USA > Massachusetts > Bristol County > Acushnet > History of the Town of Acushnet, Bristol County, State of Massachusetts > Part 11
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Hallett, Amelia, (married John A. Hawes) ; Hallett, Frederick ; Hallett, Manton; Hathaway, James F .; 'Hawes, L .; Hillman, Walter; Hitch, Elizabeth, (married Henry Johnson) ; Howland, B. Franklin; Howland, George H .; Howland, Isabella, (married S. Henry Gifford) ; Howland, John H .; Howland, Mary, (married Isaiah W. Taber).
Kempton, George; Kempton, Hannah.
Lund, Eliza S., (married James Curtis) ; Lund, Rebecca, (married Charles Taber) ; Luce, Sarah R., (married Hervey E. Luce).
Mayhew, Bartlett; Mayhew, Elizabeth.
Nye, Abbie; Nye, Alfred, Jr .; Nye, Clara G., (married George F. Bartlett) ; Nye, Jane S., (married Hammond) ; Nye, Jane F .; Nye, Lydia; Nye, William B.
Packard, Francis ; Parker, Warren W .; Payson, Hannah.
Ricketson, David; Ritchie, Francis H .; Robbins, Sarah L .; Russell, Amelia B .; Russell, Elizabeth, (married Levi Jenney) ; Russell, E. F. R .; Russell, F. R.
Sampson, Daniel; Sampson, George; Sandford, James; Sandford, William; Savery, Mary; Sawin, Francis; Simpkins, John, ( married Ruth Terry) ; Sowle, Albert; Sloat, Alexander L .; Sloat, Jerusha; Sullings, Ann ; Swift, N. H.
Taber, Charles; Taber, Isaiah; Taber, William; Thomas, R .; Tilling- hast, John T .; Tillinghast, Joseph ; Thatcher, George W .; Thatcher, Otis T .; Taylor, Sarah; Turner, Geo. D.
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Weeks, E. C .; White, Abby; White, Adeline; White, Jane; Whitwell, Furman R .; Wood, John A ..; Wood, Lemuel.
A record book of attendance and recitations is in possession of those having the cash book. Here is a copy of a bill for tuition for John H. Howland, one of the present board of selectmen of Fairhaven, made out to his mother :
Mrs. John M. Howland
To Union Seminary Co .... Dr.
4
Spring Term, 1846.
Tuition 11 weeks, at $5 per 11 weeks,
$5.00
O
EXTRA : Latin-French-Spanish-Drawing-Music,
.20
C
Stationery, .05
5.25
4
North Fairhaven,
RECEIVED PAYMENT,
July 9th, 1846.
Alonzo Tripp, Principal
1
The ornamental trees, elms, Norway spruces and horse chestnuts now standing on the premises were set out in 1846 and 1847 as determined or indicated by receipted bills for them, consequently they were set sixty years ago and most of them are sixty feet tall.
Mr. Tripp wrote that in consequence of ill health of his wife he was obliged to sever his connection with the institution before the close of his second year, 1847, and there is no record that the school continued after that year. There is no doubt that the experiment proved a failure and the enterprise was abandoned at this date.
The building was used afterwards for nothing but a dwelling house until the property was purchased in 1851 by Lettice, son of Lettice Wash- burn, of this town. Mr. Washburn also bought the tract of real estate situated on the west side of the same road a few rods north, which is now the homesteads of Samuel Jr., and Arthur C. Cory. There was no house on this farm at that time. Mr. Washburn built a grist mill on the stream and the dwelling house near it. He also moved a section of the seminary building onto this plat of land, and this is now the dwelling house of Samuel Cory, Jr. The balance of the seminary structure is now standing on the old foundation. It presents the old front but additions of bay windows, an ell, piazza platforms, etc., have been made. The drive and grounds are as originally laid out, and as are shown in the accompanying half tone of the place.
Books, Use of,
115
- WAY AIC +
Photo. by A. H. McCreary, Phila.
