USA > Indiana > Boone County > History of Boone County, Indiana : With biographical sketches of representative citizens and genealogical records of old families, Volume I > Part 26
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48
On this foundation Boone county began to build in the woods. We have touched on this subject in connection with the sketch of each township and it is only necessary here to speak in general terms of its beginnings, progress and attainment in the county. About the first thing the early set-
275
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
tler called for after securing a shelter for his family was a place to educate his children. Just as soon as there were sufficient children in a neighbor- hood to form a class, arrangement was made for them to get together, and some one was employed to instruct them in the rudiments of education. Everything was very crude at the beginning. It was really the backwoods. Everything was in the brush. For years during the early days it was indeed Brush College, and the most of the training of the boys and girls that grew into stalwarts in the county, received most of their instruction under the tuition of Mother Nature in the wild-woods; and through the discipline of the hardships of pioneer life. Brush College was a good business institution and its graduates became the very founders of the county with grit, energy and wisdom to build wisely, homes, roads, school-houses, churches and all the comforts and luxuries that constitute the beauty and wealth of our county. The graduates of this early institution of Boone became good citizens, and discharged well the duty and responsibility of life. We doubt whether bet- ter ever came from any institution so far as real manhood and womanhood are concerned. The first house or home for the school was almost any kind of a shelter in time of a storm. It may have been a deserted cabin, or a log church, or perchance a brand new cabin erected specially for school purposes. Round logs with ends protruding at the corners, one end occupied by the fire- place, one or two logs sawed out for light to flicker in through greased pa- per, puncheon floor or none, a split log on pegs backless for a seat, and the same device for a writing-desk resting on pins driven in the wall; this crude furniture with two pegs driven in the log back of the teacher's desk to hold the correcting rods with the puncheon door and the structure was complete. You smile-you need not, for when you see the strong characters and behold the stanch men and women that got their start and idea of life in these early schoolhouses ; and the success that they made in life you will conclude that the pioneer schoolhouse of Boone county wrought wonderfully and nobly.
In a few years the round log building fulfilled its mission and the hewn log building with its more modern fixtures, seats and desks of boards and glass for light came into use. In a few years came the frame building and last of all the brick with all the modern devices and improvements of our day looking like luxuries when compared with what our fathers and grandparents enjoyed. Beginning on nothing in the woods, we have grown into luxury and wealth, and our county has kept pace with the growth of our sister counties
276
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
throughout the state. We will append here the statistics given by our state superintendent of public instruction.
We take the report of 1912 because the report of 1914 is not out.
Enumeration of school children between the ages of 6 and 21 years :
White, 6,606; colored, 39; total, 6,645. Enrollment in school: White,
5,424; colored, 20; total, 5,444. Average daily attendance, 4,696. Total number of school-houses, 123; I concrete, 22 frame, 100 brick; total, 123.
Value of school property. Number of teachers in the county: Males, 71 ; females, 115; total, 186. Paid to teachers: Males, $38,933.11 ; females, $53,226.41 ; total, $92,159.52. Average daily compensation of teachers : Township, $3.11 ; town, $3.70; city, $3.25; county, $3.35.
Total amount of school fund June 1, 1912 $11,435,970.48 Total tuition received from this fund and distributed by the county officers during the year 1912 8,660,927.30 Total funds for the year 1912. 15,955,666.10
Grand total school funds for the year 1912 24,616,593.40
CONSOLIDATION OF SCHOOLS.
The consolidation of schools in Boone county is being pushed as rapidly as the conditions involved in changing will permit.
Worth township is the first in the county to make the effort. Whites- town, the chief trading point in the township, is near the center and con- venient to concentrate all the schools of the township. The plans are made and efforts are being made to carry them out. A controversy arose in the township over the question of providing school buildings and it got into the courts and delayed matters for accommodation of the pupils. The plan seems feasible and we presume will work out in time. The plan in Sugar Creek township is to have two school-houses, one on the north of Sugar creek and one on the south side of the creek. The houses for this plan are already constructed and nothing remains except to induce the people that this plan will be best for the educational interest of the township. Other townships in the county are moving along in this line as fast as circumstances will permit. We submit here the report of the state superintendent of the state for the year 1912:
277
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
Total number of district schools in the county.
