USA > Massachusetts > Bristol County > Norton > History of the town of Norton, Bristol County, Massachusetts, from 1669 to 1859 > Part 24
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In looking at the record, it would seem, that, in ad- dition to teaching the children " to Reed, Right, and Cifer," the teacher might profitably have spent his " noonings," at least, in teaching the recorder of the above vote how to spell; yet, in charity to the town- clerk, we should remember how exceedingly limited were the educational privileges of that day.
"Jan. 6, 1723 or 4, voted that the selectmen shall Go forthwith and agree with Othnial Cambell, of Taunton, to
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Keep Schooll in Norton for one quarter of a year now fol- lowing; and, if he cannot be had, then to Geet some other Sutable Persone to Keep School sd. quarter of a year."
At a legal town-meeting, July 13, 1724, -
" They voted that the scholl shall be Keept ye next quarter in that part of the towne which Goes by the name of Wine- cunet."
"Sept. 14, 1724. - Voted to pay Mr. John Sumner, for Keeping School, £11-8-0.
" Oct. 12, 1724. - Thay made choice of William Caswell to be our Schollmaster, to Keep Scholl in the towne of Nor- ton one year next Enseuing; and that he shall have thirty- four Pounds, in currant money of sd. Province, for his wages to Keep scholl sd. year ; and the sd. Towne of Norton to be at no more cost Consarning his Being Borded sd. year. Pro- vided, allso, that he shall move in Keeping Scholl as the Towne shall agree. and thay made choice of Mr. John Hodges to go and agree with sd. William Caswell to Keep scholl in ye town.
" Dec. 30, 1724. - 2ly, They voted that the Schollmaster shall Keep Scholl, the first quarter of a year, at the house of Eliezer fisher ; and the second quarter at the house of Left. Nicholas White; and the third quarter at Winecunit, or in that Part of the town ; and the Last quarter at the meeting- House.
" March 29, 1727. - Voted that Josiah Briggs shal be schollmaster to Keep Scholl in Norton, . . . Provided he will Keep scholl for 201b. a year, and his dyett; and that he shall Keep Scholl, the first quarter, at ye middle of the towne ; and the second quarter at Winecunett ; and the third quarter on the south side of ye way which is towards Elezer fisher's ; and the fourth quarter at Left. White's, or theyrabouts.
" Nov. 30, 1727. - Voted to pay John Briggs, ye eldist, for dyeting of the Schollmaster 14 weeks, at 6s. a week, 041b .- 04s .- 0d.
" Sept. 20, 1731. - Voted to Samuel Vesey, for Diating ye Scollemaster, 2-05-0.
" Sept. 18, 1733. - Voated to Joseph Hodges, for bording the Scollemaster, Mr. Bacon, ye sum of 01-16-0.
" It was voated to Joseph Hodges, for carring & fetching sd. colemaster, ye sum of 0-14-0.
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" It was voated to Daniell Braman, for Keeping the scoll- master fower weaks, at Eight shillind pur weake. it came to 01-12-0.
" Voated to Samuel Clap, for treating with the collmaster, the sum of 00-03-00.
" Aug. 31, 1736. - Voated that the Selectmen shuld hire a scoolemaster.
" Sept. 28, 1736. - Voted to Mr. Samuel Clap, the 1, for to pay to Scoolemaster Vesey, the sum of 5-1-0.
[Also] " voated, that what is wanting for sculling for this presant year, and for the pore, is to be dran out of the present tresury.
" May 14, 1742. - Theyr was a voate called for to Know whether the Scoole shuld be Kept on the west sid of the teen- mile River, in said Preesent ; and it past in the afirmative.
" Nov. 1742. - Voated to Capt. Hodges, for carying the Scoolmaster to 'Cambridge, 01-05-0.
" Nov. 27, 1751. - Voted that the Selectmen agree with Deacon John Briggs to Keep School, provided they can agree with him on Reasonable Conditions."