RESIDENCE OF FRANKLYN HOWLAND Formerly Union Seminary
THE LONG PLAIN BOARDING SCHOOL
A successful boarding school was conducted for a time at Long Plain in this town called "The Long Plain Boarding school." The leading organizer of this institution was Rebecca H., daughter of Humphrey and Eunice (Hathaway) Davis, who resided in what is now the "Crandon house," situated next north of the present town school house. This dwelling house was on a farm owned by William Rotch of New Bedford and both were leased by Mr. Davis. The residence was used for the boarding house of the school. The school building stood between the boarding house and the present Methodist church. The enterprise was started in 1831. Miss Davis was ably assisted from the start by her sister Hannah. Both of these young women were energetic, capable, businesslike and well educated. Their father, who was a thrifty, intelli- gent Quaker, had aided them in procuring a good education and prepara- tion for teaching. Rebecca had the advantage of a course at Wilbraham Academy and this with her superior executive ability fitted her to under- take this enterprise. Her mother was the manager of the boarding house, and the farm and outdoor affairs of the institution were conducted by Mr. Davis. The superior mental and moral characteristics of the Davis family were well known throughout all this section and parents at once
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entrusted children to the care of this school. On the register were names of pupils from the leading families of New Bedford, Fairhaven and other towns in this locality, and from other states. Languages and some of the 'sciences were taught and students were fitted for higher institutions of learning. The school was reputed to be an ideal one in moral training and instruction in good manners. The school grew in popularity and numbers under efficient management till it became necessary to build addi- tional room and increase the teaching force. One of the teachers was Miss Sarah L. Sherman of Middleboro.
There was a new departure taken in the management of the school in 1838 with interesting conclusions which were not publicly anticipated at that date. Rev. Ira Leland, an educated, prepossessing young man, was then the popular pastor of the Baptist church in this little hamlet. The Davis sisters offered him the head of the teaching department and he accepted. A circular advertising the school sent out in 1838 announces "Rev. Ira Leland Principle of the Male Department and Rebecca H. Davis ยท Principle of the Female Department." It does not appear that Miss Rebecca had any designs in securing the pedagogy of Pastor Leland other than to strengthen the faculty of the institution to which she was so devoted, but it is an interesting and suspicious fact that Miss Rebecca later became the happy Mrs. Ira Leland.
It is said the school was in existence about twenty years. The above Hannah H. Davis married Captain Prince Sears of South Dartmouth, Mass. The school building was subsequently converted into a grocery store conducted by William Alden & Bros. and finally was consumed by fire.
Humphrey Davis was brother of John R. Davis, a Friends preacher, and John was father of John R. Davis, who was for many years a mer- chant in Acushnet village and one of the proprietors of "Union Semi- nary" in this town.
THE RUSSELL PRIVATE SCHOOL
A private school was conducted for a period in- cluding the year 1850 at the homestead of Mr. and
Mrs. David Russell, situated on the west side of Fairhaven road a third of a mile south of Parting Ways, formerly the Judge Edward Pope place. Mrs. Russell, who was Miss Mary G. Parker, was the matron and her sister Sophia L. had charge of the educational matters previous to 1837. She was aided in this department of the work by Charlotte, daughter of Rev. William Gould, pastor of the Congrega- tional church and principal of Gould Seminary, both in Fairhaven; Sarah Briggs of Rochester, Mass., probably daughter of Rev. Mr. Briggs ; Mercy Perkins of Rochester; Miss Cornelia A. Jewett and Mrs. Tweedy.
Sophia Parker married Dr. La Fore, a native of Kentucky, a clergy-
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man and physician, and they soon became missionaries at the Sandwich Islands. They were there a few years and soon after their return to Mrs. La Fore's native town she died. Dr. La Fore subsequently married the above Miss Tweedy. The moral and educational status of this school was of a high order and it was well patronized. One of the teachers assured the writer that Mrs. Russell was a superior woman, energetic, of fine executive ability and possessed a lovable Christian character.
A few persons who attended this school are now living, among whom is a daughter of David Russell, widow of Levi Jenney and now wife of G. Henry Gifford, all living at Fairhaven.
THE KEMPTON SCHOOL
Including the year 1830 a private school for day and boarding scholars was conducted in the Stephen Kempton house, then standing on what is now known as the Laura Keene farm on the Fairhaven road. This house, which stood on the foundation of the present dwelling house, was burned a few years ago. Jonathan Kempton and his family occupied the house where the school was opened previous to 1830 by his daughter Mary, who was assisted in the school department in 1831-32 by Mary Abbie Brown of New Bedford.
