USA > Indiana > Wayne County > Richmond > Memoirs of Wayne County and the city of Richmond, Indiana; from the earliest historical times down to the present, including a genealogical and biographical record of representative families in Wayne County, Volume I Pt. 2 > Part 14
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In 1837 there was in the National Treasury an unexpended balance of more than $20,000,000. It was divided among the States according to their population. Indiana received some $750,000, to be paid in three installments. The legislature was divided in opinion as to its disposition. Two-thirds of the house wished to apply it to internal improvement, while one-third preferred that it should go to the public schools. A great deal of maneuvering was carried on. The "internal improvement men" became divided, some wanting the amount invested in bonds and mortgages of real estate and some in State bonds. Finally a bill was drawn up in which it was provided that the first and third installments of this surplus revenue should go for internal improvements and the second for a public school fund. This bill was drawn up by Richard Owens, of Posey county, a leader of the "education men," and presented by Joel Venderveer, leader of the "bond and mort- gage men." The bill passed the house and in the senate was amended by giving two-thirds of the amount to the common- school fund and one-third only for internal improvements.
Before this, common schools had been local affairs, their es- tablishment being determined by the district and their funds man- aged within the county. From this on schools were a State con- cern. In 1834 a State Bank was chartered. The State became a shareholder and a certain annual dividend was turned into a school fund. About the same time some land containing salt springs were given to Indiana by Congress. It was sold and the money was added to the school fund. There was much improve- ment in many ways during this period. The hewed-log house fol- lowed the round-log house, and then, during the latter part of the period, frame houses became general. The pupils were pretty generally furnished with desks after 1840, and after this more at- tention was paid to the physical comfort of children and teachers.
Under the Congressional Township System, the trustees were to hire the teacher on "the most advantageous terms," and a writ- ten agreement was made as to what part of the payment should be money and what part produce ; what kinds and where delivered,
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and whether he should "board around" or not. After the sale of the school sections, there was some interest money which could be used to pay the teacher. Township 16, range 13, had annually $16 for each school to apply toward tuition. All this naturally tended to attract better qualified teachers and in the latter part of the period an occasional teacher would have a pupil in Natural Philosophy or in Latin. Schools at this time were absolute monarchies. The teacher was to be obeyed without question or argument. The rod was regarded as possessing a two-fold vir- tue; it was not only terror against evil doing but a specific against idleness and stupidity. The fatal result of this system was that conscience was not sufficiently regarded as the highest, greatest. and most desirable restraint on the one hand, and the surest in- centive to duty on the other.
LOCATION OF SOME EARLY SCHOOLS.
In order to have some system in the mentioning of the early schools of Wayne county, the writer has adopted J. C. Macpher- son's plan of taking the townships in the order in which early schools were established :
As has been stated, the first school in Wayne county was located in Boston township. Joseph Cox, its first teacher, has been noted. This was in 1807. In about 1810-11. John Nelson and Aaron Martin taught schools in this township, in a Baptist church. James P. Burgess. Joseph Hodges, and a Mr. Johns. taught in a frame house built in 1819. John Nelson, Alfred Moore. William Layers, and Hiram Smelser were early teachers in the western part of the township. In 1820 Dillon Bridges taught in a schoolhouse on the site of Boston. In 1822 Simeon Beck taught at the northwest quarter of section 34. Jesse Johns, James Estel. Ruth Ann Morris, William Lowe, and Samuel S. Brown were the early teachers in the eastern part of the township. David Clark and Sarah Henly were the early Friends' teachers.
Isaac Julian taught the first school in Wayne township in the winter 1808-09. Edward Holman, Betsy Snow, James Wil- liams, Robert Smith, Robert Brattian, John Morrow, James Wright, Joseph Ratliff, Morris Place, Jonathan Lister, Isaac Hiatt, Joshua Pool, and John Andrews were all early teachers in this township.
