USA > Indiana > Franklin County > History of Franklin County, Indiana : her people, industries and institutions > Part 35
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371
FRANKLIN COUNTY, INDIANA.
The teachers were nearly always men, for the reason that in those days physical prowess was as essential to success in a schoolroom as a well disci- plined brain. No truer picture of early school days in Indiana has ever been drawn than may be found in Eggleston's "Hoosier School Master." The qualifications of the early teachers were very limited, and as late as 1831 the legislature of Indiana said that "The English language, writing and arith- metic" should constitute the qualifications for a teacher in the schools of the state. These are the three R's of our forefathers and they passed their ex- amination in "readin,' 'ritin' and 'rithmetic" before a trustee who very fre- quently was unable to read or write. There were many cases where no ex- amination at all was given, this being especially the case with those teachers who derived all of their compensation from subscriptions.
THE EARLY SCHOOLHOUSE DESCRIBED.
This article would not be complete without a description of one of those early log schoolhouses. The building might be as large as the patrons wanted to make it, but, interesting to note, the legislature provided that the floor had to be a foot off of the ground and the ceiling at least eight feet high. As a matter of fact, however, the roof was frequently used as a ceiling. The in- terior arrangement was designed with the view of taking advantage of the one window on either side of the building. This window was made by removing a log from the side of the building and covering the opening with sheets of well-greased linen paper. The paper furnished another pur- pose as well. On it were written the letters of the alphabet by some one who was a good penman, and also the Arabic and Roman notation, as well as various geometrical figures. Before this window was placed a long, hewn log, made as smooth as possible, and this was the table at which the boys and girls sat during their writing lessons. The rude bench before this equally rude table was without a back, and, as far as that was concerned, there were no benches in the school with backs. The pupils sitting at the long table had their copy before them on the window, and many stories are told of the let- ters of Jonathan Jennings, the first governor of Indiana, which served as copies for the boys and girls of early Indiana. The two ends of the school- house were occupied by a door and fireplace, respectively. The fireplace was from five to ten feet wide, and enough wood was consumed during a long winter to heat a modern school building of several rooms. As to the equipment of the rooms and the supplies of the children, there was a great variance. There was no paper for use for any purpose, except in the copy-
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FRANKLIN COUNTY, INDIANA.
book, and oftentimes the writing exercise had to be done on a slate. If paper was used, then the writing was done with a goosequill pen and with ink made out of pokeberries, walnut juice or soft maple bark. In order to make this ink have the proper consistency and permanency, copperas was used, while the modern blotter was simulated by fine sand sprinkled over the paper. The paper at that time was all made out of rags and was expensive in comparison to its cost today. Consequently, it was used as sparingly as possible, while the slate was considered as indispensable as the spelling book. There were no dictionaries, no globes, no maps, and in many of the first schoolhouses there was no blackboard. However, this last deficiency was soon remedied, since it was necessary to have a blackboard for ciphering.
The course of study and the method of recitation should be briefly no- ticed. As has been stated, the "three R's" furnished the basis of the educa- tion which was given in the early schools. There were no classes in school, as we understand them now. Grading the pupils according to their age or advancement was unheard of. For many years the pupils held up their hands when they thought they had their lesson ready to recite, and the teacher would call them one by one to his seat, and have them repeat their lesson- and, what is interesting, they had to memorize their lesson word for word. There were really as many classes in school as there were pupils.
These schools, supported in part by public funds, but mostly by private subscriptions, continued to flourish until after the adoption of the new con- stitution in 1852. Then there was ushered in a new era in education through- out the state, although there were many counties which were slow to take ad- vantage of the provisions of the new law.
JOHN COLLINS, A TEACHER OF FRANKLIN COUNTY IN 1816.
