USA > Missouri > Lincoln County > History of Lincoln County, Missouri, from the earliest time to the present > Part 41
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56
ORGANIZATION OF SCHOOL DISTRICTS.
In February, 1837, the county court incorporated the inhab- itants of Township 50 north, Range 1 east, into two school dis- tricts, the eastern half being designated as No. 1, and the west- ern half as No. 2. Elijah Myers, Alexander Martin and James Stoddard were appointed trustees of District No. 1, and Thomas S. Reid, James Finley and Harrison D. Allen, of No. 2. At the same time the inhabitants of Township 48 north, Range 1 west, were incorporated into four school districts, the northeast quar- ter of the township constituting No. 1, the northwest quarter No. 2, the southwest quarter No. 3, and the southeast quarter No. 4. The trustees appointed for the four districts were as follows: No. 1, Andrew Brown, William Vaughan and Benjamin Bowen; No. 2, Silas M. Davis, Robert Hammond and Allen Jameson; No. 3, John Thurman, B. F. Blanton and David Boyd; No. 4, John M. Faulkner, Marvin Ross and A. Cohall.
At the following August term of the court, the inhabitants of Township 51 north, Range 2 east, having derived over $800 from
462
STATE OF MISSOURI
the sale of their school lands, were incorporated into one school district, and Rawleigh Mayes, Samuel M. Davis and Samuel Can- non were appointed trustees thereof. At the same time the inhab- itants of Township 51 north, Range 2 west, were incorporated into three school districts, the first being composed of Sections 4 to 9 inclusive, and 16 to 21 inclusive; the second, of Sections 1 to 3 inclusive, 10 to 15 inclusive and 22 to 24 inclusive, and the third of Sections 25 to 36 inclusive. Gabriel Reeds, Nicholas Wells and O. N. Coffey were appointed trustees of the First Dis- triet: David Stewart, William Jameson and Jacob Copenhaver of the Second, and Abraham Estis, William B. Sitton and William Uptegrove, of the Third. Also at the same time, the inhabitants of Township 50 north, Range 2 west, were incorporated into four school districts, the first being composed of Sections 1, 2, 3, 10, 11, 12, and the north half of Sections 13, 14 and 15; the second, of Sections 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 16, 17 and 18; the third, of Sections 19, 20, 21, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33 and the west half of 22, 27 and 34, and the fourth of Sections 23, 24, 25, 26, 35, 36 and the south half of 13, 14, 15 and the east half of 22, 27 and 34. William Hammock, Guion G. Wilson and Perry Park were appointed trustees of the First District; Lot Terence, Edward Chasen and John Yale of the Second; Bethuel Sharr, Robert Mudd and Robert Salmond of the Third, and George Sand, George Jameson and Lewis Mudd, of the Fourth.
In February, 1841, the inhabitants of Township 51 north, Range 1 west, were incorporated into two school districts, the First being composed of the south two-thirds of the township, and the Second of the north one-third. James Wilson, Alexander Will- jams and James Reid were appointed trustees of the First Dis- trict, and Fountain Merriwether, James Clark and Daniel Lyles of the Second. At the same time the inhabitants of Township 49 north, Range 2 east, were incorporated into one school district, and A. B. Birkhead, William Overall and John Argent were ap- pointed trustees thereof. In May, 1841, the county court, on ap- plication under the new school law then recently passed, appointed June 21 as the time for the inhabitants of Township 51 north, Range 1 west, to meet at the house of Samuel Smiley, to take pre- liminary steps for organizing the township for school purposes.
463
HISTORY OF LINCOLN COUNTY.
James Wilson was appointed commissioner of common schools, and James Clark and James Reid school directors of the township. In August following, the inhabitants of Township 50 north, Range 2 east, were incorporated into two school districts, the First being composed of the west half of the township, and the Second of the east half thereof. Joseph McIntosh, Hiram Wommack and Jacob Coffey were appointed trustees of the First District, and E. Allen, Francis Riffle and John Galloway of the Second. In February, 1842, Township 51 north, Range 2 west, was organized under the new law for school purposes, and the inhabitants were ordered to meet at Louisville on the first Monday of April fol- lowing, to take such steps as the law required, pertaining to the schools. David Stewart was appointed commissioner, and Solomon R. Moxley and O. N. Coffey as inspectors and directors of the schools of the townships. Afterward, from time to time, the organization of school districts was continued until all parts of the county were embraced.
TUITION AND TOWNSHIP SCHOOL FUNDS.