91
Number of consolidated schools where no children are transported .. 3
Number where pupils are transported II
Number of vehicles other than wagons used in transporting pupils __ 5
Number of regular school wagons used for transporting pupils. 30
Cost of a regular school wagon per day. $1.92
Cost of all wagons per day-
57.43
Total cost for transporting all the children (516) in the county for
the year 1912.
$8,583.10
COUNTY SCHOOLS.
The county schools rank favorably with any county in Indiana. There are one hundred and thirty-five excellent school buildings scattered in every portion of the county, of which one hundred and fourteen are substantial brick buildings while twenty-one are good tenantable frame structures. The estimated value of these is two hundred sixty thousand two hundred and ninety dollars. The teachers employed are competent, and the good results they produce is evident on all sides. There are at present one hundred and seventy-five teachers engaged and the aggregate compensation they received during the fiscal year ending August, 1897 was fifty thousand eighty-two dollars and fifty-two cents. The following gentlemen served as school ex- aminers and county superintendents since the establishment of the system until the present : School Examiners-1853-60, W. F. W. C. Ensminger ; 1860-62, N. S. Caldwell; 1862-65, F. M. Greene; 1865-67, C. K. Thompson ; 1867-71, J. M. Saunders; 1871-72, Joseph Foxworthy; 1872-73, A. E. Buckley.
County Superintendents-1873-75. Thomas J. Shulse; 1875-77, D. H. Heckathorn; 1877-83, Thomas H. Harrison; 1883-87, H. M. LaFollette; 1887-93, S. N. Cragun; 1893-97, J. A. Coons; 1897, R. H. Harney, E. C. Gullion, Edgar M. Servies.
BOONE COUNTY SCHOOLS, 1913-1914.
Edgar M. Servies, county superintendent.
Marion township, Charles C. Howard, trustee-District No. I, W. N.
278
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
Clampitt, Rosstown; No. 2, Jay Campbell, Lebanon, R. R. 6; No. 3. Ernest I. Peters, Whitestown; No. 4, Chester Boone, Sheridan, R. R. 25: No. 5b, Esther Weitzel, Lebanon; No. 5a, J. W. Moreland, Sheridan, R. R. 25; No. 6, Florence Kinkaid, Sheridan, R. R. 25; No. 7, Dwight Campbell Ter- hune ; No. 8, Roy Lanham, Terhune ; No. 9, Karl Huffine, Terhune ; No. 10, Grace Gibbs, Terhune; No. 11, Floyd King, Terhune; No. 12, Olive Hen- dricks, Terhune; No. 13, Earl Freeman, Sheridan.
Clinton township, John A. Duvall, trustee-District No. I, Grace Wiley, Lebanon, R. R. 8; No. 2, Mary Stephenson, Lebanon, R. R. 7: No. 3, Thomas L. Christian, Lebanon; No. 4, Goldie Iddings, Lebanon, R. R. 9; No. 5. Bessie Davidson, Lebanon; No. 6b, Rose Moore, Lebanon, R. R. 6; No. 6a, Marion Busby, Lebanon, R. R. 6; No. 7, Cora Clark, Lebanon, R. R. 6.
Washington township, Joseph D. Lewis, trustee-District No. I, Nannie Clark, Thorntown ; No. 2, Nina Fall, Lebanon, R. R. 9; No. 3, Eunice Ross, Lebanon, R. R. 9; No. 4, J. A. Schultz, Lebanon; No. 5, Edith Bowen, Thorntown; No. 6, Ethel Umberhine, Thorntown; No. 9, Buren Witt, Leb- anon, R. R. 10; No. 1ob, Lelia Burke, Lebanon; No. 10a, Carl Bratton, Lebanon.
Sugar Creek township, J. W. Morrison, trustee-District No. 2, Grace Miller, Thorntown ; No. 3, Jeannette Ward, Colfax ; No. 4, Russel Werking, Colfax; No. 5, Ebon McGregor, Lebanon; No. 6, Esther Sparks, New Ross ; No. 7. Margaret Loveless, Thorntown; No. 9, Esther Kimmel, Lebanon.