He probably kept ; for, the next year, the town voted him sixteen shillings "for bording himself when he kept school."
" Dec. 30, 1751. - Voted to Ephraim Leonard, Esq., for Boarding ye schoolmaster 6} weeks, and feching him from Concord, £11-00-0, old Tenor; £1-9-4, Lawful money.
" Nov. 21, 1755. - Voted to Capt. William Stone, for boarding of the Schoolmaster, Stephen Farrow (Farrar ?), £2-12-0."
Mr. Farrar probably belonged to that part of Con- cord which is now Lincoln. The same day, --
"Voted to Daniel Braman, for boarding Samuel Dean, Jun., Schoolmaster, £2-08."
This was probably he who was afterwards the Rev. Dr. Deane, of Portland, Me.
There is every reason to believe that most of the teachers heretofore mentioned belonged to Norton.
About this time, the number of children had so far increased as to require some other arrangement than
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that of moving the school from one part of the town to another. The course that had been pursued must have been attended with many difficulties and incon- veniences, and hence earnestly called for a change. Whether for good or evil, a different course of pro- ceeding was determined upon by the town. We can hardly expect there was entire unanimity in the mea- sure ; but on Jan. 16, 1758, the town "voted to Divide the school, that is to be heareafter kept in this town, into nine quarters." The North Precinct, or what is now Mansfield, was to have one-third of the districts, or " Quarters," as they were then called.
A committee of three in the North Precinct, and another of eight in the South Precinct, were appointed to divide the town into quarters ; and were directed to report to the said town, at the next March meeting, where the said quarters of the school should be kept, &c. The committee of the South Precinct attended to their duty, and reported March 20; and it was " voted to Except of the Division of the School Ground." The committee report as follows : -
" Firstly, we set of the center Quarter, to begin at Mr. Ichabod Washburn's, takeing in said Washburn; then Ran- ging and Takeing in Mr. Noah Wiswall ; then Ranging so as to Take in David Williams, on Medfield Rhoad; then on medfield Rhoad, takeing in all the houses on said Rhod, In- cluding Mr. Timothy Briggse's house; then Runing so as to take in Josiah vining and Timothy Smith and John Hall's houses ; then to the Line which is Between the North and South precint in sd. Norton; then Runing on the precint- Line to the line Between the north purches and the old- township proprietors ; then on the sd. line untill it comes To Chartly mill-pond; then on a Straight Line to whare we first began.
" 2dly, We set of the Second Quarter Begining at make- peace's mill; then Runing So as to take in John Patten's house ; then Runing so as to Take in the widdow Barney's house and Jonathan Clap's house, to Easton line ; then on sd. Easton line untill it come to the line which divides the North and South precint in said Norton ; then on said precint-line untill it comes to the line of the Senter Quarter; then on the line of the senter Quarter to the way that goeth from medfield
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Rhoad, near Benjamin Trow's house, to makepeace's mill, whare we first began.
"3dly, Then we set of a third Quarter, begining at the senter-Quarter line, near to David Williamse's house ; then Ranging by the way that goeth to the new Bridge ; then down stream to Wineconet pond, and so to Extend to the Bounds of Norton town to the Line of the second quarter, near Jona- than Clap's house ; then on the Line of the Second Quarter to the Line of the Senter Quarter ; and on sd. Line to whare we began.
" 4thly, Then set of a fourth Quarter, begining at the way near Ishabod Washburn's house ; then Ranged so as to Take in Josiah Woodward's house, and Cornelius Tucker's house, whare he now lives, keeping the Rhod that goeth by Samuel Willise's house to Taunton line ; then on Taunton line to weneconet Bridge ; Then across Weneconet pond to the new bridge; then on the Road that goeth to David Williamse's house to the line of the center Quarter; Then on said line to the place whare we began.