An interesting relic of the old subscription schools of Franklin county is owned by James Collins, an ex-commissioner of Johnson county, in the shape of an old document setting forth an agreement between his grandfather, John Collins, and the patrons of a school district near New Trenton, in Franklin county. This century-old document is reproduced here with its bad spelling, quaint language and ambiguous grammar :
"AGREEMENT
"Articles of agreement between John Collins & his Imployers, wit- nesseth that sd. Collins doth agree to teach an English school for the term of six months in reading, writing and arithmetick at his own house and at the rate of four dollars per scholar, the one-half in money,
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FRANKLIN COUNTY, INDIANA.
the balance in merchantable corn, wheat, pork, beef, or baken, Diliv-
ered at sd. Collins' own house, payment to be made quarterly. The
school is to commence on the first day of April 1816, Saturdays ex-
cepted; and for the purposes within mentioned we the subscribers have jointly set our names etc etc.
Samuel Rockafellar
John H. Rockafellar
James Jones
Moses Barber
Noah J. Smith
Enoch Smith
Jonathan J. Smith
William S. Smith
William Raider
John Hinhgon
Basil Gaither
William Smith
Nathan Aitcheson
Abner Conner
Joseph Adair
John Adair
James Coll
Richard Manwaring
Thomas J. Larimore
Joshua Parvis
James Jones
Henry Lynes
If every one of these patrons paid what they subscribed, the lucky peda-
work. It is needless to state, however, that he "boarded around," as was the gogue would have received the staggering amount of $116 for his six months'
fashion those days, and hence all he made was clear money. It is not known how long the "sd." Collins taught in the county.
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Patrons
John M. Conner
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Samuel Thorrington
Thomas Manwaring
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374
FRANKLIN COUNTY, INDIANA.
NIMROD KERRICK, AN EARLY TEACHER OF FRANKLIN COUNTY.
One of the most prominent and at the same time one of the most suc- cessful of the early teachers of the northern part of the county was Nimrod Kerrick, the father of Mrs. W. H. Bracken, now living in Brookville.
Mr. Kerrick was born in Loudoun county, Virginia, in 1808, came to Franklin county, Indiana, in 1824, and settled with his parents on a farm three miles east of Fairfield. His father, Thomas Kerrick, had been a teacher in Virginia, and, after coming to Indiana, taught for some years in Decatur county.
Nimrod Kerrick received part of liis education in the schools in Vir- ginia and completed it under the instruction of a Quaker teacher at Dunlaps- ville, Union county, Indiana. When a young man he began teaching at Fairfield, and later taught near Blooming Grove. His ability as an instructor so impressed the people of Blooming Grove township that a number of men co-operated in building a brick building for him a quarter of a mile east of Blooming Grove, and in this building he taught subscription schools for ten years. While teaching in this county he was ordained as a local minister in the Methodist Episcopal church at Blooming Grove. About 1848 he began teaching in Clarksburg, Decatur county, Indiana, and after teaching there a few years he joined the Methodist conference. For the next eight years he preached at Milford, Arlington, Manilla, Milroy and Liberty. From Liberty he moved to a farm in Woodford county, Illinois, and six years later located in Marshall county, in that state, where he lived for eleven years. He then moved to Bloomington, Illinois, where two of his sons had previously grad- uated in the law school of that city. He died there, December 13, 1897, in his ninetieth year.
Mrs. Bracken has in her possession the papers of her father and among them is one of the subscription lists which her father drew up and circulated for his school at Fairfield in the fall of 1837. In order that future genera- tions of Franklin county may know something of the early subscription schools of the county, this paper is here reproduced from his original copy. The names of his patrons for the year 1837-38 are also given. It will be interesting to many of the descendants of these sturdy pioneers.
"Nimrod Kerrick proposes to teach ( for five months beginning in No- vember, 1837) in the town of Fairfield, School District No. 3, Township No. TO of Range 2 West, for the term of five months. Branches to be taught : Orthography, Reading, Writing, Arithmetick, English, Grammar and Geog- raphy. Price of tuition, $3.33 1/3 per scholar per session of five months. Proper hours and strick attention will be observed by said Kerrick.
NIMROD KERRICK.
375
FRANKLIN COUNTY, INDIANA.
"And we, the undersigned in consideration of the above named perform- ance by the said N. Kerrick do agree to pay unto him at the expiration of the term $1.66 2/3 for each scholar according to the number annexed to our sev- eral names."