Thorntown High School and Grades, F. B. Long, superintendent, Thorntown; Celine Neptune, principal, Thorntown; Grace Roberts, arith- metic, history, geography, Thorntown; Chester Hill, manual training, algebra, physics, Thorntown; Edith Walker, seventh and eight and English, Thorntown; Glydas Larue, second and English, Thorntown; Alta Jaques, fifth and sixth, Thorntown; Maud Richey, fourth, fifth and sixth, Thorn- town; Belle Mater, third and fourth, Thorntown; Gertrude Proctor, first and second, Thorntown; Zella Bratton, music, Thorntown; Laura Breckenridge, penmanship, Thorntown.
Jefferson township, Val Riggins, trustee-District No. I, Geneva Cald- well, Thorntown; No. 2, Constance Young, Hazelrigg; No. 4, Ethel Rodgers, Lebanon, R. R. 12; No. 5, Blanche Cain, Lebanon, R. R. 12; No. 6, Agnes Hilligoss, Thorntown; No. 7, Estella Beck, Lebanon, R. R. II ; No. 9. Grace
279
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
True, Lebanon, R. R. 12; No. 10, E. S. Stansell, Advance; No. 11, Fern T. Potts, Crawfordsville, R. R. 1 ; No. 12, Verna Cornelius, Advance; No. 13, Ralph Burroughs, Advance.
Center township, J. L. Saunders, trustee ;- Supervisor of music, Verne Lowman, Lebanon ; District No. 2, Guy B. Chavers, Lebanon R. R. 12; No. 3, Vey Jackson, Lebanon; No. 3a, Abe Akers, Lebanon, R. R. 10; No. 7b, Edith Lewis, Lebanon; No. 7a, William Zenor, Whitestown R. R. 25; No. 8, Lila Ohaver, Lebanon ; No. 9, Lena B. Morrison, Lebanon; No. 10, A. Frank Smith, Lebanon; No. 11, Jennie Sanford, Lebanon, R. R. II ; No. 13, Maude Hawkins, Lebanon, R. R. 9; No. 14, Juanita Sanford, Lebanon, R. R. II; No. 17, Moses Robinson, Lebanon.
Lebanon High School and Grades-H. G. Brown, superintendent, Leb- anon ; principal, E. G. Walker, Lebanon; German, Cora E. Dochleman, Leb- anon ; botany, M. M. Jones, Lebanon ; chemistry and physics, Ward Lambert, Lebanon; Latin, Olivia Voliva, Lebanon; English, Grace Bryan, Gretchen Scotten and Avalon Kindig, Lebanon; mathematics, L. A. Jeel and L. O. Slagle, Lebanon; history, public speaking, Clinton H. Givan, Lebanon; man- ual training, Clarence B. Duff, Lebanon ; commercial, Ruth Campbell, Lebanon.
Central Building .- Principal, Lydia Bell, history, physiology, domestic science, Lebanon; departmental, Kenyon Stephenson, Myra Richardson and Cora Haller; sixth year, Drubelle Imel, Lebanon; fifth year, Rose Sims, Lebanon; fourth year, May Shannon, Lebanon; third year, Charlotte Opel, Lebanon; second year, Ethel Barlow, Lebanon.
West Side Building-Principal, Julia N. Harney ; primary, Nannie Mil- ler, Lebanon ; No. 9, Esther Kimmel, Lebanon ; sixth year, Lawrence Hopper, Lebanon; fifth year, Mabel Kersey, Lebanon; fourth year, Anna Lewis, Leb- anon ; third year, Ethel Orear, Lebanon ; second year, Myrtle Roark, Thorn- town ; first year, Nora Darnall, Lebanon.
South Side Building .- Principal, Hattie B. Stokes, Principal primary, Lebanon; sixth year, Lottie Bennett, Lebanon; fifth year, Ida Myers, Leb- anon; fourth year, Grace Etchison, Lebanon; third year, Opal Etchison, Leb- anon ; second year, Nora Young, Lebanon; music, Carolyne English, Leb- anon; art, Mary T. Hadley, Lebanon.