In 1809 the "Lamb Schoolhouse" was erected in Abington township. It was a place of schooling for nearly twenty years.
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The first teacher is not known, but John Nelson, Joshua Nelson, Elijah Holland, Jacob Whitinger, Betsy Stark, and John Miller were early teachers here. William Williams, Lazarus Whitehead. George Hunt, Jonathan Hunt, Reverend Wiles, Enoch Railsback. Alonzo Osborn, Daniel Osborn, Mary Williams, A. C. Shortridge, Henry Shombre, Daniel Green, and William Personette were early teachers in the eastern part of the township, and Daniel Noland, John Miller, Allen Leeson, Peter Quinn, James Wood, Arnold Fairbrother, Caleb Lewis, Daniel Stevens, Elijah Holland, Shelby Jones, William and J. Meek, and Franklin Larsh in the western part.
The first school in New Garden township was formed by the "School Article" and was taught in a Friends' Meeting House by David Jones, in 1814. Mary Pegg taught in this township in 1815; James McMurrey and Charles Baldwin in 1818; Edward Coggshell in 1821; Ahira Ballard in 1820; Jonathan Harris in 1829; Mordecai Bond, Ellis Osborn, Rachel P. Wilson, Robert Harrison, Thomas Woodard, Amos Bond, Eli Jessup, Erastus Test, Hoxie Kenyan, Lizzie Brunson, Tristan Coggshell, Elias Baldwin, and Zeri Hough were a succession of teachers in this Friends' schoolhouse. H. H. Way, Beulah Puckett, and Joshua Williams taught in a school where Fountain City now stands. Eli Macy in 1829, and a Mr. Jonathan in 1830, also taught there. These schools were denominational. East of Fountain City, James R. Mendenhall taught in 1817-18; H. H. Way in 1823-24 ; William Way and John Marine later, and Michael Farmer in 1822.
In Center township the first schoolhouse was built in 1815 or 1816, on the northwest quarter of section 18. William Hast- ings was the first teacher. Among his successors were Joshua Wil- liams, James Osborn, and George W. Julian. Other carly teach- ers were James Williams, John Patterson, Daniel Noland, Daniel Osborn, and Olive T. Jones. John Copeland, in 1818, in another section of the county ; William Jordan, Robert Russell, Jonathan Dicks, Joel Cloud, John Kerr, George Druley, and L. D. Personette taught in 1820 to 1830. Sallie F. James and A. F. Scott were also early teachers.
James Wright was the first teacher in Webster township. He taught in a log house, erected in 1815, and was followed by Ahira Ballard and his sister Rhoda, and later Darius Bond, Thomas Livingston, and George Druley taught in "the Personette school- house," 1820-21.
Two localities claim the honor of having the earliest school
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in Harrison township. In 1815 a schoolhouse was erected in the southwestern part of the township. Jonathan Kidwell taught here in 1815-16, followed by John Frazier. It is claimed by some that a schoolhouse was erected a year earlier in the northwestern part, on Martindale's creek. David Morris was the first teacher here. Jonathan Platts followed him. Maria Holman taught in Jack- sonsburg, about 1820. William Boyd, Richard L. Leeson, and Edmund Harrison were early teachers in this section. Isaac Kin- ley taught in 1826, being employed by the Franklin Union School Society, in the southern part of the township. Jerry Griffin taught in this township in 1844. Mr. Macpherson says: "In early schools in the township children learned their letters from a printed sheet containing the alphabet. The sheets were pasted upon a wooden paddle which was held in the hand. The printed sheets were kept for sale in the stores, at one egg a copy."
The first school in Perry township was taught by John Can- ada in 1816. He taught several terms and was followed by Samuel Swain and Thomas R. Stanford, in the old log house built in what was known as "the Tennessee Settlement." John Under- hill taught in the same old house in 1820-24. His reputation in- duced pupils to come from other localities. He taught here un- til 1832. In 1826 Charles Osborn taught in a house erected in Economy. He was followed by Isaiah Osborn, James Osborn, and Rhoda Swain. Elijah Mendenhall, Lydia Maulsby, and Jonah Pierce were all early teachers in Perry township.