The patrons who subscribed to the above agreement were as follows: Nathaniel Basset, Daniel Landon, Clement Cory, Jonathan Garton, Benja- min Snowden, Hezekiah Ogden, Jacob Cheney, William Claypool, Jesse Bennet, William Smith, John C. Cunningham, Thomas Adams, Hudson Gen- try, James Graham, John Hughes, John Sims, James Hart, James Beans, William Hays, Mr. Bryson, John McFealy, William Dodd, John Eckman, Aaron Masters, Mary Garrison, Joseph Alyea, Levi Munson, L. Casterline, M. H. Wilder, William Galbreth, Mr. Hatcher, Jeremiah Oakes, John Wil- liams, Gregg Thompson, James Bailey, David Logan, William Moore, Ruth Bennet, William Logan, Readin Osborn, Elisha Hill, C. R. Cory, Lukin Os- born, Mr. Galbreath, C. Hall and Joseph Dailey. These forty-six patrons sent fifty-one pupils to Mr. Kerrick.
FRANKLIN COUNTY ACADEMIES.
During the period from 1816 to 1852 there were several excellent schools in the county, which achieved more than a local reputation. The best known school of the county was the county seminary at Brookville, although its educational supremacy was not admitted by those who had charge of the academy at Laurel. In addition to these two academies there were academies established at Springfield, Mt. Carmel and Peoria. It has not been possible to secure access to the school records of any of these institutions, with the exception of the county seminary at Brookville.
THE FRANKLIN COUNTY SEMINARY.
An interesting chapter in the history of education in Franklin county is contained in a volume which holds the minutes of the meetings of the . trustees of the seminary from their first meeting, December II, 1830, until their last meeting, August 6, 1851. During this period of twenty years there was maintained in the town of Brookville an institution of learning which attained high rank among the seminaries of Indiana. From its doors there went forth men who were destined to make a reputation which was to extend not only throughout the state, but throughout the nation.
The historian may read between the pages of this interesting old volume the desires of the people of Franklin county to give their children the ad-
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FRANKLIN COUNTY, INDIANA.
vantages of a good school. During this score of years the seminary trus- tees made every effort to maintain the school at a high state of efficiency, and, if it is true that an institution is judged by the men and women which it sends forth into the world, then it can truly be said that the old seminary at Brookville was an institution whose record for usefulness should be a source of pride to the descendants of the worthy people who there received such excellent educational advantages.
The authority for the establishment of the county seminary was based upon the legislative act of 1827, which provided that the circuit court of such counties as desired to establish a seminary should appoint three men who were to be known as the "county seminary trustees." Pursuant to this legis- lative act the court of Franklin county, in the spring of 1828, appointed Thomas W. Colescott, Abraham Lee and Lemuel Snow as trustees. This board was authorized to select a site for a seminary building, superintend the erection of the same, have general management of all school funds and se- lect the teachers. On May 6, 1828, an order for one hundred and twenty-five dollars was ordered drawn by the county commissioners in favor of the sem- inary trustees to pay for lots 87 and 88 in Brookville. The school fund at this time amounted to six hundred dollars, and the trustees at once con- tracted with Jacob Irwin for the erection of the seminary building. The trustees bought lots 87 and 88 in John Allen's plat, from John John, Jr., the purchase being concluded and the deed executed June 14, 1829. According to the records in the recorder's office, these two lots remained in the hands of the seminary trustees until September 6, 1862, at which time they were purchased by the town of Brookville for school purposes. By a deed exe- cuted May 8, 1888. the two lots, with the buildings thereon, were transferred by the town of Brookville to John Burkhart, and since that time the building and lots have been held by private owners.
The record of the meetings of the seminary trustees shows that their first meeting was held on Saturday, December 11, 1830, with the following members present: Joseph Meeks, Thomas W. Colescott, David Mount, Abram Lee, John Wynn, John Davis and William McCleery. The board or- ganized by electing Joseph Meeks, president; Thomas Colescott, treasurer, and William McCleery, secretary. It appears that two members of the board, William Sims, Jr., and William R. Morris, had been removed, and the board elected Richard Tyner and John T. Mckinney to fill these vacancies. A committee composed of John Wynn, August Jocelyn and John T. Mckinney was appointed to select "some suitable person as a teacher to take charge of the Franklin County Seminary." On April 2, 1831, it was reported at a
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FRANKLIN COUNTY, INDIANA.