Union township, Rufus Conrad, trustee-District No. I, Rex Moore, Rosston ; No. 3, Ralph Owens, Rosston; No. 4, Guy Artman, Rosston ; No. 5,
280
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
Charles Taylor, Zionsville; No. 6, R. H. Gates, Zionsville; No. 7, Laata New, Zionsville; No. 8, Gladys Hawkins, Zionsville.
Eagle township, H. H. Avery, trustee-District No. 2, Oral Hedge, Lebanon; No. 5, David Kardokus, Zionsville; No. 6, G. W. Connelly, Zions- ville; No. 7, Emma Moos, Zionsville; No. 9b, Nora M. Tudor, Zionsville; No. 9a, R. E. Moore, Zionsville.
Zionsville High School-T. H. Stonecipher, superintendent, agriculture and science, Zionsville; W. A. Ross, principal, history and English, Manual training, Zionsville; Fay Fulmer, Latin, German and physics, Zionsville; H. N. Swaim, science and German, Zionsville. Grades-primary, Mabel Gregory, Zionsville; Nos. 2 and 3, Emma Smith, Zionsville; No. 4, Grace Deer, Zionsville; No. 5, Mina Vandever, Zionsville; Nos. 6 and 7, Wilber Casey, Zionsville; No. 8, Z. W. Vandever, Zionsville.
Harrison township, George J. Linton, trustee-District No. 2, Robert I. Bennett, Jamestown R. R. 24; No. 3, Mabel Ransdell, Lebanon; No. 4, J. A. Purdue, Jamestown R. R. 24; No. 6, Dorris Funkhouser, Lebanon R. R. 1 ; No. 7, Jessie D. Ross, Lebanon R. R. 1 ; No. 8, Ernest E. Owens, Leb- anon; No. 9, Effie Robinson, Lebanon R. R. I.
Perry township, George A. Everett, trustee-District No. I, Lester Everett, Lebanon R. R. 3; No. 2, Raymond Stubbs, Lebanon R. R. 2; No. 3, Lona Swindler, Lebanon R. R. 2; No. 4, Mary Casserly, Lebanon; No. 5, Hassel Schenck, Lebanon R. R. 3; No. 6, Lula Fall, Lebanon R. R. 12; No. 7, T. J. Casserly, Lebanon.
Worth township, S. R. Stewart, trustee.
Whitestown High School and Grades, M. C. Marshall, superintendent, science, German; principal, C. E. Hull, Latin and mathematics, Whitestown; Flora Cline, English, history and domestic science, Whitestown; Horace Wy- song, grades 7 and 8, Whitestown; James Hawkins, grades 5 and 6, Whites- town; Jennie Elmore, 4th grade, Whitestown; Coila Thomlinson, grades 2 and 3, Whitestown; primary and Ist, Isa Pollard, Ross Caldwell, No. 2, Whitestown; music and drawing, Irva Morris, Whitestown.
Jackson township, E. M. Graves, trustee.
Jamestown High School and Grades, A. C. Kibbey, superintendent, Latin, history; C. G. Lawler, principal, history and English, Jamestown; Cordelia Caldwell, mathematics and domestic science, Jamestown; Charles O. Ful- wider, science and manual training, Jamestown; No. 8, Claude Lucas; No. 7,
THORNTOWN HIGH SCHOOL, -- Argus-Enterprise,
LEBANON HIGH SCHOOL.
-Daily Reporter.
281
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
Fern Roberts; No. 6, Marvin Caldwell; No. 5, Frances Dale; No. 4, Helen Hendricks; Nos. 2 and 3, Katherine Young ; primary, Blanche Owens, James- town.
Advance High School and Grades, P. D. Pointer, superintendent, Eng- lish and Latin; Nancy A. Wilson, principal, mathematics and domestic sci- ence, Advance; Walter J. Barr, history and science, Advance; Voris Dem- aree, Latin and manual training, Advance; Orville Pratt, 7th and 8th grades, Advance; Iva Owens, 6th and 7th grades, Advance; Carmon Caplinger, 4th and 5th grades, Advance; Cora Swindler, 2d and 3d grades, Advance; Sallie Beaver, primary, Advance.
