USA > New Hampshire > Merrimack County > Concord > History of Concord, New Hampshire, from the original grant in seventeen hundred and twenty-five to the opening of the twentieth century, Volume II > Part 60
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 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74 | Part 75 | Part 76 | Part 77 | Part 78 | Part 79 | Part 80 | Part 81 | Part 82
Progress in discipline was constant from year to year, but the improvement was distressingly slow. One of the causes of complaint which was continuous up to the middle of the fifth decade, and which gave the committee great concern, was a lack of decorum, which Dr. Bouton, always charitably disposed, was wont to charac- terize as " a want of subordination." There were no " sleepy " days, but a constant tendency, almost uncontrollable, on the part of many pupils .of all ages to indulge in mischievous pranks in the school- room. These were of great variety and practised with a frequency that was exasperating. Whispering, talking aloud in a low tone of voice, and smothered laughter were always epidemic. Bent pins and tacks, or steel pen points with the sharp ends pointing upward, were often placed in the seats of staid and sober boys, and when some unfortunate unthinkingly sat down upon them and with a sud- den cry of pain gave evidence of distress, the thoughtless perpetra- tors were apt to exhibit only snickering manifestations of pleasure. Another favorite but less harmful misdemeanor was the throwing of spit-balls of soft paper made juicy by thorough mastication and moist enough to adhere to whatever substance they came in contact with. Many of the boys, and occasionally fun-loving girls, equally profi- cient in the sport, were able with the thumb and forefinger to flip these highly pulpous pellets with an accuracy of aim that was marvelous, and woe betide the unfortunate schoolmate a little dis-
1248
HISTORY OF CONCORD.
tance off whose rosy cheek offered the tempting target. When other inviting objects of attack were not in range, or less available for a mark, the " unvaulted ceiling " of the little temple was the recipient of these illy-bestowed favors, and in many school-rooms of less than fifty years ago, the latter had suffered such general and continuous bombardment that, in the words of Noah Brooks, "it resembled a stuccoed space irregularly embossed with half-round rosettes of plaster."
The following is a partial list of teachers, together with the num- ber of the districts in which they were employed, between 1826 and 1850:
1826-'27. District No. 1, Cyrus Chadwick, teacher, 70 pupils. No. 2, Amos Whittemore, 27. No. 3, Jolin Jarvis, 60. No. 4, Nathan K. Abbot, 37. No. 5, Ezra Ballard, 27. No. 6, Henry E. Rogers. No. 7, Anna Cheever, 36. No. 8, Mary Ann Sherburne, 40. No. 9, Ira Rowell, 55. No. 10, Joseph Robinson, 107. No. 11, Mrs. Sarah Martin, 35. Danicl Pillsbury, 40. No. 12, Clement Long, 44. No. 13, Simeon B. Foster, 60. No. 14, William H. Foster, 56. No. 15, Ann Moul- ton, 30. No. 16, Ira Rowell, 23. No. 17, John Mills, 22. No. 18, Albert Baker, 32. No. 19, James Moulton, 55. No. 20, Adams Foster, 58.
1828. District No. 1, Henry Fisk. 2, Ira Rowell. 3, James J. Walworth. 4, Nathan K. Abbot. 5, Charles Robinson. 6, Ebenezer H. Cressy. 7, Daniel S. Parker. 8, Ezra Ballard. 9, Benjamin Ober. 10, Dudley S. Palmer. 11, Joseph Robinson, Mrs. Sarah Martin. 12, James Moulton, Jr. 13, Danicl Durgin. 14, Joseph W. Gale. 15, Adams Foster. 16, N. K. Abbot. 17, Charles Robinson. 18, HI. E. Rogers. 19, Chandler E. Potter. 20, John Jarvis. In the latter district about three fourths of the number were from Boscawen.
1829. Districts Nos. 1 and 2, Henry Fisk. 3, Jeremiah Hall. 4, N. K. Abbot, 5, Ira Rowell. 6, Edmund E. Smith. 7, Mrs. Ann Garmon. 8, Ezra Ballard. 9, Solon Stark. 10, James Moulton. 11, Joseph Robinson, Mrs. Sarah Martin. 12, E. H. Cressy. 13, Ebenezer Cole. 14, Jolin Blake. 15, Charles Robinson, Israel E. Carter. 16, Allen Baker. 18, Joseph Hazeltine, Jr. 19, Mr. Woodbury. 20, John Jarvis.