meeting of the trustees that Rev. Isaac A. Ogden had been examined and found qualified to act as principal of the seminary. At this time the board ordered the principal to take charge of the seminary as soon as the lower rooms were prepared, although it is interesting to note that the compensation which the principal was to receive was left for future arrangement. The records do not disclose the salary received by the first principal, Rev. Ogden, who remained only one year. At the June, 1832, meeting of the trustees a committee was again appointed to select a principal, and nine days later, June 25, one prospective applicant, James Powers, appeared before the committee. However, he was not considered sufficiently qualified to hold the position, and the board refused to appoint him as principal. There must have been considerable doubt on the part of the board concerning the question of se- lecting a principal, since at this juncture it was ordered "that the secretary cause an advertisement to be inserted in the Liberty Hall and Cincinnati Ga- sette, advertising for a teacher in the Franklin County Seminary." Evidently the advertisement was productive of results, for on July II of the same year, James B. Haile appeared and qualified for the position.
Haile continued in charge until the summer of 1834, at which time he either resigned or was dismissed by the trustees. On April 5, 1834, the trus- tees allowed Margaret White "to occupy the eastern room in the seminary as a schoolroom for the term of three months," and it is presumable that she taught a subscription school for that length of time during the spring and summer of 1834. At the August meeting of the board, it appears that Haile had terminated his contract as principal, and the board immediately proceeded to the selection of a new principal. On September 9 of the same year they appointed Rev. David M. Stewart, a Presbyterian minister, as principal, and at the May, 1835, meeting the trustees gave Stewart permission "to reside with his family in the upper story of the seminary." Mr. Stewart reported to the board, on March 2, 1836, that he could no longer continue as principal, and on March 25 the trustees announced the appointment of Mason W. Haile as principal of the seminary, the new principal to take charge of the school within six weeks from that time. It appears from the records that the at- tendance thus far had been less than fifty-five, since a resolution, adopted November 25, 1835, required that whenever the number of scholars shall amount to fifty-five the principal shall employ an assistant.
During the time Mason W. Haile was principal of the seminary he was ordered to secure an assistant, the trustees feeling that he could not do good work with as many pupils as were then in attendance. Although the record does not state whom he hired, there is still living in Brookville at least one
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FRANKLIN COUNTY, INDIANA.
person, Lucinda Meeks, who was a student in the seminary at the time when Mr. Haile selected his sister Jane as his assistant. It is interesting to know that the father of Miss Meeks was the first president of the seminary trustees.
The trustees ordered supplies and repairs for the seminary building at various times. In 1835 appears an allowance of three dollars and twenty- five cents for an ax, bucket, broom and tin cup. In 1837 the trustees appro- priated one dollar for a pair of tongs and shovel, and at the same time au- thorized the erection of a cupola upon the seminary, the same to be fur- nished with a suitable bell. This bell is still doing duty in the belfry of the Brookville town hall. In the fall of 1829 the seminary building was "neatly painted and surronded with substantial board fence, painted in like manner."
By the year 1842 there appears to have been a demand for instruction in what was then termed natural philosophy. In that year the trustees bought the following physical apparatus: Electrical machine, air pump, retorts, two kinds of thermometers, Florence flask, horseshoe magnet, prism, a set of lenses, lamp and furnace, dropping tube, blow pipe, evaporating dish and two gas receivers. This apparatus cost eighty-one dollars and sixty-eight cents. In 1847 the board of trustees appropriated fifty dollars "for the purchase of mathematical, astronomical. philosophical and chemical instruments, and for the repairs of apparatus now on hand."