Jackson township grades-No. 3, Hulda Gillaspie, Jamestown; No. 4, William Pratt, Jamestown; No. 8, Carmon Ross, Advance; No. 12, A. M. Lucas, Lebanon R. R. 13 ; music and drawing, C. Bruce Harding, Jamestown.
School Boards of Towns-Lebanon : President, Joseph Wittt, secretary, Frank Hutchinson; treasurer, S. N. Cragun. Thorntown: President, C. R. Armstrong; secretary, G. H. Hamilton; treasurer, R. W. Coolman.
The county board of education is composed of the township trustees and the presidents of the town and city school boards.
Truant officer-Frank M. LaFollette.
Rules are provided by the county board of education for the govern- ment and regulation of the schools, teachers, pupils, drivers of wagons for the conveyance of pupils to and from schools and all other matters pertain- ing to the welfare of the schools. There is also a county oratorical contest association, composed of the members of the high schools of the county, with county superintendent as president, and an elected secretary and treasurer. The association meets once a year, the first Saturday of November, and ar- ranges for the year's work. The contest consists of orations by the boys and readings by the girls. All pupils in the high schools, in good standing, passing grades in daily recitations are eligible. Three prizes are given, first second and third, $8, $5 and $3.
CONCENTRATION OF SCHOOLS.
The idea is to enlarge the school district so as to collect enough children to form a school. That was the way our forefathers did when they settled
282
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
this wilderness. As soon as there was a neighborhood formed the log school house was reared; and blazed ways were marked out through the timber for the children to reach the school house the nearest way; but you see civiliza- tion moved in, the timber was cut out, roads established on section and half section lines instead of cutting across farms. It was figured out that four sections of land would support a school. Our fathers figured on a family on eighty acres of land and five children to a family, and two of these school age. That would make sixteen school children to the section and sixty-four chil- dren for the district of four sections. This would be plenty of children to make a flourishing school and none of them-if the school house was placed at the cross roads at the center-would have to go over a mile or three- fourths if they went around the roads. Their calculations were well founded. In a healthful civilization eighty acres of land should at least support one family and in that family there should be at least two school children. Boone county was that way in her prime. She is now on her decline. Decrease of children means the decline of every interest of the community. Our school men are trying to remedy the evil by placing our school houses farther apart and call this concentration of schools, when in fact it is only taking in enough territory to include sufficient children to make a school. We are actually los- ing out on the one thing necessary for a school, children. The cities have a good supply, but our rural districts are suffering from under production. If this condition continues there will come a calamity, not only to our schools and churches but to all our institutions. If eighty acres of land such as we have in Boone county does not produce any more live stock and cereal than in proportion to five children the city will starve. Five children to eighty acres of land is almost depopulation. It should alarm us when we know that we have hardly one school child in Sugar Creek township to each eighty acres of land. The child after all is the foundation of not only the school but also the church and state. You may build houses at any cost but you can not have a school, home or church without the child. Placing a school house every four or five miles will not remedy the fatal malady. Our nation since last April has been agonizing over tariff and currency rules as if the dollar was the only thing in this country worth considering. The child is secondary. When the woman goes to the chief source of law and pleads for protection of the child and home the head man replies, that is not on my party's slate; we can't take it up. The ravages will have to continue in our homes ; divorce
283
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
revels in our courts and the child the chief source of all our hopes, is the last object to be conserved.
COUNTY SEMINARY.
Early in the history of Indiana she provided for a seminary of learning to be a stepping stone to the higher institutions of training. Boone county was still in the dense woods and swamps when her sons moved up to avail themselves of the best that was going. The earliest record we find in the matter is in a little journal of about two quires preserved in the archives of the county, stored away in the top loft of the court house.
The first session of the board of directors on record is dated November 8, 1838, seventy-six years ago, and reads as follows: "Be it remembered that at a meeting of the board of trustees of the county seminary of the county of Boone in ths st of Indiana, held at the clerk's office in the town of Leb- anon on the 8th day of November, 1838."