James Cathcart was the first teacher in Washington town- ship. He taught in 1817 in a log cabin built by the Shakers. Among the early teachers of the township were Thomas Leonard, a Methodist preacher from Pennsylvania; Adam Banks, who in- troduced spelling schools; William Mckinney, and Eli Elwell, in 1824; John Foulke, a Virginian; Orlinda Church, in 1831 ; Othniel Beeson in 1834; William Hurst and Daniel Noland in 1818; Thomas Leonard, Jason Hudson, and Elijah Holland. Elijah Cof- fin taught the first school in Milton in 1825. He was followed by Mr. Wirrick, Richard J. Hubbard, Mr. Harrison and others. The first schoolhouse built by taxation was in Milton, in 1846, and Thomas Reagan, John Calloway. E. B. Newman, James Allen, and A. C. Shortridge were all early teachers in this building. George W. Julian, Jacob Shuman, Noah Leeds, and John Rea were early teachers in Milton.
The first school in Franklin township was held in the fall of 1818, Gabriel Herald being its teacher. In 1820 he taught an-
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other term in the same house. James Wickersham, from Philadel- phia, taught in the same house in 1821-22. Joseph Harrison was another early teacher. A number of houses were built in the early days and schools were held, but the names of the teachers are lost.
Robert Murphy, John Underhill, and Elijah Mendenhall were the first teachers in a log house erected in 1818 in Clay township. Elijah Martindale in 1820, Jesse Bond, Rachel Swain in 1824, Wil- liam Dunham, John Martindale, Jonathan Baldwin in 1825, Isaac Nordyke, James Shoemaker, William Trindle, and Bailey Albert- son, in a house built in 1827. Martin Jones, Andrew Nicholson. Alfred Underhill, Robert Gordon, Robert Cowgill, and Oscar Jobs, who introduced a blackboard, were all early teachers in this town- ship.
Richard Lewis taught the first school in Green township shortly after the war of 1812. George Dougherty was probably the next teacher, followed by Nathan McCracken. Robert Burns and Samuel Johnson taught near the site of the present Mt. Zion church in 1827. Other early teachers were Griffin Davis, Samuel Johnson in 1830, Jacob Taylor, Andrew Nicholson in 1835-36, Richard Jobes, Joshua Ferguson in 1838, William Fagan, Erastus Spencer, a Mr. Jones, a Mr. Baily, Charles Stanley, Absolam Wright, Joseph Lomax, William Hutcheons, Washington Cor- nelius, Eliza Ladd, India Goodrich, William Peelle, and David Fra- zier. In Williamsburg, Samuel Johnson taught in 1830, Sommer- ville Frazier in 1844, and a Mr. Spencer in 1848.
Probably the first schoolhouse built in Jackson township was in 1822, on the northeast quarter of section 24, township 16, range 12, the first teacher being Joshua Pool. Another school in the same quarter was taught by Morris Place in 1824. The Lutheran congregation carried on schools from 1828 to 1830, near the pres- ent town of Germantown. John McCormic was probably their first teacher. John Russell taught in 1828 in a log house on the southwest corner of section 3. Exum Elliott taught in 1830 and a Mr. Newby in 1832.
The first schoolhouse in Jefferson township was probably in the southeast part of the township, but the date, exact location, and teacher are unknown. A house of most primitive style was built in 1824. This was abandoned about 1840 for another build- ing. An early school was taught in 1834 by C. B. Murrey, the house having glass windows and a stove.