These young women held the confidence of the community to such a degree that very young children were placed in their care to board and be taught. They devoted a part of the time to manual training and needle work. House work and gardening were also a part of the "Kempton School" curriculum. Eliza A. Allen, now widow of Captain James Allen of Long Plain, was a boarding scholar there at seven years of age (in 1831), and possesses an exquisite sampler which she worked there at that time under the instruction of these teachers.
Mary Kempton was subsequently married to a Captain Kempton and after his death, to Joseph Gifford. Her sister Hannah married Melvin Bradford and they were parents of the famous artist. William Bradford.
PUBLIC SCHOOLS A student of the lives of the Massachusetts Puri- tans writes that they were possessed with intellect- ual vigor, literary culture, political sagacity, patriotic devotion and strength of religious conviction. These noble characteristics were mani- fested in the declaration made by some of them soon after their arrival here, that
"After God had carried us safe to New England and we had builded our houses, provided necessities for our livlihood, reared con- venient places for God's worship, and settled the civil government, one of the next things we longed for and looked after was to advance learning and perpetuate it to posterity."
The first action of the General Court of Massachusetts on the subject
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of education was taken in 1642, when the selectmen of towns were em- powered to have the general oversight of the education of children. Five years later was enacted the school law which was the germ of the school system of this Commonwealth. Meantime the Plymouth Court was using its influence and power in advancing the cause of education within its jurisdiction, and continued to do so till the colony was annexed to Massachusetts in 1692.
The subject of popular education received a fresh impetus when the Revolutionary War period had closed, and on the 25th of January, 1789, an elaborate law embodying all the best known features of school law at that date was enacted. It authorized the division of towns into school districts and provided for the official supervision of the schools by ministers or selectmen, or by committees chosen for the purpose. This was the first legislative sanction of a district system. This gave no powers to the district. All expenses must be met by voluntary subscription.
There was naturally an immediate demand for a change from this permissive law to one giving the district power to tax the people of the district to meet its financial requirements. This was provided for in an act of Feb. 28, 1800.
Another step was taken by the Act of June 17, 1817, when school districts were made corporations with power to sue and be sued and to enforce contracts.
A law passed in 1827 made the school district almost an independent political forum. They chose their own "prudential committee man" who was almost an autocrat, for about all the limitation to the district's power was that no teacher could be employed who did not possess a certificate of qualification as such from the town school committee. Various changes were made in the law as the years went by but until the final abolition of the district system in 1882 it was never other than what Hon. George S. Boutwell, who was State secretary of education, described it to be in 1859 :
"Admirably calculated to secure poor schools, incompetent teachers, consequent waste of public money, and yet neither Commit- tee, nor district, nor towns be responsible therefor."
The records show that the inhabitants of Old Dartmouth provided for the education of their children long before the compulsory state law of 1789, but the fact no doubt is as indicated by written documents that the education of the first born of this town was not neglected. We have to rely wholly upon public records for a knowledge of places where children were taught. Nothing is found there regarding schools previous to 1700, except that two indictments of the town were presented by the grand jury in 1698 and 1699 against the town for neglecting to choose a school- master. To this the selectmen responded that "there were several school-
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masters." The matter was dropped here. A third presentation was made in 1701 for the same cause and received the same defence, which evidently was unsatisfactory. As the town failed to show a certificate of the qualification of the schoolmaster a fine of five pounds was imposed by the court. There is found no record of an appropriation of money for educational purposes previous to this date but it is a significant occur- rence that the following year, 1702, the town voted to expend forty pounds for the expense of a schoolmaster, and an annual appropriation was made for school purposes each succeeding year till the division of the town in 1787. Nothing more is recorded of indictments.
Notwithstanding there were three distinct villages in the town, namely : Cushena, Ponegansett and Coakset, only one schoolmaster was chosen for the whole township previous to 1727. This was Daniel Shepherd and his annual salary was eighteen pounds and his "diet." He doubtless divided up his pedagogical services between the three villages of the town. That there was an increasing clamor for more school- masters is evident from the fact that in 1727 the town voted to have "two schoolmasters besides the old grammar master, to teach children to read, write and cypher." In 1728 the school question must have provoked considerable discussion. The town voted to have three schoolmasters, Daniel Shepherd, William Palmer and William Halliday. In conformity to an order of the court the town voted to have a grammar school, and Christopher Turner was employed for five years as grammar master.