1830. Summer schools. Districts Nos. 1 and 2, Miss Chandler. 3, Miss Darrah. 4, Miss Fisk. 5 and 14, Miss Ballard. 7, Miss Corliss. 8, Miss Mills. 9, Miss Hutchins. 10, Misses Parker and Prichard. 11, Mrs. Martin. 12, Miss Moulton. 13, Miss Burpee. 15, Miss Clough. 16, no school. 17, Mrs. Garmon. 18, Miss Fanny Putney. 19, Miss Eastman. 20, Miss Cofran.
1830. Winter schools. District No. 1, Arthur M. Foster. 2, George Abbot. 3, Ira Rowell. 4, Mr. Story. 5, E. E. Smith. 6, James M. Putney. 7, E. Ballard. 8, Joseph Hazeltine. 9, Peabody A. Morse. 10, James Moulton. 11, Jeremialı Hall. 12, E. H. Cressy. 13, Francis W. Ames, Elizabeth Cofran. 14, Mr. Fowler. 15, Adams Foster. 16, Mr. Thompson. 17, Luther J. Fitch. 18, N. K. Abbot. 19, Moses C. Green. 20, Jolın Jarvis.
1831. Winter schools. District No. 1, Harvey Atkinson. 2, Jacob E. Chase. 3, Jolın Jarvis. 4, Isaac Story. 5, Edmund Smith. 6, William II. Long. 7 and 8, Arthur Fletcher. 9, Ira Rowell. 10, James Moulton. 11, Edwin D. Sanborn. 12, Adams Foster. 13, C. E. Potter. 14, Simon Fowler. 15, Israel Carter. 16, Alexander Thompson. 18, N. K. Abbot, Susan D. Chandler. 19, Jolin Neally. 20, Henry Fisk.
1833. District No. 4, Jolin L. Dudley, Lucretia Farnum. 18, N. C. Coffin (two dollars and seventy-five cents per week), Judith Chandler (one dollar per week).
1834. District No. 1, John Jarvis. 2 and 4, Simeon Abbot. 4, Lucretia Farnum. 3, J. Story. 5, A. C. IIeaton. 6, Mr. Mills. 7, E. Clough. 8, N. K. Abbot. 9,
1249
SCHOOLS, PUBLIC AND PRIVATE.
William H. Smart. 10, A. Fletcher. 11, Mr. Blackmer. 12, M. T. Clough. 13, B. Martin. 14, A. F. Bradley. 15, T. H. Whidden. 16, A. Thompson. 17, Mr. Fitch. 18, N. C. Coffin. 19, Mr. Sanborn. 20, J. Morrill. 21, Mr. Ayers.
1835. District No. 1, Calvin Thorn. 3, William H. Smart. 4, George Abbot. 5, Randall F. Hoyt. 6, Alonzo C. Chadwick. 7, N. K. Abbot. 8, A. C. Chadwick. 9, Jonas D. Sleeper. 10, Moses T. Clough. 11, James Moulton, Jr., Moody Cur- rier. 12, John Jarvis. 13, William H. Foster. 14, Francis C. Noyes. 15, Anson W. Brown. 16, Alexander Thompson. 17, Luther Fitch. 18, Stephen S. N. Gree- ley, Maria Chandler. 19, Edward Langmaid. 20, Simeon Abbot. 21, William S. Young, Judith Chandler. 23, James Richardson.
1836. District No. 1, Jane W. Buswell. 2, Mr. French. 3, Leonard Tenney. 4, James Richardson, Jane W. Buswell. 5, Enoch P. Rowell. 6, Joseph K. George. 7, N. K. Abbot. S, Nathan Ballard, Jr. 9, A. H. Robinson. 10, Moses H. Clough, Susan Eaton. 11, James Moulton, Jr., Mrs. Elizabeth C. George. 12, Joseph Baker. 13, William H. Foster. 14, John E. Thompson. 15, True Brown. 17, William H. Smart. 18, William H. Smart, C. Ballard. 19, Mr. Locke. 20, Joseph Morrill. 21, Mr. Harper. 23, Albert B. Harvey.
