that we appropriate a share of the Publick money to pay school bills of the past two seasons.
James B. Wilson, Clerk-Jennings Woods School
The hiring of the teacher for the Fall, Winter and Summer seasons along with the securing of the necessary wood for the winter were the main items of business year after year.
The minutes for the September 27, 1861 meet- ing held at 7 p.m. follow:
Sept. 27, 1861 at 7 P.M.
Meeting called to order. F. Austin chosen chair- man. Warning read and accepted. Augustus Nichols elected Committee.
1. Resolved the wood bill shall be made out on last Winter's term, Richard B. Jennings, collector and Treasurer, James Burr Wilson, clerk.
2. Resolved that we hire a male teacher and if the
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price exceeds $20 per month, then not more than 5 months.
3. Resolved that one third of the Public money be reserved in the treasury for the summer term.
4. Resolved that the wood be all hard wood and one half of it seasoned delivered in the entry for one year $11.75 furnished by A. W. Knapp.
5. Resolved that the Committee put the house in good order.
The teachers for the Summer term were gen- erally women, the classes were smaller and the salaries too were less. $11 was the amount paid one year.
The second major item of interest-the win- ter's wood had to be cut, split and piled in the entry of the school and be half hard wood all for $8.75 or $11.75 or $12.
In order to make ends meet budgetwise one year, the folks in Jennings Woods District voted to "lay a tax of $1.75 on each scholar"-the committee was to make out bills of $1.75 to each scholar against the Parents or Guardians and cause the same to be collected. Another year the tax was $2.50 on each scholar. In 1869 a 21/2 mill tax on a dollar was levied on the inhabitants of the Jennings Woods district-a real school tax as it is known today. The Collector was to have $6 for the collecting that year.
That same year arrangements were made to have a coal stove for the Jennings Woods school and coal (2 tons) was secured to burn in it.
It was also decided not to consider changing the site of the Jennings Woods schoolhouse. Bal- lots in the affirmative 15, Ballots in the negative 16! That must have been an exciting evening!
The discussion on relocating the schoolhouse went on for years. In 1875 they voted to consider the propriety of digging a well, they voted against repairing the schoolhouse, they voted against moving the schoolhouse, and voted against building a new schoolhouse. They voted in favor of letting the schoolhouse stand where it was. They also agreed upon George Rodgers and J. Burr Wilson as members of a Building Committee. The same year, and a meeting later, they voted to reconsider all of the business of the previous meeting and also appointed a committee to determine the cost of repairs or of a new school. At the next meeting, they decided to re- pair the building for a sum not to exceed $320. Two meetings later it was decided to choose a moving committee and the vote to have the schoolhouse on a lot on the north side of the road and to place the school on the southwest corner of the lot of Mr. Alden Wilson was in the affirma-
tive-17 yes votes being recorded and 5 being in the negative. The cost of the lot was $100 and a well was also planned. The seats and old tim- bers were to be sold at auction. A fence of pine rails and boards and locust posts was also planned at the cost of $2.75.
The new building was to be 25' x 38' with a 12 foot front and the bid was awarded to Uriah Perry for $756. A 17 mill tax on all rateable personal real estate of the district was laid. The Collector was to receive $28 for his services.
Notices of the School Meetings were posted on the front door of the Schoolhouse. This was the Jennings Woods district school but could we find the records of the other districts, they would read in a very similar manner.
Let us now move into some other materials which have been preserved over the years.
The School district near the Bridgeport line known as the South Division School District in 1860 was under constant scrutiny and ten years later it finally came up for a vote.
In 1864 the Fairfield School Society was de- fined as
Fairfield Middle Mill Plain Black Rock Holland Hill Jennings Woods Southport
The only name change from 1796 when the districts were established was Mill River being called Southport.
In 1868 the Taxes were divided into three parts. 8 mills for regular expenses of Town; 1 mill for schools; 1/2 mill for highways. The Tax collector received $350 a year for his task in that office.
That same year this editorial appeared in the Southport Chronicle in May, 1868:
OUR PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Mitchell, in his Geography, twenty years ago, says that "Connecticut is celebrated for her common schools", and that "the school fund is larger in pro- portion to the population than that of any other State". In school-boy days, pouring over our geog- raphy lesson, striving to commit it to memory, we remember of feeling proud to belong to Connecticut -proud of being a school boy in a State noted above its fellow States for its liberal educational privileges.
Would Mitchell, (if living) writing a revised edi- tion, now speak so well of us? For with all our boasted advantage of large school fund, our public schools are not-what they ought to be-free. In this respect, Massachusetts and Rhode Island are far ahead of us. The boy and girl so fortunate as to
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reside in those States, whether they have the mis- fortune to be poor-or to be rich, can attend the public school without charge. No collector there as here meets you every six months with a "rate bill", dunning you for so many "day's tuition" at so much "per day"; collecting generally about half, or little more, of the bills on his book, and marking the others "uncollectible", to be paid by the town.