About the same time a demand was made for a committee of three persons residing in each of the three villages to arrange for schools in their neighborhood. This was granted and the committee for this section of the town was Stephen West, Jr., Jacob Taber and Henry Samson.
There was a slight innovation made in 1734, probably from the growing demand for sailors in this locality, and William Taber was employed for the ensuing year for sixty pounds and was "to teach English grammar and the art of navigation. Those that were taught navigation to pay the town 50 shillings each." This manner of school management continued many years. There were employed as schoolmasters besides Mr. Shepherd, William Palmer, Thomas Mugglestone, William Lake and Eliokim Willis. The latter was assigned to Acushnet in 1738, and the parents of the pupils were to furnish "his diet without charge to the town." Or as the practice was termed later, he was to "board 'round," a plan which prevailed in most all rural districts up to half a century ago. Whereabouts in Acushnet Eliokim taught no one knows, but the writer "reckons," as the people of our south land say, that it was in a schoolhouse that stood in the highway at the southeast corner of Parting Ways a hundred years ago, and one who went to school in it then told me it looked seventy-five years old at that date. This may have been the first
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schoolhouse in the Acushnet section of the ancient town. Mr. Willis was a member of the Precinct church here, and is said to have been a gospel minister.
The only public record found of a schoolhouse standing in Dartmouth previous to 1770 is of one which was located on the highway at the top of the hill west of Apponegansett village, the next lot west of the old town house. This is not conclusive evidence, however, that there was none at Acushnet village for these reasons: In former days it was fre- quently the case that a schoolhouse was erected within the bounds of the highway. There may have been sales or gifts or loans of land for such purposes and the legal documents regarding such were never recorded; furthermore, in such an instance the abandonment of the lot would not be of record.
Provided there was a schoolhouse in each of the three villages named before New Bedford was set off, the distance from each of them to the remote part of that section, in many instances eight miles or more, and the fact that much of this period only one schoolmaster was provided for the entire town, indicates that some of the children had no advantages and the others but limited benefits of the town schools. That men and women from the class of children remote from these centers were educated, is made apparent by their writings now in existence, which supports the belief that private schools existed in the sections extremely distant from these villages.
When New Bedford became a town it moved as sluggishly in provid- ing educational facilities as its mother town of Dartmouth, and it had similar difficulties to contend with. Its inhabitants were widely scat- tered; there were four centres of population: New Bedford, Fairhaven, Long Plain and Acushnet Village; and its territory was divided by a river which was unbridged for seven miles within the town. It continued in the ruts of the old town by appointing a schoolmaster at the first town meeting and this act was repeated at each meeting for several years.
New Bedford had a commendable streak of generosity in 1798 when a committee of eight persons was chosen, including Alden Spooner, Edward Pope, Joseph Bennett and Ebenezer Keen of now Acushnet, "to inquire into the number of poor children in said town necessary to send to school at the expense of the town and the sum required." The recom- mendation of the committee to appropriate the sum of $200 for that purpose was adopted and the town was authorized to expend the money on the most needy children. This practice continued till 1812, the sum being increased annually till it reached $1,000.
New Bedford was divided in 1812 when Fairhaven including Acush- net became a separate township, and it is plain that Acushnet up to this date had no public school favors, except what little it may have received
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from the "one schoolmaster" system for more than two hundred square miles of territory, and the fund for poor children. The inhabitants were left to provide in a private way for the education of their children. This they did by establishing schools in dwellings and in houses erected for the purpose by an organized body of men called "proprietors." One such, in which a number of citizens of this town were financially interested and to which they sent their children, was in existence before the division of the town of New Bedford. The building stood on the north side of the road between Lund's corner and the village bridge, just west of a flat rock and in the southeast corner of the present estate of Humphrey H. Swift. It was then the property of William Kempton who in 1798 con- veyed it to the following persons who were "Proprietors of the Social School," namely : William Kempton, Humphrey Hathaway, Edward Wing, William Gardner, Nathaniel Spooner, Jr., John Hawes, Samuel Perry, Philip Spooner, Jonathan Swift, Jireh Swift, Jr., Benjamin Dilling- ham, William Hathaway, Samuel Perry, Charles Stetson, John Chaffee, John Crandon, Philip Crandon, Charles Churchill, Amos Pratt, Paul Swift, Niel Cushman, Ezra Chaffee, Joseph Drew, John Chadwick, Jabez Hathaway. These men lived in and about the village on both sides of the river. They at once constructed on this spot a one room building. This institution of learning was soon destroyed by fire. The proprietors at once erected upon the ashes another house for school purposes which was given the significant name of Phenix school. This house was a two room, one story building, the longest from west to east, its northeast corner near the rock. Among those who taught there were Amy Ball, Lemuel Armsby, Hannah, daughter of Rev. Samuel West, and Captain William Gordon of Revolutionary war fame. These all resided in the vicinity of the school.