Daniel Flinn was the first teacher in Dalton township and Luke
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Wiles was the second. Wilson Dennis and John Jordon were the first teachers in the second house, erected in 1834. They were paid by subscription, ranging from $1.25 to $2 per scholar. In the third house Miles Mendenhall, Clarkson Reynolds, William Moore and Samuel Lamar were first teachers. Other early teachers were Luther Gray in 1842, Isaac Chamness, Franklin Baldwin, William S. Chamness, Henry Thornburgh, Benjamin Maulsby, Absolam Dennis, Emily Ellis and Jonathan Baldwin.
EARLY INFLUENCE OF THE FRIENDS.
"To the Friends," says J. C. Macpherson, "is to be credited the first organized educational effort in Wayne county. Elementary schools were established by them quite early under the direction of their Monthly Meeting." The first record of attention to educa- tional matters is found in the minutes of the meeting held on the 25th of Sth mo., 1810, as follows: "A number of school books were received from the last Quarterly Meeting. Andrew Hoover, Ephraim Overman, John Townsend, Joshua Piggot, Ralph Wright, Ben. Maudlin, and Benjamin Harris are appointed to have care of them, and report to next meeting what way they think best to dis- pose of them." On 29th of the 9th mo., 1810: "The Friends ap- pointed to form a system for the disposal of the school books, report that trustees be appointed to have the care of them ; to let them out. and where they think charity requires bestow them as a donation. which the meeting concurs with and the same Friends are to con- tinue to dispose of them and to report when complied with." Later on we find, on 23d of 2nd mo., ISII : "Ephraim Overman, Andrew Hoover, Cornelius Ratliff, Jesse Bond, John Smith, Ralph Wright, John Morris, Jonathan Hollingsworth, John Townsend and John Clark are appointed a standing committee to have care of schools." The old log meeting house, which stood on the site of the present brick one on North Tenth street in Richmond, was used as a school house in these early days. Robert Brattain is said to have taught the first school there during the winter of 1811-1812. Dr. John Plummer, in his history of Richmond (1856) says: "I hold in dis- tinct remembrance the old log meeting house of 1823, with its leaky roof ; . its slab benches with no backs; its charcoal fire kept in sugar kettles." Levi Jessup, in an account of Whitewater Monthly Meeting, says: "As they [ Friends] improved in their cir- cumstances, the log house gave place to a frame, and still later to the large substantial brick on the adjoining lot" [1836]. On the
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27th of 7th mo., 1816, a committee was appointed as follows: "This meeting, taking into consideration the subject of education, ap- points John Townsend, Benjamin Maudlin, John McLain, John Clark, Robert Hill, David Hollingsworth, William Talbert, Aaron Stanton, Patrick Beard, John Addington, and Theodore Stafford to join with a committee of women Friends and visit all the particular meetings which constitute this, in order to encourage school edu- cation, and also to consider of the propriety of proceeding to make the necessary arrangements for a settled school within the verge of this meeting; and to report to the next meeting." There were six subordinate meetings in Wayne county constituting the White- water Monthly Meeting. The committee reported as follows : "31st of 8th mo., 1816. The committee appointed on the subject of edu- cation report as follows-we the committee appointed to visit all the meetings that constitute this, on the subject of school educa- tion, have attended to the appointment and find the branch meet- ings mostly provided with schools; but not finding sufficient en- couragement to settle an established school, think best to lay down the subject at this time." This report serves to show the attitude of the Society of Friends towards education in those early days. Many of Wayne county's first teachers were Friends. Among these it seems fitting to mention John Underhill, William Williams, Isaac Hiatt, Joseph Hopkins, Morris Place, Beulah Puckett, Ahira Ballard, Thomas R. Stanford, Sarah Henly, Joshua Pool, James Weeks, Mary Pegg, Jonathan Harris, Joshua Williams, Eli Macy, Henry Way, Rhoda Ballard, James Osborn, Elijah Mendenhall, Jesse Bond, and Joseph Ratliff. In 1836 a school giving instruc- tion in the higher branches-including surveying and even Chem- istry-was conducted in Richmond by the Friends in a school build- ing near their Yearly Meeting House on North Tenth street. In 1847 the Boarding School, under the direction of the Yearly Meet- ing, was opened. This institution afterwards became Earlham Col- lege, in 1859.