In August, 1841, the county court ordered that school funds consisting of the interest collected on the principal derived from the sale of school lands, and the income leased lands, should be paid to certain school districts, as follows:
First District, Township 51 north, Range 2 east. $161 17 First District, Township 50 north, Range 1 east .. 41 80
Second District, Township 50 north, Range 1 east. 25 95
First District, Township 51 north, Range 2 west. 61 00
Second District, Township 51 north, Range 2 west. 65 00
First District, Township 50 north, Range 2 west .. 52 00
Fourth District, Township 50 north, Range 2 west .. 34 00
From the foregoing it will be seen that while the first district received an ample fund, and others a fund sufficient to sustain a school three or four months, some of them did not receive an amount sufficient to support a free school for more than one or two months. This proves that the income from the school lands was very unequal and insufficient, as a whole, to support the common schools. Rate bills of course had to be made out and collected in order to make up deficiencies. At this term of the county court Charles Wheeler, treasurer of the
464
STATE OF MISSOURI.
county, made his annual settlement in regard to the school funds of the several townships, whereby it appeared that the funds derived from the sale of the school lands in the following town- ships, including interest, and excluding expenses, were as fol- lows:
Township 50 north, Range 1 east. $1.206 02
Township 51 north, Range 2 west 1,879 82
Township 50 north, Range 2 east 1,000 56
Township 49 north, Range 1 west. 1,383 68
Township 51 north. Range 2 east 1,938 39
Township 48 north, Range 1 west 2,642 30
Township 49 north, Range 2 east. 311 40
Township 49 north, Range 2 west. 586 11
Township 51 north, Range 1 west. 2,743 66
Township 50 north, Range 1 west 376 14
Township 49 north, Range 1 east. 490 81
Township 50 north, Range 2 west. 1.911 11
The foregoing does not include all the townships of the county, which is evidence that the school lands in several of the townships had not at that date been sold.
The following is a statement of the principal accrued from the sale of the school lands in the several townships up to May 3, 1842, as officially reported to the county court, in June of that year:
Township 50 north, Range 1 east .. . $1,104 13
Township 51 north, Range 2 west. 1,677 17
Township 50 north, Range 2 east. 913 95
Township 49 north, Range 1 west. 1,313 07
Township 51 north, Range 2 cast .. 1,778 21
Township 49 north, Range 2 east. 586 41
Township 49 north, Range 2 west 561 59
Township 51 north, Range 1 west. 2,546 98
Township 50 north, Range 1 west. 414 91
Township 49 north, Range 1 east. 577 70
Township 50 north, Range 2 west. 1.996 98
Township 48 north, Range 1 west. 2,723 17
This table gives the principal of the funds without including the interest, while the preceding one gave both.
In March, 1843, William Young, the county treasurer, reported to the county court that the township funds, including the interest and excluding the expenses up to January 1st of that year, were as follows:
465
HISTORY OF LINCOLN COUNTY.
Township 51 north, Range 2 west. . $1,720 24
Township 50 north, Range 2 west. 2,104 64
Township 48 north. Range 1 west. 2,816 74
Township 49 north, Range 1 west. 1,221 17
Township 49 north, Range 2 west. 599 05
Township 49 north, Range 2 east.
599 85
Township 51 north, Range 2 east
1,863 38
Township 49 north, Range 1 east.
612 56
Township 50 north, Range 1 west. 735 78
Township 51 north, Range 1 west. 2,651 86
Township 50 north, Range 2 east.
1,088 34
Township 50 north, Range 1 east. 1.142 97
Passing on to 1846, the record shows that William Young, the county treasurer, had in his hands on the first day of January of that year the township's school funds, including the accrued interest thereon, after deducting payments to school commis- sioners and money lost on loans, as follows:
Township 50 north, Range 1 east .. $1,429 49
Township 51 north, Range 2 west. . 1,952 46
Township 49 north, Range 1 west. . 1,235 20
Township 51 north, Range 2 east. 2,061 09
Township 49 north, Range 2 east. 698 54
Township 51 north, Range 1 west.
2,830 98
Township 50 north, Range 1 west.
973 81
Township 49 north, Range 2 west.
823 33
Township 49 north, Range 1 east. 695 99
Township 50 north, Range 2 west .. 2,350 39
Township 48 north, Range 1 west. 3,014 62
Township 50 north, Range 2 east.
1,324 61
Township 49 north, Range 3 west. 625 49
This table shows that school lands had now been sold in one additional township, being Township 49 north, Range 3 west.