The following is the formal petition relating to the school before it was opened :
"Whereas, the proprietor of the Phenix schoolhouse have deter- mined to have a school commence in a house as soon as may be and in order that the time of setting said school should not be procrastinated by waiting for the proprietors' proposal, nor the completion of the house, it is necessary that the required number of children should be engaged immediately.
Now, therefore, in consideration of the premises we whose names are hereunto inscribed do severally engage to send the number an- nexed to our names to the school contemplated and pay our ratio of the expenses of the same.
New Bedford, Nov. 3, 1799."
It has no signatures and may be a copy of a signed one.
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Here is an interesting, self explanatory communication from Captain Gordon, who was a resident of this town:
New Bedford, Mass.
To the Committee of Phenix School.
Gentlemen : I am informed that you have it in contemplation to move some of the scholars from the east to the west end of the school- house and place them under my tuition. Against such a procedure I beg leave to offer to your consideration some objections which operate forcibly in my mind :
1. The teachers being of different sexes, I believe no authority can be found either in the constitution or subsequent rules to warrant it.
2. The terms of compact are essentially different between the contracting parties.
3. The scholars are now placed under the tuition of those teachers whom their parents wished and willed.
4. The removal will lay me under peculiar disadvantages, as I shall have to contend (perhaps) against prepossessions unfavorable to me as a teacher.
5. Should a removal take place I conjecture my school will be considered as a Botany Bay to receive the obstreperous and unruly only ; by this means I shall lay under the odium of not keeping good government in my school.
6. It is at present not ascertained whether my school is full or not, many have not come forward that I expect daily.
The foregoing are some of the prominent objections which are offered by your hbl. svt. WILLIAM GORDON.
Phenix School House, Nov. 30, 1804.
This schoolhouse and lot in some way became the property of New Bedford, In 1840 that town conveyed it to Jireh Swift, 4th, who then owned the estate of which the lot was formerly a part. The building was moved to the north side of Tarkiln Hill road and is now the next dwelling house west of Hawes pond. Then the district purchased of William Spooner the lot south of the Congregational church property on the County road, and built a schoolhouse, which was transferred to the town. This schoolhouse was subsequently moved across the way and is now the Hancock engine house. On this then vacant lot the city built the schoolhouse which stands there at this time.
Dissatisfaction over the unfortunate state of school affairs caused New Bedford in 1811 to appoint committees in different sections of the town to oversee the matter of schools, in their locality. The members of this committee of the "northeast district" (Acushnet), were Captain John Hawes, Jonathan Pope and Alden Spooner. This committee did nothing at that time, as it was evident New Bedford was soon to be divided, which act occurred in February, 1812, and Fairhaven, including present Acushnet, became an independent township.
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The territory of the new town was almost wholly on the east side of the Acushnet river and conditions were such that the inhabitants were encouraged to greater diligence in the cause of education than had prevailed. The district system had then been in operation some time in the Acushnet section. Schoolhouses had been erected and schools main- tained in thickly settled neighborhoods by the inhabitants of the districts that had been laid out by the town authorities.
A little later Acushnet was divided into nine districts, each of which owned a house and supported a school. These were numbered and named and located as follows :
No. 1. Bisbee district. The house stood a little east of the junction of the Keen and Peckham roads at the north end of the town and is now a dwelling house. The present No. 1 house is located a few yards west of the old one.
No. 2. Whelden district. The first house stood on the west side of Mill road on the corner of a way leading from the end of Whelden lane to Nye's lane, on land of James Burt. The schoolhouse of this district now stands on the same side of Mill road about two hundred yards farther north. It was moved from its former location in 1847.
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