The parochial schools carried on by the Lutherans have been mentioned before. There were a number of private schools held in Richmond in the early days, even after the organization of the public schools. Many subscription schools were taught at the close of the public school term. Probably the first secular school was the one started by Isaac Morris, in 1833. A Mr. Brown taught a school in his own dwelling house on North Fifth street, the east side, near Main, in 1834. From 1840 until 1842 Rawson Vaile taught a private school in a building willed to the city for school purposes by Dr.
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Warner. James M. Poc was a prominent teacher, from 1838 to 1848, in a private school held in the basement of the old Pearl Street Methodist Episcopal Church. Many other private schools were held in homes by teachers well fitted for the work and many of the strongest men and women of the county owe their education to these private schools.
WAYNE COUNTY SEMINARY.
The framers of the Constitution of 1816 made it the duty of the general assembly, "as soon as circumstances will permit, to pro- vide by law for a general system of education, ascending in a regu- lar gradation from township schools to a State university, and for the promotion of such. The money which shall be prepaid as an equivalent by persons exempt from military duty, except in times of war, shall be exclusively, and in equal proportions, applied to the support of 'County Seminaries.'" In 1831 a general law, providing for the establishment of a seminary in each county, was passed. The seminary of Wayne county was established by an act passed Jan. 26, 1827. The bill was introduced by James Rariden, the sen- ator from Wayne. The bill made it the duty of the circuit court of Wayne county to appoint three persons to constitute a Board of Seminary Trustees. Lot Bloomfield, Daniel Jenkins, and Robert Hill were appointed, and this board received by donation two lots in the town of Centerville, which they accepted and reported as suitable for the Wayne County Seminary. In 1828 the west wing was erected. Nathan Smith taught the first school. Rev. S. K. Hoshour taught three years, 1836-39. Rawson Vaile had charge for six years at one time. The east wing was built in 1842 and in 1848 the remainder of the building was commenced. In 1848 the institution was changed into "The White Water College." Some time in 1850 the control was transferred to the Methodist Confer- ence. In 1856 Mr. Edwards, A. C. Shortridge, and Mr. Roberts leased the building for five years. The school then taught was not denominational. In 1861 the building was sold to W. H. Barnes, who conducted a boarding school until 1865, when he sold the building to J. M. Coyner, who in turn sold it to S. S. Potter, in 1867. In 1869 the building was purchased for the public school, which use was continued until 1891, when the old building was destroyed by fire, after having stood for fifty years. In 1832 the legislature or- dered the sale of all county seminaries, with all their property, real and personal, and provided that the net proceeds should be added to the permanent school fund.
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DUBLIN FEMALE SEMINARY.
In 1836 John Whippo, Caleb W. Witt, and Jonathan P. Creager erected the building which afterwards became known as "The Dub- lin Female Seminary." This was the first school building erected in Dublin. It was a frame building, 20x30, surmounted by a bell, a "marvel in those days," possibly the first bell in the county. It was a school "expressly for young ladies," and was the seat of learn- ing in Wayne county at the time. The building is now standing, in use as a pump shop, yet over the door on the inside may still be seen the old motto, "We Should Be Able to Give a Reason for Every Truth We Admit, and Every Fact We Profess to Believe." Miss Sarah Dickinson, from New York, a lady of high culture and education for the time and place, was the first teacher in the semi- nary. She was the first in Dublin to teach Grammar. Geography and History. The Misses Theodosia and Eliza Holman, daughters of George G. Holman, an educated Englishman, were the next teachers.
THE DUBLIN ACADEMY.
