USA > Indiana > Hancock County > History of Hancock county, Indiana; its people, industries and institutions > Part 17
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From the earliest days of the county the people of the districts exercised their rights under the law. The hardy pioneers, clad in homespun, repaired to the little log school house with its puncheon floor, oiled-paper windows. huge fireplace and rough hewn seats, and there deliberated upon their local
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affairs. If one of the district trustees was present he presided. In the absence of all members of the district board some other person opened the meeting. Matters considered were settled by vote. The decision was reported to the district trustees who made it a part of their official record. Not the least among the matters settled each fall was the question as to who should teach the district school during the coming term. The selection of the teacher by the district meeting finally came to be the established custom in many localities of the county. In fact it prevailed in some communities for many years after the present township trustee law was passed in 1859. In 1864, for instance, the following bit of record was entered on his books by Lemuel Hackleman, trustee of Blue River township :
"April 22, 1864.
"Samuel B. Hill, director for district No. I, Blue River township, Han- cock county. Indiana. reports verbally that the citizens of said district have unanimously consented to employ Margaret Brown to teach a school in said district the fourteen days due said district ; said Margaret Brown shall receive one dollar and ten and one-half cents per day, the balance of the time a com- pensation of fifteen dollars per month ; therefore we ask the trustee to employ said Margaret Brown and we wish half the public money applied.
"SAMUEL B. HILL. "Director."
Following the above entry appears the contract of the trustee with Miss Brown as teacher.
As late as 1882 the county board of education of Hancock county con- sidered the advisability of permitting the people of the districts to select the teachers for their schools. In the minutes of the May meeting of the board in 1882 appears the following: "The question of allowing school meetings to select teachers was discussed at some length by the board. It was generally conceded that the better and safer plan was for the trustees to select and employ the teacher."
In many localities, however, the teachers were "elected" at the district meetings until about 1890. In other localities the selection was left to the township trustees.
The first schools of the county were subscription schools. During the days of the subscription school it was the custom for a teacher to canvass the district and secure as many signatures and as large an enrollment on his "paper" as possible. When a teacher had secured the subscription of the people of the district. the district trustees employed him in case public money was also to be used in defraying the expenses of the school. In this instance
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the district determined by petition what was in other localities settled by district meeting.
MANIPULATION OF SCHOOL FUNDS.
First, the district trustees of each school district took the enumeration of the children within their district between the ages of five and twenty-one years and reported the same to the township clerk. The township clerk then made a report for his entire township, first to the school commissioner, and after 1841 to the county auditor. The county auditor then apportioned the school funds to the different townships on the basis of the enumeration. When the amount due each township had been determined the township trustees ordered the county auditor to pay the same to the township treasurer. The township treasurer then apportioned this amount to the different dis- tricts of his township upon the basis of their enumeration. The sum due any district was paid to the district treasurer upon the order of the township clerk, granted upon the order of the district trustees, certified by their clerk, directing the treasurer to draw the same.
The township and district records of Hancock county previous to 1859 have nearly all been lost. In one of these old trustees' records, however, we find receipts like the following :
"March 4, 1839.
"Received of James D. Henry, School Commissioner of Hancock County, one hundred and fifty dollars and six and one-fourth cents for Township 15, Range 8 East. (Blue River) by me, A. ALLEN, T. T."
In this record we also find the first steps taken toward getting a share of the school fund, and also some of the orders made by the district trustees directing the township treasurer to pay to the district treasurer the money due the district. The following are taken from the township record kept by Adam Allen, township treasurer :
"State of Indiana, Hancock County :
"Personally appeared before me, A. Allen, treasurer Congressional Township 15. in Range 8, in the County of Hancock and Rush, Samuel Brown, Treasurer of School District No. 3 in said Township, who says on oath that there is in said district a school house of convenient size with suf- ficient light and that it is finished so as to render the teacher and pupils com- fortable.
( Signed ) "SAMUEL BROWN,
"Affirmed and subscribed before me this 26th day of February, 1839.
"A. ALLEN,
"Treasurer of T. 15. R. 8."