" 5thly, Then we set of a fifth Quarter, begining at Chartly mill-pond to Attleborough Line, so as to take in the house which was Samuel Tucker's, now Thomas Morey's, and John Braman's; then on Norton line until it comes to the way that goeth by Samuel Willise's, which is a bound of the south Quarter; then on sd. bound to the center Line ; then on the center to the place whare we began.
" 6thly, Then we set of a sixth Quarter, on the westerly side of the line of the center Quarter and the west of the fifth Quarter, and to the Extent of the west so far as to take in all the south precint in sd. Norton, called Chartley Quar- ter.
" Dated in NORTON, March second day, 1758.
" JONATHAN LINCOLN, WILLIAM STONE, BENJAMIN COBB, EBENEZER BURT, JAMES GODFREY, JONATHAN EDDY, NATHAN HODGES, Jr., NOAH WISWALL,
Committee of the South Precinct."
The committee of the North Precinct reported that the schools in that part of the town should be kept at the dwelling-houses of John Caswell, jun., Timothy Welman, and Solomon Bates.
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A new division of the school ground was mooted in 1769 ; but no definite action was taken.
At the annual March meeting in 1772, another at- tempt was made to divide the school ground, but failed. It was, however, "put to vote, whether the centre Quarter should have one month's schooling more than the other quarters in sd. town, & that the sd. month's schooling be kept on the Easterly side of Rumford River in sd. center quarter ; and it Passed in the negative."
The exciting scenes of the Revolution soon followed ; and, until the close of that eventful struggle, the town paid but little attention to schools. During the con- tinuance of the war, we are unable to find any appro- priation for school purposes. Every cent of money that could be spared was needed to clothe, equip, and sustain those who battled for freedom and human rights. Occasionally, during the war, a school was sustained, for a few weeks at a time, by the voluntary contributions of one neighborhood and another. But as soon as the war closed, or as soon as there was a prospect of peace, we find the attention of the town again turned to the education of their children, which had been so sadly neglected during the distracted state of the country. Within a week from the day the treaty of peace with the mother-country was signed, or Oct. 6, 1783, the town chose Capt. Israel Trow, Capt. Seth Smith, Lieut. David Arnold, Samuel Copeland, Capt. Isaac Hodges, Lieut. Ebenezer Titus, William Burt, Capt. Seth Gilbert, and Capt. Joseph Hodges, " a Committee to Divide the school Ground." They also " voted to raise, for the purpose of schooling, £60." This shows that they were in earnest. The prospect of peace revived their drooping spirits.
The meeting was adjourned once and again; and on Nov. 10, 1783, the committee reported in favor of dividing the town into eight quarters, and fixing the bounds where they have remained to the present day, with some few slight alterations that have been made quite recently. The report of the committee was
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accepted by the town, and an agent was chosen " in each quarter to take care of their money ; " viz., -
" 1st Quarter, Silas Cobb. 5th Quarter, John Hall.
2nd " Ebn. Titus.
6th
" Israel Trow.
3rd " David Arnold. 7th
" Samuel Hunt.
4th Isaac Hodges. 8th
„ Noah Clap."
In April, 1784, Eleazer Walker and others pe- titioned for an "alteration in their school Quar- ters."
A meeting was called to consider the matter; but was " dissolved," without any action upon the peti- tion.
I do not find that any school agents were chosen in 1784. Probably those chosen in November, 1783, continued in office till the spring of 1785; when the following persons were chosen, called trustees : -
" 1st Quarter, Coll. Cobb. 5th Quarter, Timothy Briggs, Jr.
2nd
" Ebn. Titus. 6th
" Lieut. Shepard.
3rd " Lieut. Arnold. 7th
" Samuel Hunt.
4th " Isaac Hodges. 8th " Samuel Godfrey."
In 1786, Col. Cobb, Ephraim Lane, George Hodges, Isaac Hodges, Seth Smith, Seth Gilbert, Samuel Hunt, Samuel Godfrey, were chosen trustees.