In 1838 a two-story brick building was erected in Dublin by subscription and was called "The Dublin Academy." Oliver Taylor was the first teacher. Joshua W. Haines, now of Richmond, took charge the following year and he was succeeded by N. H. Johnson. William Personette followed, teaching three years. At first the school was for boys only, but one determined girl took her books and seated herself for work. As there was no law to eject her she remained, and other girls soon followed.
CAMBRIDGE SEMINARY.
In November, 1839, the Cambridge Seminary opened under the charge of Samuel K. Hoshour, who had had charge of the county seminary at Centerville for three years. He remained here for seven years. Dr. Lee R. Johnson, of Cambridge, in the "Annual Report" of 1878, has this to say of the school : "It was not a common school, a select school, a high school, nor an academy, though possessing many of the elements of all." Students were of both sexes and the course of study included all branches from the alphabet up to Latin, Greek, French, and German. Some of Mr. Hoshour's methods were unique enough to attract attention. His ability to amuse while in- structing has been rarely equaled, says Mr. Johnson. For instance, in his classes in Grammar, Grammar was Grammar City, a city of 100,000 inhabitants (words). residing at that time in ten streets-the
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parts of speech. The class entered the city on Article street, where none but little folks named A and The lived. Whenever A went down street and met Mr. A, Mr. E, Mr. I, Mr. O. Mr. U, or the mute Mr. H, he put on his N coat and became Mr. An. The next street was Noun street, where one was told the names of things and per- sons. Then came Adjective street, where one was told the qualities and numbers of things. Then on Verb street actions were learned. On Adverb street one learned where, when, and how things were done. In Preposition street one learned how things were related to each other. In Conjunction street the citizens were married, etc., through the whole of Grammar. Mr. Hoshour was also famous for his wide general knowledge. He always had information for his pupils which was not found in their text books. He had questions to propound which taught them to observe, inquire and to think. At the close of each week, after the younger pupils had been dis- missed, an hour was spent in reading the New Testatment, accom- panied by questions and instructions in regard to the geography and topography of Palestine and the manners and customs of the Jews. This instruction was especially appreciated, as Sunday schools were very poorly equipped at that time. There was no permanent suc- cessor to Mr. Hoshour. The names of other teachers are lost. The building was destroyed by fire in April, 1848.
GREENMOUNT SEMINARY.
In 1851 John Haines erected a large building, southeast from Richmond, and opened a boarding school known as the "Green- mount Seminary." Jesse Wilson was the first principal, acting until 1854. Miss Sue Owens was the first woman teacher. Miss Mary Moss, from Miss Lippincott's school in New Jersey, and Miss Snowden were the other women teachers. The latter brought order and discipline into the school. From 1854 to 1857 W. D. Henkle and M. C. Stevens were managers. Dr. Plummer went out from Rich- mond to give instructions in Botany and occasionally in Astronomy. The students were of both sexes, from ten to twenty years of age. The school was closed in 1858. The building is now in the hands of the German Lutheran church and is used as "Wernle Orphans' Home."
COUNTY EXAMINERS.
In 1837 a law was enacted which read: "It shall be the duty of the Circuit Court of each county to appoint three suitable per- sons as examiners of common school teachers." Up to this time the
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common school teachers were examined by the trustees of each Con- gressional township. The term of the county examiner was one year, or until his successor should be appointed and qualified. The following were examiners from 1838 to 1850: 1838, March -- John S. Newman, Daniel Strattan, and John B. Stitt; 1839, Nov. 8- Oliver T. Jones and J. B. Stitt ; 1841, March 18-Jacob B. Julian, James A. Fay, and Lot Bloomfield ; 1842, Sept. 2-Rawson Vaile. George G. Holman, and Oliver T. Jones; 1843, Sept. 15-George WV. Julian, Michael Wilson, and Rawson Vaile; 1850, March 18- James P. Poe, John C. Kibbey, and Charles H. Raymond. In 1853 the appointing power was transferred to the County Commissioners.
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