1837. District No. 18, Charles Holt, William P. Hill, Susan W. Call.
1838. District No. 1 (West end), George Abbot. 2, B. Couch. 3, David Cross, Jr. 4, N. K. Abbot. 5, M. Chamberlain, Jr. 6, Miss C. Ballard. 7, Miss S. Da- vis. S and 9, William H. Smart. 10, Henry L. Low, Miss E. C. Cogswell, Miss C. Bailey, Miss Gould. 11, James Moulton, Jr. 12, D. P. Rowe. 13, B. Hines. 14, W. H. Farrar, John Renton, 18, William P. Hill. 19, True Brown. 20, - Dana. 21, Thomas Whidden. 23, John McAlpine.
1839. District No. 4. Alonzo Patterson, Sarah J. Farnum. 18, John Renton, Sarah E. Corliss.
1840. Summer schools. District No. 1, Hannah Buswell. 2, Mary Brown. 3, Jane W. Buswell. 4, Deborah Rolfe. 5, Sarah I. Farnum. 6, no school. 7, Susan D. Sleeper. 8, Susan W. Call. 9, Mary A. Burgin, Sarah Foster, M. H. Clough. 10, Misses Lang, Page, and Ayer, and James Moulton, Jr. 11, Mrs. E. M. George. 12, Sarah Eastman. 13, Miss Ames. 15, Mary E. Virgin. 16, Sarah Dearborn. 17, Anna D. Sargent. 18, Sarah E. Corliss, Elizabetli H. Wilson, Moses W. Kimball. 19, Maria Chandler. 20, no school. 21, Anna Moulton. 23, M. H. C. Sargent. 24, Harriet Potter.
1840. Winter schools. District No. 1, Moses Whittier. 2, George W. Dustin. 3, Thomas L. Whidden. 4, Moses Woolson. 5, I. H. Hiland. 6, Clarissa Ballard. 7, Joseph B. Smart. 8, Susan W. Call. 9, William C. Foster. 10, Moses H. Clough, M. C. Lang, and E. Page. 11, James Moulton, Mrs. E. K. George. 12, N. K. Abbot. 13, Samuel Tallant, Jr. 14, True Brown. 15, A. H. Kent. 16, Alexander Thompson. 17, Trueworthy L. Fowler. 18, Moses W. Kimball. 19, Charles East- man. 20 and 21, Henry Rolfe, Jr. 22, Samuel S. Page. 23, Alonzo Patterson. 24, no school.
1841. Winter schools. District No. 1, George W. Burbank. 2, Miss Irene Dow- lin. 3, John A. Holmes, John Jarvis. 4, Timothy Colby, Jr. 5, Charles East- man, Mr. Knowlton. 6, Miss Clarissa Ballard. 7, Philip H. Emerson, N. K. Abbot. 8, N. K. Abbot. 9, Daniel Foster, William C. Foster, Miss Puffer. 10, Moses H. Clough, William C. Foster, Leonard W. Peabody, Miss E. B. Ballard, Miss H. H. Morse. 11, James Richardson, Louisa Kelley. 12, James Moulton, Jr. 13, Moses Chamberlain, Jr. 14, Edward B. West. 15, Charles Eastman. 16 and 17, no re- port. 18, Moses or Luther C. Cutchins, Elizabeth II. Wilson. 19, True Brown. 20, William Chandler. 21, D. W. Clough, James Stiles. 22, Mr. Fuller. 23, Moses Kelley.
1842. Summer schools. District No. 1, Miss Flanders. 2, Miss Fowler. 3, Miss Kilburn. 4, Miss Hoyt. 5, Miss Darling. 7, Miss Merrill. 8, Miss Shutc. 9, Misses Puffer and Foster. 10, Mr. Towne, Misses Morse, Page, and Sawyer. 11, Misses Kelley and Stanwood. 12, Miss Chandler. 13, Miss Chamberlain. 14, Miss Virgin. 15, Miss Adams. 16, Miss Tilton. 17, Miss Bailey. 18, Elizabeth H. Wilson. 19, Miss Eastman. 21, Miss Jenness. 23, Miss Sergeant. 24, Miss Alex- ander.
-
1250
HISTORY OF CONCORD.
1842. Winter schools. District No. 1, Moses Whittier. 2, Enoch F. Scales. 3, James Moulton, Jr. 4, Alpheus C. Locke. 5, John Jarvis. 6, George A. Blanch- ard. 7, Stephen Sargent. 8, N. K. Abbot. 9, L. J. Fitch. 10, John Towne. 11, Joseph W. Tarleton, Miss L. Kelly. 12, True Brown. 13, Henry Rolfe, Jr. 14, N. B. Bryant. 15, Jolin O. Frenchi. 16, Alexander Thompson. 17, George B .. Barrows. 18, Josiah Stevens, 3d. 19, T. W. Tilden. 20, William P. Chandler. 21, C. E. Potter. 22, Enoch Long. 23, George Bradley. 24, no winter school.