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Following is an order for money on the township treasurer, to be applied toward finishing a school house :
"We, Elihu Coffin, Samuel Brown, James Hazlett, trustees of School District N. 2 Township N. 15 N. of R. 8 E. in the district of lands at Indian- apolis, in the county of Rush and Hancock do hereby order and direct the sum of thirty dollars for the use of finishing the School House in said dis- trict and wish the township treasurer to pay the money to Samuel Brown, district treasurer. Given under our hands this February 28, 1839.
"ELIHU COFFIN, "SAMUEL BROWN, "JAMES HAZLETT."
Below are two orders for money to be applied toward paying the teachers :
"State of Indiana, Hancock County, March 16, 1839:
"We the undersigned trustees of school district N. 8 in Township 15, Range 8, East in said County, do order and direct that our proportion thirty- nine dollars of said Township shall be applied for the purpose of paying our school teacher James McAdams for the term of three months past. for which we wish the Township Treasurer for that purpose to pay the above named sum over to our district treasurer, Isaac Adams.
"ISAAC ADAMS, "CALEB HOLDING, "LEWIS T. ADAMS."
"We, David Smith, John Hunter, and Harrison James, Citizens of School District. No. 4 in Township 15, Range 8 East of Lands sold at Indianapolis in the County of Hancock, have employed a teacher to teach our children in said district school for the term of three months as a private school and we wish the Township Treasurer to pay us our portion of the school funds in his hands this March the 8th, 1841.
"DAVID SMITHI, "JOHN HUNTER, "HARRISON JAMES."
THE COUNTY SEMINARY.
The state Constitution of 1816 made provision for the establishment of a public school system from the primary grades to the state university. The early statutes of the state provided for the establishment of a seminary in each county. The fund used for building such a school was derived from
y W.B.Cyter
OLD COUNTY SEMINARY
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moneys paid as an equivalent by persons exempt from militia duty, which was divided by the state among the counties equally, and of all fines assessed for any breach of the penal law, which fines were applied in the counties where assessed. The county commissioners at once after the organization of their board in 1828, appointed Meredith Gosney trustee of the seminary fund of Hancock county for a term of three years. In 1829 Benjamin Spill- man was appointed as such trustee "in the room of Meredith Gosney, re- signed." In 1832 Edward B. Chittenden was appointed. These men and their successors in office collected the fees assessed, etc., and kept the same on interest until September 5. 1842, when the report of .A. M. Pattison, W. M. Johnson and J. Mathers, trustees of the seminary, shows that they had on hands bonds and notes and moneys amounting in all to one thousand and forty-three dollars and seventeen cents. This was sufficient to begin the construction of a building.
On January 8, 1842. Morris Pierson and his wife, Elizabeth, conveyed to the trustees of the seminary a plot of ground twelve rods square, "to be appropriated to the exclusive use of a county seminary to be thereon erected." This ground was located just south of the corner of South Pennsylvania and South streets. The seminary building erected thereon stood on ground now occupied by South Pennsylvania street, just north of the railroad.
On August 23. 1843, the trustees entered into a contract with Cornwall Meek, "for the construction of the walls and roofing, and enclosing of a seminary building on a lot adjoining the town of Greenfield in said county- the size of the building to be thirty by forty feet-and the contractor to com- plete the work by the fifteenth day of November. . A. D. 1842.
"In consideration of which the said trustees are to pry to the said Corn- wall Meek as a full consideration for said contract the sum of six dollars and fifty cents per thousand for the brick work, to be measured in the wall-and six hundred and seventy-five dollars for the carpenter work, and lumber --- payments to be made as follows :- The sum of one thousand and sixteen do !- lars and five cents cash obligations to be paid so soon as the said Cornwall Meek files with the said trustees a bond for the faithful performance of said contract-and the remaining balance to be paid to the said Meek as soon as the same shall be collected by said Trustees."
John Elder drew the plans and specifications for the building, for which he received twelve dollars.
The following notice taken from a September issue of the Greenfield Spectator. 1848, gives a good idea of the schools, its curriculum, etc. :
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HANCOCK COUNTY, INDIANA.
"HANCOCK SEMINARY.
"The undersigned will commence his Second Term of School in the above building, on Monday. the 24th day of September, 1848, assisted by Miss M. Walls.