In 1850 the amount of principal belonging to each congres- sional township in which school lands had been sold was as follows:
Township 50 north, Range 1 east. $1,300 64
Township 51 north, Range 2 west. 1,775 99
Township 50 north, Range 2 east. 1,204 80
Township 49 north, Range 1 west. 1,226 25
Township 51 north, Range 2 east. 1,890 77
Township 48 north, Range 1 west. 2,737 20
Township 49 north, Range 2 east. 685 13
Township 49 north, Range 2 west. 557 23
Township 51 north, Range 1 west. 2,571 01
Township 50 north, Range 1 west. 886 03
466
STATE OF MISSOURI.
Township 49 north, Range 1 east. 781 98
Township 50 north, Range 2 west. 2,144 94
Township 49 north, Range 3 west. 817 92
Total amount.
$18,529 89
To observe the increase of the principal of the township fund, compare this table with the one reported in June, 1842, and with the following, which shows the amount of the principal of the fund in the several townships in which school lands had been sold up to the year 1860:
Township 48 north, Range 1 east $ 331 78
Township 48 north, Range 2 east. 157 25
Township 49 north, Range 1 east. 871 87
Township 49 north, Range 2 east. 1,033 18
Township 49 north, Range 3 east. 33 24
Township 50 north, Range 1 east.
1,339 94
Township 50 north, Range 2 east.
1,451 07
Township 50 north, Range 3 east.
7 89
Township 51 north, Range 1 east
1,508 04
Township 51 north, Range 2 east
1,890 74
Township 48 north, Range 1 west.
2,737 20
Township 48 north, Range 2 west.
1,209 96
Township 49 north, Range 1 west.
1,383 46
Township 49 north, Range 2 west.
1,367 73
Township 49 north, Range 3 west.
1,608 23
Township 50 north, Range 1 west. 896 52
Township 50 north, Range 2 west. 2,144 93
Township 50 north, Range 3 west. 1,136 49
Township 51 north, Range 1 west. 2,608 78
Township 51 north, Range 2 west.
1,775 98
Total amount.
.$25,494 28
The following is a statement of the principal of the town- ship school fund belonging to each congressional township, as shown by official records, July 1, 1888:
Township 48 north, Range 1 east. $ 426 94
Township 48 north, Range 2 east 229 19
Township 49 north, Range 1 east. 1,493 80
Township 49 north, Range 2 east. 1,080 75
Township 49 north, Range 3 east. 33 24
Township 50 north, Range 1 east. 874 94
Township 50 north, Range 2 east. 1,322 80
Township 50 north, Range 3 east. 7 89
Township 51 north, Range 1 east. 1,693 84
Township 51 north, Range 2 east.
1,238 12
(Natillti :::::
.........
-
VIEW IN SOUTHERN MISSOURI.
467
HISTORY OF LINCOLN COUNTY.
Township 48 north, Range 1 west.
2,204 11
Township 48 north, Range 2 west. 1,151 84
Township 49 north, Range 1 west. 1,561 86
Township 49 north, Range 2 west. 1,439 43
Township 49 north, Range 3 west. 1,206 16
Township 50 north, Range 1 west. 1,207 75
Township 50 north, Range 2 west. 1,662 30
Township 50 north, Range 3 west. 1,133 71
Township 51 north, Range 1 west. 2,669 53
Township 51 north, Range 2 west.
1,866 64
Total amount. $24,504 84
By comparing this table with the one for 1860, it will be seen that additions have been made to the fund in Township 48 north, Ranges 1 and 2 east; Township 49 north, Ranges 1 and 2 east; Township 51 north, Range 1 east; Township 49 north, Ranges 1 and 2 west; Township 50 north, Range 1 west, and Township 51 north, Ranges 1 and 2 west; while the fund has sustained losses in Township 50 north, Ranges 1 and 2 east; Township 51 north, Range 2 east; Township 48 north, Ranges 1 and 2 west; Township 49 north, Range 3 west, and Township 50 north, Ranges 2 and 3 west, and in the other townships the fund remained the same in amount. It will also be observed that the losses exceeded the gains, and that the aggregate of the principal of the township fund is now $989.44 less than it was in the year 1860. It is claimed that the losses occurred principally during the war period, on loans made with insufficient securities. The principal of this fund is loaned to individual borrowers, and the interest thereon is collected annually, and distributed to the school districts for the support of the schools. The school lands of the county are all sold, except about 160 acres in Township 49 north, Range 3 east. The township fund can be increased by whatever may be realized from the sale of this tract of land, after which it will remain a permanent and perpetual fund, which can never be increased, but may be decreased by misman- agement. It is proper, however, here to say that in loaning this fund the law now requires both real and personal security, instead of personal security only, as was formerly required, and conse- quently it is not liable to sustain further loss, if proper care is exercised in its management.