If we have not been misinformed, our Legislature, at a session not long since, left it discretionary with each school district, whether or not its teacher should be paid by direct tax. If such be the case, the sooner our district adopts the new plan the bet- ter, and take the town of Fairfield through, we be- lieve the taxes would not be much, if any, higher than at present. Of course we would get the benefit of our State and local funds the same as now.
We lay a tax to build bridges-to keep the roads in order- to support the paupers-why not for the far more noble purpose of educating the young? Ignorance goes arm in arm with crime; instruct those who are to be the future citizens, and you save many of them from crime. The more we are taxed on the one hand for the support of schools, the less we shall be taxed on the other for the main- tenance of jails.
Some of the wealthy men of the village might object to "schooling other folk's children", but it is cheaper, and far better policy, to "school" the children of your poorer neighbors, than to have them one of these days burning your barns or other- wise maliciously injuring you, through ignorance.
The Chronicle also carried these School items during that year:
May 1868
The School house in Fairfield has been con- demned, and a new one will probably be built on the Green.
August 1868 Southport District School
The Southport Public Schools closed on Friday, July 24th. The children, we understand, will have a six weeks' vacation. The school during the past term under the administration of Mr. E. B. Smith of Nor- walk and Miss Mary Henshaw of Southport, has constantly and rapidly improved, and their devoted attention to their duties has secured for them the respect and confidence of our people.
December 15, 1868
The people of Mill Plain have their new school house nearly completed. It is a fine large building of the Gothic Style and will cost about $2500.
In 1870, at the annual Town Meeting held on Election Day- October 3-when reports of all town officers and committees were read and those assembled decreed a "vote of thanks be tendered the school visitors for their prompt and faithful discharge of their duties". These servants of the Town along with other Committee members have been and are all too seldom recognized for their countless hours of service given willingly to their
fellow men. This was the first such note of recog- nition which one finds as one reads the Town Records.
In December of that year, another honor came to Fairfield in the form of a Teachers Institute for Teachers from all over the State. This was sponsored by the Connecticut Board of Educa- tion and the official announcement by Mr. North- rop, Secretary of the State Board is very en- thusiastically presented.
Teachers' Institute
A State Teachers' Institute will be held at South- port, beginning at 7:30, Thursday evening, Decem- ber 8th and closing Saturday under the supervision of the Secretary of the Board of Education, aided by F. F. Barrows of Hartford, N. C. Pond of Dan- bury, Profs. D. C. Gilman, W. H. Brewer, and Louis Bail of Yale College and others.
The time of the session and the topics discussed, will have special reference to the wants of our win- ter schools. All the exercises are open to the public. Teachers and School Visitors will be entertained without charge.
School Officers, and all friends of the Common Schools are respectfully and earnestly requested to circulate among teachers, and to facilitate their at- tendance. It is recommended that the schools be closed in the belief that the improved methods of teaching suggested will more than compensate for the time given to the teachers. School Officers are cordially invited to be present.
No effort will be spared to render all the exercises both attractive and useful. They will have special reference to the work of the school room, and can hardly fail to be suggestive to all earnest teachers in attendance, as the lecturers are practical and ex- perienced educators. There has been of late a grati- fying increase of interest and numbers at these meetings.
FREE RETURN TICKETS will be issued by the undersigned, to those in attendance who come over the New York and New Haven Railroad.
B. G. Northrop Secretary of the Board of Education New Haven, November 28, 1870.
The Southport Chronicle carried this article the day before the meetings:
Teachers' Institute- Dec. 7, 1870
The Teachers' Institute to be held in Southport this week, bids fair to be a great success. We have not before us, a full list of the meetings which will be held. There will be sessions in the morning, af- ternoon and evening of Friday and Saturday morn- ing. All of these meetings will be made very inter- esting to the general public. It has been decided to hold the meetings in the Congregational Church. On Thursday evening a lecture will be delivered by Professor Northrop, and on Friday evening Dr. Daggett will lecture. As will be seen in another part of this paper, several other distinguished gentlemen will participate in the exercises.
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A large number of strangers will probably remain in Southport at least one night. Our citizens have cheerfully thrown open their houses for the accom- modation of such.
and this article after the meetings were held: The Teachers' Institute
In accordance with previous announcement a State Teachers' Institute was held in Southport last week. We had supposed that there might possibly be some thirty teachers in attendance from out of town, for whom provision would have to be made during Friday; we hardly expected any one on Thursday, as the exercises only commenced in the evening of that day.
The committee who had charge of the arrange- ments, in order to be on the safe side, secured ac- commodations for over fifty strangers. It is well they did so, for about forty teachers "put in an appear- ance" on Thursday, and on Friday crowds began to come in on the several trains, soon swelling the number to one hundred sixty-five. These were teachers and school officers. There were many other strangers in attendance besides these. But our citi- zens were found equal to the emergency. So inter- ested did they become in the exercises, and so greatly were their hearts warmed toward the cause of education, that they freely opened their houses for the accommodation of the strangers, and it was soon discovered that there was room enough and to spare.