"Rates of Tuition :
"For Spelling, Reading, and Writing. $2.00
"For Geography and Arithmetic, with the above branches .. .. 2.50
"For Grammar, with the above branches, and any of the pri- mary branches of an English education. 3.00
"For any of the higher branches, including Philosophy, Astron- omy, Botany, Chemistry, Geometry. Plane and Spherical Trigonometry, Algebra, Surveying, Navigation. and Latin 4.00
"P. LAWYER."
The following paragraph taken from the same issue of the Spectator also indicates some of the difficulties that were encountered by the profession under the old system :
"IN WANT OF 'DIMES.'
"The undersigned takes this method of informing those who are indebted to him for tuition for last quarter to call and settle with him before the begin- ning of the next. P. LAWYER."
Another teacher in the seminary was William T. Hatch, who taught until 1850. He was followed by John Wilson, H. R. Morley and James L. Mason, who taught successively until 1854. Though the building was erected by the county, it was before the days of the free school system, and parents paid tuition for their children who attended just the same as those who sent to the subscription schools in the districts.
From December, 1854, until June, 1855, the seminary building was used as a court house. At the June term, in 1855, the county commissioners ordered the county auditor and treasurer to proceed to sell the property known as the county seminary in accordance with the provision of an act approved June 12, 1852.
After the county had disposed of its interest in the property of the seminary, another school was established and conducted in the same building for several years which was attended by students from all parts of the county and from surrounding counties. This was the school known as
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EDUCATION.
GREENFIELD ACADEMY.
In the issue of the American Patriot of February 28, 1855, notice was given that the first term of the Greenfiekl Academy would commence at the Methodist church on March 12, 1855. The school year was divided into three terms of fourteen weeks each, with tuition as follows: Collegiate studies, $7.50; academic, $5.00; primary $3.00. A. D. C wss principal. John Herod had taught in the new school on North street during the same winter. Another school under the same was started in December, 1857, by the Rev. David Monfort, a Presbyterian minister.
The following paragraphs, taken from its catalogue issued in 1860, gives a good idea of its work :
"Course of Study.
"The Course of study recently introduced, embraces in the Scientific Department, all the branches of Mathematics, Natural Science, Philosophy, History and English Literature, usually taught in colleges ; and in the Classi- cal Department all that is required to prepare the student for entering the Junior Class in the best colleges of the West.
"Location, Facilities, and Health.
"Greenfield Academy is located at Greenfield, Hancock County, Indiana, twenty miles east of Indianapolis, on the Indiana Central Railway. It is a' pleasant and retired village, where the student is under the best social in- fluence and free from the temptations and vices of more populous towns. Good boarding can be had at private houses from $2.00 to $2.50 per week.
"Government.
"The government of the Academy will be maintained. as far as possible, by an affectionate appeal to reason, common sense, and the higher moral feel- ings, rather than by stern command or excessive punishment. The govern- ment is MILD, yet FIRM, encouraging the timorous and checking the way- ward.
"Religious.
"The labors of each day are commenced by reading the Word of God, with brief explanations and practical applications, and invoking the Divine blessing and direction. All pupils are required to attend these exercises.
"There are three churches in Greenfield : The Christian, the Methodist, and the Presbyterian. The student is left to his own choice as to which of these he will attend.
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HANCOCK COUNTY, INDIAV.A.
"Inducements to Teachers.
"Special pains are taken with young ladies and gentlemen who are desir- ons of qualifying themselves for teaching.
"Since the Academy was established, about twenty-five of the pupils have engaged in teaching in this and the adjoining states, and so far as we are informed they have been successful.
"Musical Department.
"We would especially invite attention to the Musical Department which is under the care of Miss Fannie Martin, an able and experienced teacher. where great facilities will be afforded to young ladies for the development of musical talent, which will meet the highest demand of the age."
The academy maintained three departments. The subjects taught in each department, with the tuition per term of fourteen weeks, were as follow :
"Primary Department.
"Spelling. Reading to the fourth book, first part Arithmetic and Primary Geography $3.50
"Middle Department.
"Mental and Practical Arithmetic, Geography, English, Gram- mar. Ilistory, Penmanship, Composition, and Declama- tion $5.50
"Classical Department.
"Latin, Greek. Algebra, Geometry, Surveying, Bookkeeping. Natural Philosophy, Mental Philosophy, Moral Science.