1843. Summer schools. District No. 1, Jane W. Buswell. 2, Miss Brown. 3, Susan Dow. 4, Martha J. Hoyt. 5, Frances R. French. 6, Jane Burnham. 7, P. M. Farnum. 8, Lucretia Shute. 9, Miss Patten, Miss Prescott. 10, Mary J. Bailey, Maria Chandler, Emeline Page. 11, Almira M. Wilcox, Louisa L. Kelley. 12, Ann Moulton. 13, Elizabeth W. Dow. 14, Mary E. Virgin. 15, Hannah Batchelder. 16, Sarah C. Moore. 17, Emma S. Smart. 18, Elizabetlı H. Wilson. 19, Caroline E. D. Virgin. 20 and 21, no school. 22, no report. 23, Miss Dan- forth. 24, Miss Alexander.
1843. Winter schools. District No. 1, Hannah Danforth. 2, Henry Rolfe, Jr. 3, John Jarvis. 4, Moody B. Smith. 5, William C. Curry. 6, Edward B. West. 7, Stephen Sargent. 8, N. K. Abbot. 9, George W. Shackford, Emily J. Burnham. 10, James Moulton, Jr., Misses Bailey and French. 11, James Richardson, Louisa L. Kelley. 12, True Brown. 13, C. E. Potter, Mr. Kimball. 14, George Bradley. 15, Jolın O. French, Mr. Shepherd. 16, William Thompson. 17, no report. 18, Moses W. Kimball. 19, Jonathan Curtis. 20, Charles K. Eastman. 21, Jeremialı Clough, Jr. 22 and 24, no report. 23, Walter G. Curtis.
1844. Summer schools. District No. 1, Hannah Danforth. 2, Sally Flint. 3, Mary Brown. 4, Hannah Buswell. 5, Miss Colby. 7, Alzira Allen. 8, Lucretia Shute. 9, Misses Arey and Emily J. Burnham. 10, George W. Shackford, A. D. Allen, Nancy W. Arey, Phebe M. Farnum, Louisa J. McAllaster, Betsey M. Kelley. 11, Lonisa L. Kelley, Maria Chandler. 12 and 19 (Union school), Ann Moulton. 13, Eliza W. Dow. 14, Caroline E. D. Virgin. 15, Miss Wheeler. 16, Eliza Robertson. 18, Misses Wilson and C. E. D. Virgin. 21, Ruth E. Hoit. 23, Ifannah S. Danforth. 24, Ann M. Elliot.
1844. Winter schools. District No. 1, Marshall Colby. 2, William P. Chand- ler. 3, John Jarvis. 4, William P. Chandler. 5, Cyrus A. Eastman. 6, David L. Morrill. 7, Jonathan Dodge. 8, D. C. Allen. 9, Emily J. Burnham, Edward B. West. 10, Josiah Stevens, Jr., Nancy W. Arey, Betsey M. Kelley. 11, Joseph Richardson, Louisa L. Kelley. 12, James Moulton, Jr. 13, Sylvester D. Hun- toon. 14, John Kelley. 15, Jeremiah T. Clough. 18, N. K. Abbot. 19, John M. Pitman, C. E. Potter. 20, Henry Rolfe, Jr. 21, J. T. Clough. 23, John Jarvis. 25, George Abbot.
1845. Summer schools. District No. 2, Mary S. Fowler. 3, Eliza Whipple. 4, Susan Dow. 5, Eliza J. Abbot. 6, no school. 7, Miss Knowlton. 8, Ann Roby. 9, Catherine W. Arey, Mary J. Prescott. 10, Josiah Stevens, H. E. Eastman, Nancy W. Arey, Carolinc E. Carter, Miss Ballard, Catherine W. Arey. 11, Emily Pillsbury, Louisa L. Kelley, Priscilla II. Kimball. 12, Mary Cogswell. 13, Eliz. W. Dow. 14, Hannah Batchelder. 15, D. D. Wheeler. 16, Eliza Robertson. 18, C. E. D. Virgin, Miss Emery. 19, Mary Lyford. 20, Ruth A. Gitchell. 21, Ruth E. Hoit. 23, Miss Eastman. 24, Louisa J. McAllaster.