468
STATE OF MISSOURI.
THE STATE SCHOOL FUND.
This fund was created by an act of the General Assembly of the State of Missouri, approved December 12, 1855, the first three sections of which read as follows:
"SECTION 1. There is hereby created and established a fund for the support of common schools within this State, to be called and known as ' The State School Fund,' which shall consist of: First, All moneys heretofore deposited, or which shall hereafter be deposited with this State according to an act of Congress entitled, 'An act to regulate the deposit of public monies,' passed June 23, 1836. Second, The proceeds of all lands now or hereafter belonging to the State, known as the Saline Lands, and of all lands now or hereafter vested in this State by escheat, or purchase, or forfeiture for taxes.
"SEC. 2. The funds hereby created shall be and remain a per- manent fund for the support of common schools.
"SEC. 3. Theinterest, dividends, proceeds and profits of such school fund shall be denominated, 'State School Money,' and shall be distributed annually for the support of the common schools throughout the State."
Other sections of the act provided for the establishment of the office of "superintendent of common schools," and defined the duties of the incumbent thereof, one of which was that he should, in the month of May each year, apportion the State school money, that is the interest and proceeds of the State school fund, to the several counties in the State, in proportion to the number of white children above the age of five, and under the age of twenty years; and that the same should be apportioned in like manner in the counties to the several townships. The act also provided that twenty-five per centum of the State revenue should be annually set apart, and become State school money .* It further provided that the proceeds of the sale of the school lands should constitute a "township school fund," and it au- thorized the school districts to elect three trustees, and to levy a direct tax to raise funds for the purchase of or erection of schoolhouses, purchase grounds, etc.
The money deposited with the State under the act of Con-
* The law now provides that one-third or thirty-three and one-third per centum of the State revenue shall be set apart and become State school money.
469
HISTORY OF LINCOLN COUNTY.
gress, as mentioned in Section 1, of the aforesaid act, was the surplus revenue which had then accumulated in the National Treasury, and bore the same relation to the people of the United States as the surplus in the National Treasury bears at the pres- ent time. To relieve an over-loaded treasury, the surplus was then distributed to the several States of the Union, and has be- come a part of the permanent school fund of each. The famous Blair Bill now proposes to relieve the treasury in a similar man- ner. The amount of the State school fund created by the act of the General Assembly of Missouri as above mentioned, and augmented by subsequent laws, has reached, according to the last published report of W. E. Coleman, State superintendent of public schools, the enormous amount of $3,135,906.74. There is also another State school fund managed by the State officers, known as the "University or Seminary Fund," which was derived from the sale of certain lands donated by Congress to the State for educational purposes. This fund, as shown by the above mentioned report, amounts to $519,095.08. These funds are a permanent and perpetual principal, loaned by the State officers.
The annual interest thereon is collected and distributed to the several counties composing the State. The reader should bear in mind that the "State school fund" and the "University or seminary fund " are principals or capital, and that the interest and proceeds of these funds are "State school money."
COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOL FUND.
This fund consists of the accumulations in the county treas- ury of " the net proceeds from the sale of estrays; also the clear proceeds of all penalties and forfeitures, and of all fines collected in the several counties for any breach of the penal or military laws of this State; and of moneys which shall be paid by per- sons as an equivalent for exemption from military duty." A por- tion of the proceeds arising from the sale of the " swamp or overflowed lands" also augment this fund. [See Public Lands elsewhere in this work. ] But as Lincoln County failed to select her swamp and overflowed lands, and receive them from the Gen- eral Government, no part of her "county public school fund "
470
STATE OF MISSOURI.
came from that source, and this failure accounts in a great meas- ure for the small amount of this fund now controlled by the county, which is $8,560.47.
RECAPITULATION OF SCHOOL FUNDS.
The entire amount of the school funds of Missouri, including that controlled both by State and county officers, as shown by the last report of the State superintendent of public schools, is as follows:
State school fund $3,135,906 74
University or seminary fund 519,095 08
County public school fund 3,386,201 66
Township public school fund. 3,331,490 74
Special public school fund 68,734 99
Fines, penalties, forfeitures, etc.
120.525 05
Total school fund of Missouri $10,561,954 26
The State funds can be increased only by "grant, gift, or devise," notary fees or appropriations by the General Assembly.
The county public school fund is annually increased by the " net proceeds of fines, penalties, forfeitures, and sale of estrays."