Now at this time, the board of trustees proceeded to organize and on motion Samuel S. Brown was appointed clerk pro tem. for the present day. On motion, Cornelius Westfall was appointed clerk of the board of trus- tees of the county of Boone, for and during the pleasure of said board. Now at this time the board proceeded to settle with the former trustee, as there appears to be in notes and interest due on said notes the sum of five hundred and three dollars and forty-five and one-half cents and cash on hand of six- teen dollars and one cent, making in all five hundred and nineteen dollars, forty-six and a half cents ($519.461/2). Ordered that Addison Lane be and is appointed treasurer of the board of trustees of the seminary of the county of Boone, by entering into bond and approved security in the penal sum of three thousand dollars. And, now at this time comes Addison Lane and filed a bond as above ordered. Ordered that this board adjourn to meet at Thorn- town on the first Monday of December next. Signed November 8, 1838. CHARLES DAVIS, ALEXANDER B. CLARKE, HENRY HAMILTON,
Trustees.
The Board met at Thorntown pursuant to adjournment December 3, 1838. The citizens of Thorntown offered lots 79 and 80 of the southwest
284
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
corner of Church and Front streets and $1,580 if they would locate the Seminary in Thorntown, upon the lots donated. The next day the Board met at Lebanon to consider the offer made by that city. The offer of Lebanon was as follows: cash, $1,236.9812, material, $364 and as trade making a total of $1,600.981/2. Also a site of one acre of land on Main street, second block east of public square. The Lebanon offer was $20.9812 better than the Thorntown offer and it turned the balance in favor of the capital city against the commercial city at that date. The offer was accepted and the Board in session, January 9, 1839, planned to build. Notice for bids were posted in six of the most important places of the county and on March 4, 1829 the Board met to examine the bids for building and John S. Forsythe was the lowest and it was accepted. The building was to be of brick, 48 feet long, 26 feet wide, two stories high. The architect of the building was William Zion. The contract with Forsythe was to the amount of $2,496, to be paid in three equal payments. Mr. Forsythe was to take in payment the material donated at the price stipulated by the donor. The usual difficulties and perplexities came up in the progress of the work but the efficient Board overcame all of them and the building was completed by the aid of three referees, William Zion, John Berryhill and Moses King, to adjust matters. The arduous labor was begun in 1840 and completed in the summer of 1843.
The first school was in the fall of 1843, taught by Stephen Neal, in 1844 John M. Patton, of Thorntown, was principal. The Seminary continued to flourish during the period of ten years until the new school law of 1852, when it was sold at public sale for $900 and converted into a boarding house, known as the Bray House.
THE OLD BROWN ACADEMY.
By J. S. Daugherty.
When the circuit rider blazed the way, Thro' meadow, stream and wood; When people lived, not for self alone But for each others good;
V
285
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
When folks were folks no matter, if their Pants bagged at their knees ; Our father's built for our country's good The Old Academy.
Without the blare of trumpet, or the Flash of gun or sword, They built for all eternity Upon the word of God. They gave their treasure, love and time, Their blessed reward we see, In the splendid lives they started from The Old Academy.
The good names that grace its roster were Legion we've been told; Some far upon the shaft of Fame are Most worthily enscrolled; Some are walking humbly in the way The Galilean trod; Some have laid their armor down and. gone To glory, and to God.
And now, as longer grows the shadows They're coming from afar; The boys and girls of the golden days Of Ridpath, Sims and Tarr; Coming back their hands to clasp and 'in Memory sweet to be Again, within the sacred walls of The Old Academy.
We loved the Old Academy, it's Memories sweeter grow, As we slowly pass the hill crest tow'rd The sunset's golden glow ;
286
BOONE COUNTY, INDIANA.
We loved the boys, we loved the girls, and The teachers staunch and true, And in that great Reunion, hope To meet beyond the blue.
HISTORY OF THE THORNTOWN ACADEMY.
By Rev. F. M. Cones.
The educational history of Indiana presents the fact, that half a century ago there was in the state a manifest want of schools of Academic grade. No guarantee through Legislative enactment or otherwise, had been given in that period, that facilities would be afforded the masses in the near future, for obtaining a liberal and practical education. The urgent necessity seriously impressed the more enterprising citizens of every community. Hence that general awakening in this line of thought, which followed in the estab- lishment of academies and seminaries in various localities throughout this Commonwealth.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.