1845. Winter schools. District No. 1, Hannah S. Danforth. 2, Samuel H. Folsom. 3, James Moulton, Jr. 4, Abial Rolfc, Mrs. B. Hoit. 5, N. K. Abbot. 6, S. L. F. Simpson. 7, John C. Brown. 8, Josiah Stevens, Jr. 9, Sidney Webster, Mary J. Prescott. 10, Josiah Stevens, Francis M. Stevens, John K. Cate, Frances R. French, Caroline E. Carter. 11, John Towne, Emily Pillsbury. 12, Jolin Jarvis. 13, William P. Chandler. 14, John N. Tilton. 15, C. A. Brown. 16, no school. 18, William C. Gould. 19, Lafayette Forrest. 20, Samuel Folsom. 21, Gilman C. Stone. 23, John Jarvis. 24, George Renton. 25, Betsey Hoit.
1846. Winter schools. District No. 1, Hannah S. Danforth. 2, William P. Chandler. 3, James Moulton, Jr. 4, Abial Rolfe, Susan Dow. 5, Ezra W. Abbot. 6. N. K. Abbot. 7, John C. Brown. 8, Josiah Stevens, Jr. 9, Stephen Chase,
.
1251
SCHOOLS, PUBLIC AND PRIVATE.
Frances R. French. 10, J. T. Clough, Misses Osgood, Allison, and Carter. 11, D. Foster, Emily Pillsbury. 12, Lafayette Forrest. 13, Benjamin B. Smith. 14, John Patrick. 15, B. F. Tallant. 16. Thompson Rowell. 17, C. G. Hathorn. Josiah Stevens, Jr. 18, S. L. F. Simpson. 19, G. W. Chapman. 20, Amos F. Morse. 21, James F. Tucker, Gilman C. Stone. 23, N. Sherman Bouton. 24, Augustus Leavitt. 25, Betsey Hoit.
1847. Summer schools. District No. 2, Betsey D. Hoit. 3, Catherine W. Arey. 4, Hannah S. Danforth. 6, Elizabeth R. Bouton. 7, Harriet Sargent. S, Lovina D. Smith. 9, Laura A. L. Osgood, Frances R. French. 10, Martha J. Page, Mary F. Russell, Frances R. French, Misses Allison and White. 11, Sarah C. French, Anna Roby. 12, R. Elizabeth Hoit. 13, P. M. Farnum. 14, Mary E. Robinson. 15, Nancy A. Brown. 16, Frances Leavitt. 18, Lucinda Morrison, Elizabeth H. Abbot. 19, Caroline W. Morrill. 20, Eliza C. Holmes. 24, Mary A. Rolfe.
1847. Winter schools. District No. 1, Hannah C. Kittredge. 2, Nathan Lufkin. 3, Francis B. Sawyer. 4, N. K. Abbot. 5, Albert Abbot. 6, Elizabeth R. Bouton. 8, James Moulton, Jr. 9, Stephen Chase, J. Stevens, Jr., E. J. Burnham. 10, Jefferson Noyes, Martha J. Page, Frances R. French, Mary Ann Allison, Hall Roberts, Sarah P. White. 11, Davis Foster, Anna Roby. 12, B. F. Tallant. 13, John Q. A. Batchelder. 14, G. O. Taylor. 15, H. M. Shepard. 16, Edward Gould. 18, Elisha A. Spaulding. 19, E. L. Sargent. 20, Abial Rolfe. 21, William H. Foster. 22, W. F. Harvey. 23, Joseph Clough, Jr. 24, Jolin Jarvis. 25, Hannah S. Danfortlı.
1848. District No. 4, George Abbot, Sarah P. Carter. 18, E. A. Spaulding, Mary F. Leavitt, Mary B. Veasey.
1849. Summer schools. District No. 18, Mary B. Veasey, Helen M. Stark.
1849-'50. Summer schools. District No. 1, Eliza Dimond. 2, Miss M. J. Fowler. 3, Misses A. B. Dow, Lovina D. Smith. 4, Mrs. D. Hough, Ruth P. Sargent. 6, Sarah C. Atwood. 7, Sarah P. Carter. 8, Ann E. Webster. 9, Rachel Patten, Hannah Bell. 10, Ann E. Page, Mary W. Chickering, Pamelia A. Chapman, S. L. Seavey, Martha J. Page, Mary Ann Allison. 11, Ann Roby, Susan R. Moulton, Miss G. H. Wadleigh. 12, Miss M. C. Clough. 13, Hannah H. Smart. 14, Ellen Morrill. 15, Clara F. Potter. 16, Rhoda F. Shute. 18, Helen M. Stark, Ruth F. Seavey. 19, Mary A. Morrill. 20, Myra C. McQuestion, Harriet R. Chandler, Charlotte A. Clement. 21, Hannah A. Ames. 22, Martha J. Ricli- ardson.