In 1787, Silas Cobb, Ephraim Lane, Josiah Wood- ward, James Hodges, Deacon Smith, Benjamin Wild, Samuel Hunt, Eleazer Walker, were chosen trustees.
In 1788, the trustees were Col. Cobb, Nathan Perry, Elkanah Lincoln, James Hodges, Seth Smith, jun., Deacon D. Dean, Samuel Hunt, Dr. Babbit, Dr. S. Morey.
The trustees for 1789 were Col. Cobb, Nathan Perry, Lieut. Lincoln, Jonathan Briggs, Capt. Crane, William Burt, Dr. Samuel Morey, Elisha Cobb.
I do not find that any trustees were chosen after this date.
March 28, 1785, it was " voted to make a new divi- sion of school Quarters." At an adjourned meeting, May 12, Dr. Daniel Parker, Capt. Isaac Hodges,
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Eleazer Clap, Deacon Daniel Dean, Tisdale Hodges, Lieut. Ebenezer Titus, Elijah Hodges, Lieut. David Arnold, Noah Wiswall, Nathan Perry, Edward Babbit, Capt. David Clap, and David Lincoln, were chosen a committee to re-divide the town into school quarters.
Adjourned once and again ; and, on Oct. 3, " voted not to Except the report of the committee chosen to divide the town into school Quarters." Then recon- sidered this vote, and recommitted the whole matter to the committee to be "revised and corrected ; " and adjourned to Nov. 7. It was then "voted to except the new division of school Quarters."
Reconsidered this vote, and dissolved the meeting.
Nov. 26, 1787, it was "voted that the first school District be divided into two Districts." This made nine districts in town. We may as well state here as anywhere, that on April 2, 1792, by a vote of the town, " the centre School Quarter" was "re-united and connected with the one formerly taken off."
There was an article in the warrant for a town-meet- ing, Dec. 30, 1789, " To choose a committee to divide the town into Districts, agreeable to a Late Law of the Commonwealth relating to schooling." At the meet- ing, Lieut. David Arnold, Capt. Trow, Col. Cobb, Lieut. Nathan Babbit, Capt. Lane, Capt. Crane, Dea- con Daniel Dean, Capt. Joseph Hodges, and Noah Clap, were chosen a committee to divide the town into school Districts." Hon. Horace Mann, the first Secre- tary of the Board of Education in Massachusetts, con- siders the law of 1789, authorizing towns to divide themselves into districts, as "the most unfortunate law, on the subject of common schools, ever enacted in the State." 1
I can find no report of this committee. They pro- bably reported favorably to the project ; for, Feb. 14, 1790, it was voted to divide the town into nine school districts, and " that the boundaries of the school dis- tricts be the same as the Town now stands divided."
1 Tenth Report, p. 37.
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These votes seem to have been reconsidered at an adjourned meeting in April following, and the whole matter is left in the dark. In all probability, however, the districts remained for many years - with the ex- ception stated on page 265 - as they were constituted in 1783. Coming out of the Revolutionary war poor, and the finances of the country being in a distracted state, it is not wonderful that the town took no imme- diate steps for the erection of schoolhouses. For some years after the war, they felt compelled to have their schools kept in private houses, as had been the previous custom. Yet all were not content with this arrange- ment; and, as soon as the finances became somewhat settled, a movement was made by John Hodges and others "to build a number of schoolhouses in the several Districts in town." Dec. 30, 1789, it was " voted that six schoolhouses should be built in sd. town, at their expense." Then adjourned to Jan. 11, 1790. No doubt John Hodges and his co-adjutors went home rejoicing at the prospect of new school- houses. No doubt their children's faces brightened, as they heard the report of what was done at the meeting. That night they all dreamed of being in the new houses, having a happy time, in the pursuit of knowledge. But they little knew what bitter dis- appointments were in store for them. They very soon found, that to vote to build schoolhouses was no sure index of their speedy erection ; for at the adjourned meeting, Jan. 11, the vote for building " six school- houses " was reconsidered. Then some one besides .John Hodges went home rejoicing. The friends of schoolhouses, though defeated, were not subdued. In eighteen days, a warrant was issued calling a town- meeting, Feb. 15, 1790, to consider the petition of Isaac Basset and nine others, " to see if the town will build any schoolhouses, and how many, and where to set " them. At the meeting, it was "voted that the selectmen preside as moderators in the several school districts at their meetings, to prefix places to set a schoolhouse in each District; and, where the district
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cannot agree, for the selectmen to establish the place for sd. schoolhouse." Adjourned to the first Monday of April. Met at that time, and " voted not to build any schoolhouses at the expense of the town." Thus the whole manner was " knocked into pie " again.