The position of principal does not appear to have been very remunera- tive, and this fact may account for the difficulty which confronted the trus- tees in getting good teachers. From the beginning of the seminary, the prin- cipals derived their salaries from two sources, a fixed sum paid by the trus- tees and a certain percentage of the tuition fees. Unfortunately, the records of the trustees do not state the compensation of any one of the teachers, al- though one principal received as much as fifty-four dollars for a term of twelve weeks. This appears to have been the maximum received from the trustees. while the tuition fees varied considerably from year to year. It would be interesting to know how many students attended the old seminary, but in the minute records of twenty years the attendance is given in only one instance. The trustees made an investigation as to the attendance during two terms of twelve weeks each in the school year of 1838-39, and found that the attendance varied from thirty-two to sixty-nine, with a weekly average of about fifty. It is fair to presume that the attendance during this year was as large as at any time during the whole history of the seminary. The trustees had ordered in 1836 that the principal should hire an assistant whenever the attendance reached fifty-five, and yet there are only two in-
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FRANKLIN COUNTY, INDIANA.
stances noted in the seminary records where an extra teacher was required, and in both cases it was for a term of twelve weeks.
The length of the school year seems to have been ten months, the first term beginning in September and the last term ending in the latter part of July. The only specific reference to the length of the school year is found in the minutes of May 17, 1845, at which time the board of trustees ordered that the "academic year shall hereafter be divided into three sessions, as fol- low: The first session will commence on the first Monday of September and end on the 20th of the following December. The second session will begin on the first Monday of January and end the 20th of the following April. The third session will commence on the first Monday of May and end the last of July."
The names of the first four principals-Isaac A. Ogden, James B. Haile, David M. Stewart and Mason W. Haile-have already been given. The latter named held the position longer than any other man, being the head of the seininary for six years. He resigned in March, 1842, and entered the mercantile business in Brookville. The principals from 1842 to 1851, when the seminary was closed, were as follows: William I. Patterson, 1842-44; Cyrus L. Blanchard, 1844-45; John R. Goodwin, 1845-47; George A. Chase, 1847-48; Harwood, 1848-49: Oscar F. Fitch, 1849; George Bent, 1849-50:
Ingalls, 1850; F. R. A. Jeter, 1850-51.
In order that future generations may know the official record concern- ing the closing of the famous old seminary, the historian here inserts in its entirety the minutes of the last meeting of the seminary trustees.
"August 6, 1851.
"The board of seminary trustees met : present, Messrs. Line, Robeson, Clark and Abbott.
"It appearing to the satisfaction of the board that a school could not be maintained in the seminary building without draining more of the seminary funds than the board felt justified in giving, it was resolved to rent the building and apparatus to the trustees of the Indiana High School, com- mencing on the - day of September, 1851, at such rates as may be agreed upon. The said trustees of the Indiana High School to give up possession of the building at any time demanded by this board.
"And the Board adjourned.
"MASON ABBOTT, Secretary."
The new constitution of Indiana adopted in 1852 provided for a general
380
FRANKLIN COUNTY, INDIANA.
system of free public schools and consequently all the county seminaries scattered throughout the state were doomed to a speedy dissolution. Some of them attempted to continue their career as subscription schools, but within five years the county seminary was a thing of the past. Brookville looked upon the passing of the old seminary as being a direct blow at the educational interests of the town and county. Before the old seminary had fairly breathed its last there was a project on foot to start another educational institution in Brookville to take the place of the old seminary. At that time there were two denominations in Brookville, the Methodists and Presbyterians, both of whom were desirous of being sponsor for an academy or college of some kind. The Presbyterians were fortunate in having a well educated ministry, and Rev. R. B. Abbott maintained an ex- cellent high school in the basement of the Presbyterian church from 1857 to 1865.
This was known as Brookville high school, and for eight years was maintained by the local Presbyterian church. An interesting advertisement of this Brookville high school is seen in the Franklin Democrat of February 17, 1860:
BROOKVILLE HIGH SCHOOL.
Teachers' Academic Department :
Rev. R. B. Abbott, A. M.
Arthur Harlow, A. B.
Mrs. Mary Lynch Middle Department.
Lorinda Kilgore Primary Department.
Ada Haymond, M. E. I. Music Teacher.
Students received at any time and charged with tuition only for the time of attendance, but no deduction will be made for absence of less than an entire week.
Tuition Per Week :
Spelling, Ist Reader, 2nd Reader, Ist Part Mental Arithmetic ____ 25 cents 3rd Reader, 4th Reader, 2nd Part Mental Arithmetic, 3rd Arith-
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