1849-'50. Winter schools. District No. 1, Thomas Montgomery, Reuben Mor- rill. 2, Calvin Morse. 3, Misses Dow and Brown. 4, Albert Abbot. 5, Samuel G. Lane. 6, Theodore French, Jr. 7, Thomas S. French, C. G. Hathorn. 8, L. J. Fitch. 9, Joseph C. Abbot. 10, R. W. Mason, Louisa C. Foster, Martha Eaton. 11, John B. Garland, Gilbert Wadleigh. 12, Ashley C. Morrill. 13, William H. Foster. 14, George S. Bradley. 15, Mr. Adams. 18, Nathaniel M. Cook. 19, Joseph Clough, Jr. 20, Harvey A. Page. 21, S. B. Moore. 22, George T. Sanborn.
District No. 10 was organized under the Somersworth Act in 1850, with Moses T. Willard, George G. Fogg, Edward H. Parker, and Charles P. Gage, superintending committee. Schools were kept three terms, making in all thirty-five weeks. Ten teachers were employed, with more than five hundred pupils in that district alone. The high school was under the direction of William F. Goodwin, assisted by Miss Elizabeth H. Allison, while Miss Sarah J. Sanborn taught the grammar school. Mr. Goodwin was a man of strong personality, a little high-tempered and " set in his ways," but a thorough scholar and an excellent instructor,-one of the best. He taught here until the summer of 1852, when he entered Harvard Law school, from
1252
HISTORY OF CONCORD.
which he graduated in 1854, and opened an office in this town. Miss Allison, a sister of the late Deacon William H. Allison, was a woman of great loveliness of character and a superior teacher. Her approv- ing smile when lessons were well learned was a constant incentive for good work and like a perpetual benediction in its lasting influence for good with her pupils. She afterward became the wife of the late Rev. Dr. C. W. Wallace of Manchester, and is still living in that city.
Samuel P. Jennison was the next principal, 1852-'54. He was a man of good ability, and received very favorable mention from the committee, who seldom visited the school. He possessed much dra- matic talent and elocutionary powers of a high order. Saturday forenoon, in those days, was given up to the reading of compositions, declamations, and the study of Shakespeare. Mr. Jennison's frequent rendering of the masterpieces of the immortal bard furnished an intellectual feast, the recollection of which still lingers in the memory of his living pupils.
Increase in population created a need of additional school accom- modations. One primary school was kept in the Advent meeting- house in 1850, and another in the vestry of the Free Will Baptist church. In 1851, district No. 9 erected a new schoolhouse of two rooms, on Myrtle street, and in 1852, two additional wooden build- ings of one story each were built in No. 10, one on the east side of Union and the other on the west side of Spring street. Each con- tained two rooms, which in 1862 were enlarged by the addition of ten feet to the length of each room. Both of these buildings are still in use; the former is occupied for a sewing school, and the other as a school for manual training. A new schoolhouse was built in district No. 19, East Concord, above the church, the same year, which the committee reported to be a model. "The school-room is spacious and convenient; cach scholar has a chair with a single desk, and all face the master. Excellent provision for ventilation is had by letting down the windows from the top." Miss Mary Emery was the last teacher in the old house, and E. Ransom the first to preside in the new building. In 1854 two other new buildings were completed and occupied in districts Nos. 2 and 14, the former of brick.
William W. Bailey of Hopkinton (Dartmouth, 1854) kept the high school for two terms in the latter year, when he resigned to engage in the study of law with George & Foster of this city. He was admitted to practice and settled in Nashua, where he became prominent in his profession, and died in 1899. Nathan F. Carter of Henniker (Dartmouth, 1853), a thorough and accurate scholar, kept the balance of the school year-December, 1854, to March, 1855- assisted by Miss Louisa C. Weeks. He afterward entered the min-
.
1253
SCHOOLS, PUBLIC AND PRIVATE.
istry and was a preacher for many years. He is now the librarian of the New Hampshire Historical society.