In 1792, Silas Cobb and twelve others petition for a meeting " to see if the town will consider the cir- cumstances of the town respecting schooling, school districts and houses ; and to vote and act on each article as they shall think proper." The town met May 14, chose a "tyding-man," and dissolved the meeting.
The friends of education are not, however, dis- couraged. They take time to arrange their plans ; and, Jan. 5, 1795, a meeting was held "to take into consideration the petition of Seth Smith, Esq., and ten others, for a town-meeting, to know whether the town will agree to build a number of Schoolhouses." It was " voted to build a number of schoolhouses at the expense of the town ; " and Ephraim Raymond, Samuel Godfrey, Daniel Parker, John Crane, Seth Smith, Esq., Ebenezer Titus, David Arnold, Daniel Knap, and Zebulon White, were chosen a committee to report a plan to the town where the said houses shall stand. Also " voted for the town to find fire- wood for the several schools for the futer ; " and then adjourned to Jan. 12. Thus, again, the friends of schoolhouses triumphed. But their time of rejoicing was short ; for at the meeting, Jan. 12, the votes for " building schoolhouses " and " finding firewood " were reconsidered, and the above committee " excused. from any further service." Two years go by ; when William Verry and nine others want schoolhouses built, and ask for a town-meeting to consider the mat- ter. The town assembled Jan. 16, 1797, and voted " to raise a sum of money for the purpose of building a number of schoolhouses; " and chose a committee; consisting of Daniel Parker, Silas Cobb, Ephraim Ray- mond, William Burt, John Crane, Ephraim Lane, jun., David Arnold, and Zebulon White, " to determine how
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many are necessary, and where they should be set, and the probable expense ; " and they were instructed to report at an adjourned meeting in March, when it was " voted not to except the report of the committee for building schoolhouses." From these facts, it will be seen, that, "in days of auld lang syne," there was no certainty of the erection of schoolhouses, even after they had been voted up by the town. I find no fur- ther attempt on the part of the town to build houses for the several districts.
Feb. 28, 1800, the General Court passed a law authorizing school districts to raise money to build schoolhouses for themselves; and also requiring the clerks of the several school districts to be sworn to the faithful discharge of their duty. They were to keep a record of the doings at the district-meetings. I have been unable to find any school-district records that date back farther than about the year 1817; so that we are obliged in most cases to rely upon indi- vidual testimony as to when the first schoolhouses were built in town.
There was no schoolhouse in No. 1, or the Centre District, till 1817. This was built by Zebulon White, and cost something more than two hundred dollars. It stood between where the present house stands and the road. For some years the school was kept, says Deacon Lane, in an old dwelling-house which stood on the easterly side of the road, nearly opposite to the house now occupied by the writer of these pages, between the house of H. H. Wetherell and the " Par- sonage House " so called, now owned by L. M. Whea- ton, Esq. After the Freemason Lodge was established in town, the room under their hall was used for some years for school purposes, till the district erected a house for themselves in 1817. This house stood till 1847, when it was torn down, and incorporated into the new house built that year ; which is still occupied for school purposes, and stands a few feet farther back from the road than the first house. An attempt was made, in the spring of 1856, to build a house more in
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accordance with the wants of the present age ; but, we are sorry to record, the attempt failed. The house was repaired and painted during the year 1858.