Rhetoric. Logic, Physiology, Botany, Chemistry. Geology, Astronomy, etc. $8.50
"Summary.
"Number of pupils in Classical Department 34
"Number of pupils in Middle Department. 74
"Number of pupils in Primary Department. 138
"Total during year. 216
"Bourd of Directors.
"R. E. Barnett, M. D., president : Hon. R. A. Riley, secretary : George Walker, treasurer.
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"Board of Instructors.
"J. Hl. Stevenson, A. B., and J. R. Hall. Joint Principals and Teachers of Classical Department : J. R. Silver, Teacher in Middle Department ; Miss Mazie P. Hall and Miss Sarah Stevenson, Teachers in Middle and Primary Departments; Miss Narcie V. Lochwood and Miss Fannie Martin, Teachers in Musical Department."
On the student list appear the names of Hamilton J. Dunbar. Bell Reed, Henry Snow, Isaac R. Davis, Flora T. Howard, Thomas H. Offutt, Willie M. Pierson, Richard Warrum, Bell Boyd, Emma Lineback, California Offutt, Willie Swope, Sarah Osborn, Edwin Howard, Oscar M. Barnett, Nannie Foley. Berrysills Johnston, J. E. Earles, Mary E. Longnaker, .1. V. B. Sam- ple, Warsaw Barnett, John Davis, Almond Keifer, Sophronia Ogg. James Riley, Noah Bixler. George W. Carr, Jerry Martin, Melvina Ryan, Lizzie Welling, Pet Guyman, William H. Duncan, Wilson Chandler. Jehu Heaven- ridge. W. H. H. Judkins, C. G. Offutt, Asa E. Sample, James R. Boyd, Inez L. Guinn, Cerena Martin, Fannie Pierson, Levi Thayer. Josephine Boyd, Eliza J. Hammell. John Mitchell, Mary C. Swope, William Wood, Cindie Gebhart, William Pratt. Sue Foley, Elizabeth M. Galbreath, John A. Guyman.
COUNTY LIBRARY.
It is rather interesting to observe that when Hancock county was carved out of the wilderness, the act providing for its organization contained the following section :
"The agent who shall be appointed to superintend the sale of lots at the county seat of the county of Hancock shall reserve ten per cent. out of the proceeds thereof, and out of all donations to said county, and pay the same over to such person or persons as may be appointed by law for the use of the library of said county, which he or his successors shall pay over at such time and in such manner as shall be directed by law."
This section gave a source of revenue for building up a library in the county. From time to time report was made of this money to the county commissioners. At first the county agent had charge of the fund. but later trustees of the county library were appointed by the board. Among the first trustees were Lewis Tyner, Harry Pierson, Lot Edwards, Benjamin Spell- man, John Sweens, John S. Ogg and John Foster. At the March term, 1833. Joshua Meek and Leonard Bardwell were appointed trustees in the place of Ogg and Foster, resigned, "to serve until their successors are elected and qualified." In 1843 Otho Gapen was appointed. Books were purchased by (13)
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HANCOCK COUNTY, INDIANA.
these trustees from time to time, and a librarian was appointed to care for the books. Gradually, however, they disappeared and were lost. The United States census report of 1850 shows one public library in the county with two hundred volumes. But the following report of W. R. West, librarian, made in December. 1851, with the accompanying entry on the commissioners' rec- ord, constitutes about the last chapter on the county library :
"To the Honorable Board of Commissioners of Hancock county :
"I would respectfully make the following report as librarian of Han- cock county,-first, on examination of the library, after I accepted the ap- pointment of librarian. I found it consisted of the scattered fragments of books saved from the fire at the time the library was burned and those remain- ing being only parts of works and even them so injured by fire that they are nearly entirely valueless, and a part of those that escaped the fire were scattered and it was impossible to collect them. And finding the library in this impoverished condition, I did not deem it my duty to attempt to keep the remaining fragments together, and consequently they have passed from my control and possession, and I am willing to restore to the county the value of the books I received as librarian and herewith tender my resignation as librarian of Hancock county. W. R. WEST, Librarian."
"And now comes into open court William R. West and produces to the court the treasurer's receipt for the sum of twenty dollars, the amount re- ferred to in the above report. which is accepted by the court, and said William R. West having tendered his resignation, is hereby discharged from further action as such librarian."