The township public school fund can only be increased by the sale of school lands remaining unsold.
Special funds are such as have been secured by grant, gift, devise or special legislation to school districts.
The following is a recapitulation of the permanent school funds of Lincoln County:
Township school fund $24,504 84
County school fund. 8,560 47
Total. $33.065 31
This amount is loaned under the supervision of the county court, some at 8 per cent, and some at 10 per cent.
The following is a statement of the receipts and expenditures of school moneys in Lincoln County for the school year com- mencing July 1, 1887, and ending June 30, 1888:
RECEIPTS.
Interest from State school funds. $ 5,435 50
Interest from county fund. 1,687 13
471
HISTORY OF LINCOLN COUNTY.
Interest from township fund. 1,942 38
From tax on railroads. 1,188 36
From direct taxation. 15,271 39
Total receipts during the year $25,524 76
Add amount on hand July 1, 1887. 5,735 66
Amount for distribution.
31,260 42
Total expenditures during the year
24,372 67
Balance on hand July 1, 1888.
$ 6,887 75
The State school law was radically changed soon after the close of the Civil War, an almost entirely new system being in- augurated, and it has been changed and improved from time to time until the present efficient educational system has become established. During the existence of slavery there were no schools for the benefit of the children of the colored people, nor were they allowed in any way to become educated. But those times have passed away, and the curse of slavery is no longer a blot on America's free soil. A revolution has taken place, and now the children of all classes, rich or poor, white or black, are provided with free public schools. The law of Missouri makes the following provision for the establishment of schools for col- ored children:
SEC. 7052, General School Law. "Boards of education and the trustees and directors of schools, or other officers having authority in the premises, in each city, incorporated village or district, shall be and they are hereby authorized and required to establish, within their respective jurisdictions, one or more sep- arate schools for colored children, when the whole number, by enumeration, exceeds fifteen, so as to afford them the advantages and privileges of a common school education, and all such schools so established for colored children shall be under the control and management of the board of education or other school officers, who have in charge the educational interest of the other schools. But in case the average number of colored children in attendance shall be less than ten for any one month, it shall be the duty of said board of education or other school officers to discontinue said school or schools for any period not exceeding six months at any one time; and if the number of colored children shall be less than ten the board of education shall reserve the money raised
472
STATE OF MISSOURI.
on the number of said colored children, and the money so reserved shall be appropriated, as they may deem proper, for the education of such colored children. In all other respects the terms and advantages of said schools shall be equal to others of the same grade in their respective districts, cities and villages: provided, that when the number of colored children in any district shall be less than sixteen, they shall have the privilege of attending school in any district in the township where a school is main- tained for colored children, and the board of directors of the dis- triet in which such children are enumerated shall transfer to the credit of the teachers' fund of the district in which such chil- dren may have attended school, an amount equal to the pro rata expense of such attendance, the same to be pro-rated according to the amount paid for teacher's wages during such school term." The law further provides for the establishment of joint schools for the colored children in two or more adjoin- ing districts when their combined number is sufficient. To show the practical working of the school system in Lincoln County the following statistics are taken from the last published report of the State superintendent of public schools, it being for the school year ending June 30, 1887:
Scholastic Population .- White: male, 2,738; female, 2,559; total, 5,297. Colored: male, 374; female, 350; total, 724. Total white and black, 6,021.
Number Enrolled in the Schools .- White: males, 2,054; females, 1,739; total, 3,793. Colored: males, 153; females, 159; total, 312. Total white and black, 4,105. Average days attend- ance, 61.
Number of colored schools. 9
Number of white schools .. 91
Number of rooms occupied. 100
Seating capacity 4,906
Number of teachers employed. 109
Value of school property . $39,445 00
Average salary of teachers per month 32 14
Paid for repairs and rent 693 19
Paid for sites, building and furnishing.
730 45
Paid for district clerks 478 15
Paid for incidentals. 2,776 80
Paid teachers 19,783 75
473
HISTORY OF LINCOLN COUNTY.
By reference to the scholastic population and the number enrolled in the public schools, it will be seen that between seventy-one and seventy-two per cent of the white children enumerated in the county attend the public schools, and that only a fraction over forty-three per cent of the colored children enumerated attend the public schools. The reason for the small percentage of colored children attending the public schools is because many of them reside too far from the colored schools to attend them.
CHAPTER XV.
ECCLESIASTICAL.
As mentioned elsewhere the date of organized efforts in be- half of church organizations in Lincoln County is closely allied to the early settlement of the country. In these worthy move- ments pioneer ministers bore an important part.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.