In No. 2, the first schoolhouse was erected by the late Judge George Leonard, at his own expense ; and it is thought by some to have been the first house erected in town. It stood for some years about twenty-five or thirty rods easterly of Wading River, on the southerly side of the road, between Judge Leonard's house and the house now occupied and owned by Stillman A. Wetherell. Some trouble arose between Judge Leonard and the district relative to the house, and the judge caused it to be removed ; and it now forms a part of the L of the above-men- tioned Wetherell's house. Jan. 12, 1819, a tax of two hundred and two dollars and seventy cents was assessed upon the district ; and, probably in the spring of that year, the frame of a house was erected in the corner of Judge Leonard's lot, nearly opposite to where William Lane now lives. There was some misunderstanding relative to the land, between the owner and the district; and the frame was soon re- moved to where it now stands. It is supposed, how- ever, not to have been so far completed as to be occupied as a schoolroom till 1821. It is now (1858) the only one remaining in town of those old-fashioned square-built houses ; with gallery-seats on two sides of the building, with a sort of broad aisle through the centre between them, - at one end of which is the desk, and at the other the door ; with the stove in the centre of the room; serving to illustrate, especially in the winter season, the five different zones ; also latitude and longitude, and various other geographical matters.
We wish it could be daguerreotyped, outside and inside, for the benefit of future generations; for probably the spirit of the age will soon cause its downfall.
The first schoolhouse in No. 3 was erected for the district by George Hodges, in 1801, within a few feet
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of where the present house stands. It was rough and unique in many respects. It had but one aisle, and two rows of long benches upon either side; a desk in one corner; a dark-closet for the girls' bonnets; a huge fireplace, with a cumbrous chimney. Dec. 30, 1800, a tax of one hundred and eighty dollars and nineteen cents was assessed for building this house. It stood till 1837, when it was removed a few rods westerly of R. H. Hall's house, and converted into a dwelling- house, and a new and more convenient building built on the same spot in its stead. Henry Gilmore, of Rayn- ham, taught the first school in this new house, in the winter of 1837-8. The present house was erected late in the autumn of 1854. The first school kept in it commenced Jan. 22, 1855. The teachers were Miss Maria J. Newcomb, of Taunton ; and Miss Louisa C. Dean, of Easton. This house, with its appurtenances, cost something more than two thousand dollars.
The first house in No. 4 was erected for the district by Joseph Hodges, in 1801, and probably cost a little less than two hundred dollars; for, on the 24th of December, a tax of one hundred and ninety dollars was assessed upon the district for building it. This house stood at first a few rods northerly, and on the opposite side of the road, from where Benjamin Rich- mond now lives. In 1838, it was removed to the four corners, on the other side of Mr. Richmond's house, and nearly fifty dollars expended in repairs. It was occupied for school purposes till 1853; when the new house was erected, at an expense, including land, &c., of about eleven hundred dollars. It was dedicated with appropriate services to the purposes for which it was erected, on Monday, Oct. 17, 1853. Mr. Daniel Leach, of Roxbury, Agent of the Board of Education, was the orator of the day. Some account of the early history of schools in Norton, and especially in the 4th District, was read by Rev. G. F. Clark. Short addresses were made by Rev. S. P. Snow and others ; and the following song, written by Hodges Reed, Esq., of Taunton, once a teacher in the district, was sung : -
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THE SONG OF THE OLD FOLKS IN THE NEW SCHOOL- HOUSE.
" Things ain't now as they used to be " A hundred years ago, When schools were kept in private rooms, Above stairs or below ; When sturdy boys and rosy girls Romped through the drifted snow, And spelled their duty and their abs, A hundred years ago.
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