The exercises commenced on Thursday evening with lectures by Hon. Mr. Cleveland and Rev. F. Russell, the distinguished elocutionist. We shall not comment on any of the speeches, or lectures. They were all good. Everything about the institute was good. It is enough to say that the large audiences in attendance on all the exercises were highly delight- ed, entertained and profited thereby.
On Friday A.M., the time was occupied by Prof. Russell and by Prof. Thatcher, of Yale. In the after- noon Prof. Gilman, of Yale, delivered a lecture on "Our Dominion and how we obtained it", and on "The Geography of the Rhine". Mr. Pond, of Dan- bury followed on the subject of "Grammar".
In the evening of Friday the Congregational Church, in which the meetings were held, was densely packed, and although the aisles were lined with seats, many were unable to find even standing room. On this occasion, Rev. Dr. Daggett, of New Haven, delivered a lecture on "Manner"; then fol- lowed readings by Prof. Bailey, of Yale. The audi- ence was very enthusiastic and gave many evidences of their thorough appreciation of both the lecture and the readings.
Saturday was occupied with half-hour lectures on various subjects, by Professors Camp, of New Haven, Carleton of New Britain, Whitmore of New Haven, Bail of Yale, Barrows of Hartford, and other prominent educators. The exercises closed at 5 p.m.
We cannot believe that the Hon. Secretary North- rop has ever held a more successful Institute.
We must not omit to speak of Miss Goldthwaite, of New Britain, who presided so effectively at the
organ, and who demonstrated, with much grace, a very favorable method of teaching accuracy and celerity in the fundamental principles of Arithmetic.
Mr. Northrop improved every moment, when there was a pause in the exercises, in throwing out valuable hints to the teachers.
Our citizens rejoice that the Institute was held here. We think we derived more benefit from the exercises than the teachers did.
Incalculable good must result from holding these Institutes throughout the State. They tend to awak- en a great interest in the minds of the people in the matter of Common School Education, and if the people are aroused the cause of education will surely prosper.
Previously one read the Editorial of the Southport Chronicle about the local schools not being free. Two years later we find the Call of a Town Meeting for Saturday, January 14, 1871 presenting the following-"To consider the pro- priety of raising sufficient money to make the Public Schools of this Town free for a period of (30) thirty weeks in the year ending September 1, 1870 as per recommendation of the Board of School Visitors".
"Also to consider the propriety of giving in- structions to the Board of School Visitors to divide the sum of Six Thousand dollars appro- priated for public schools on Monday the 3rd day of October 1870 equally among the children between the ages of 4 and 16 years giving to each district the amount called for by its num- ber of children between the ages mentioned above".
At the meeting held on Saturday, January 14, 1871, the following resolution was then offered by Samuel Morehouse, Esq. -
Resolved that the Board of School Visitors and Selectmen be and they are hereby instructed to pay to each school district, out of the $6000 appropri- ated for the support of the schools at the annual Town Meeting, a sum sufficient to pay the expenses of its district school for a period of thirty weeks as required by law and to divide the remainder of $6000 to each district per capita, according to the number of its children between the ages of 4 and 16, and nothing in this resolution is to be under- stood to conflict with the power of the school visitors or Selectmen to decide respecting the unnecessary and extravagant cost of any school-which resolu- tion was adopted.
The following resolution was then offered by James S. Mott Esq. -
Resolved that an amount be appropriated suffi- cient to make the Public Schools of the Town free for a period of 30 weeks ending September 1, 1870. Which resolution was adopted.
Thus at last all were welcomed at the district
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school and schools were paid for by the general tax money rather than families being taxed di- rectly for school attendance.
The length of time for the schools to be open had been made mandatory in every district and this was to be extended in the very near future.
On October 2, 1871 on motion "it was re- solved that the schools of the Town be kept open for a period of thirty-four weeks instead of thirty weeks".
Thus the Town as a whole was beginning to take on once again its responsibility for the total school picture of all districts.
On September 14, 1872, a Town Meeting was held for school business alone. At this meeting a vote rejected the following resolution -
Resolved-That the School Visitors be authorized to employ teachers for the several District Schools of the Town for a period of 40 weeks in each year in accordance with Section 26, Chapter 3, of the new School law.
The next month this report of School business appears -
Town Meeting-Oct. 7, 1872
Report of School Visitors again taken up and after much discussion the following resolution was offered by Rev. E. L. Wells and adopted-Resolved that the report of the School Visitors be accepted and its recommendations be adopted-resolution adopt- ed.
Moved and seconded that the schools of the sev- eral Districts in the Town be kept for 40 weeks in a year exclusive of all vacations subject to the Board of School Visitors-resolution carried.
Resolved that the town appropriate $7000 for schools up to August 1873-Carried.
Voted that the number of School Visitors be six -Ordered, that the Town Treasurer be authorized to pay on the order of the School Visitors, such deficiency as exists in the different school districts at the present time for expenses incurred in keeping schools open more than 34 weeks.
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