People who remember this library say that at one time it contained quite a collection of books. Many of them dealt with historical and biograph- ical subjects, but it also contained story books and fiction. The library trus- tees made rules and regulations for the use of the books. Every inhabitant of the county giving satisfactory evidence for the safe keeping and return of the books was entitled to use them.
TOWNSHIP LIBRARIES.
.As a part of the general school law of the state, enacted in 1852. provi- sion was made for the establishment of what became known as "township libraries." \ state tax of one-fourth mill on each dollar was assessed, also a poll tax of twenty-five cents, the moneys raised thereby to be applied ex- "lusively to the purchase of township school libraries. The books were ยท bought by the state board of education and then distributed by the state board
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EDUCATION.
among the several counties of the state. When distributed the books became the property of the townships receiving them.
In 1854 these books reached Hancock county. Three boxes were re- quired to hold one complete library, and for purposes of identification the boxes were marked "," "B" and "C." At the December meeting, in 1854, of the board of county commissioners they made a distribution of the libraries among the various corporations, as follows :
"To Center Township and the town of Greenfield, one full school library jointly.
"To Brandywine and Blue River Townships, one full school library jointly ; Brandywine Township to take box 'A,' and Blue River, Box 'B': Box 'C' to be divided equally between them and to change every six months."
A similar division and arrangement was made for Brown and Green townships ; Sugar Creek, Buck Creek and Vernon were given two full libraries, and Jackson one full library.
There were in the collection some very valuable books. Whether they were as generally read as had been anticipated is rather questionable. At the September meeting, in 1874. of the county board of education, the topic. "How can we make the township libraries more useful?" was thoroughly discussed by the county superintendent of schools and the township trustees. The rec- ord of that meeting recites that "it was found that these libraries, which con- tained many excellent books for teachers, pupils, patrons, and others fond of good reading. are not doing the good for which they were designed. Many libraries are but little read. It was thought that more attention should be given to the manner and place of keeping them. Trustees were advised to observe the school law, which says: 'Trustees at the commencement of each school term, at each school house in their respective townships, shall cause a notice to be posted up stating where the library is kept. and inviting the free use of the books thereof by the persons of their respective townships." "
Science, biography, history, fiction-in fact, something on almost any subject, was included in the libraries. They were substantial leather-bound volumes, bearing on the outside of the back the imprint, "Indiana Township Library." There are still a number of these books in some of the townships ; in others they have all been lost.
YOUNG PEOPLE'S READING CIRCLE LIBRARIES.
In 1888 the Young People's Reading Circle Board was organized for the state. This board recommended its first list of books for the children of the state in that year. A number of these books were put into the schools dur-
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HANCOCK COUNTY, INDIANA.
ing the term of 1888-1889. Additions have been made from year to year until now there is hardly a district school in the county without its case well filled with choice books.
FREE SCHOOL QUESTION.
The question as to whether the public schools of Indiana should be maintained entirely by taxation, with tuition free to all, has been submitted in one form or another to the voters of the state on three different occasions. In 1848 the people were asked to state their preference by ballot. as between free, state-supported schools on the one hand and private or denominational schools on the other. In this election there were 1,489 votes cast in Hancock county, as follows: Six hundred and sixteen for free school. eight hundred and seventy-three against a free school system. Although a majority of the votes in Hancock county were cast against the free schools, the measure was carried in the state as a whole. In 1849 a specific law, broad in its scope. covering the entire matter of school administration, was submitted to the will of the people. In this election the majority of the votes of Hancock county were cast against the proposed law. It should be observed. however, that the law submitted in 1849 presented numerous questions on all phases of school administration which may have been objectionable, and that the matters presented in the two elections were quite different. The fact that Hancock county voted against both measures does not necessarily mean that her people were not progressive.
On August 6, 1849. the question of a constitutional convention was sub- mitted to the votes of the people. In this election 1.473 votes were cast in Hancock county: 1.033 for the convention, 394 against it. In 1852 our present state Constitution, making provision for a free school system, with tuition free to all, was submitted to the voters of the state. In this election Hancock county cast 1.434 votes, 1.358 for the constitution and only 76 against it.
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