Union School District was established in 1855 by a consolidation of the three central districts,-Nos. 9, 10, and 11. A city ordinance authorizing the alliance was passed February 24, and ratified by dis- trict No. 10, February 17, district No. 11, February 22, and district No. 9, March 29, of that year. In board of mayor and aldermen, April 2, 1855, Asa Fowler, Jeremiah S. Noyes, and Paltiah Brown were appointed prudential committee, and Jefferson Noyes, clerk. At a meeting of the district held April 12, it was voted to adopt the "Somersworth Act " and ask the legislature for such an amendment of the latter as will permit a superintending committee of three per- sons only, and that Joseph Low, Asa McFarland, and Edward H. Rollins be a committee to take conveyance of the schoolhouses and other property heretofore belonging to districts 9, 10, and 11, which was subsequently conveyed to the new district.
In 1856 new schoolhouses were built in districts Nos. 1, 4, and 18, and many of the school-rooms were supplied with globes for the first time.
Simeon D. Farnsworth of Walden, Vt. (Dartmouth, 1854), had charge of the high school from the fall of 1855 to the spring of 1857. He married a daughter of Deacon John Eastman of East Concord. He was afterward editor of the Manchester American, then a merchant in that city, and later still a major and paymaster of volunteers in the army. He was a very popular teacher, and was presented with a gold watch and chain by members of his school assembled in Stick- ney's hall, March 3, 1857. He died at Prairie du Chien, Wis., 1868, aged forty-one years. His assistants were Miss E. A. Dunn and Miss Clara Palmer.
Joseph B. Clark of Gilford, and later principal of Wolfeborough academy, taught the spring term of 1857. He afterward practised law in Manchester, enlisted in the Eleventh regiment, New Hamp- shire volunteers, in 1862, was appointed captain of Company H in 1863, and was severely wounded-losing an arm-in the battle of the Wilderness, in 1864. Mr. Clark was elected mayor of Manches- ter in 1867, and held various offices until his death in that city, October 22, 1887.
The following are the names of a few of the carly teachers who afterward became well known and more or less prominent either in Concord or elsewhere :
Arthur Fletcher,1 who taught the school in districts Nos. 7 and 8 in 1830-'31. William H. Long,1 No. 6, 1830-'31. Dr. William H. Smart,1 district No. 9, South
1 Deceased.
1254
HISTORY OF CONCORD.
end, 1833-'34. Dr. A. H. Robinson,1 South end, 1835-'36. Moody Currier, 1 North end, 1834-'35. Wm. Pickering Hill,1 No. 18 (Iron Works), 1836-'37. Mellen Chamberlain 1 (afterward for many years librarian of the public library, Boston, Mass.), district No. 5, 1837-'28, and No. 13, 1840. David Cross of Manchester, No. 3, West village, 1837-'38. Moses Woolson,1 district No. 4, 1839-'40. James W. Patterson 1 (afterward United States senator), East village, about 1840. Dr. Leon- ard W. Peabody 1 of Henniker, No. 9, 1840-'41. N. B. Bryant,1 district No. 14, 1841-'42. Daniel C. Allen (afterward superintendent of schools), No. 8, 1843. Judge Chandler E. Potter 1 of Manchester, Nos. 22, 13, 19, 1841-'44. Dr. S. L. F. Simpson,1 No. 6, 1844-'45, and No. 18, 1845-'46. N. S. Bouton of Chicago, No. 23, 1845-'46. Samuel G. Lane, No. 5, 1849-'50. J. Eastman Pecker, East village, 1857-'58.
The high school was reorganized in 1857, a more advanced course of study prescribed, and a higher standard of preparation required for admission. Then, for the first time, did it become a real high school. In compliance with a request in a petition signed by Dr. Timothy Haines and others, a course of instruction in the natural sciences was established, and a beginning made in the purchase of necessary apparatus.
Henry Edmund Sawyer (Dartmouth, 1851), of Henniker, who had been principal of Francestown academy and of the high school at Great Falls, was installed as the first principal of the reorganized school, with Misses Dunn and Palmer continuing as assistants. The school numbered from cighty to one hundred pupils, and under Mr. Sawyer became very popular. Its friends began to think that it deserved better accommodations, and an effort was made the same year to obtain a more modern building. This attempt led to a spirited controversy not fully settled until the spring of 1858. "The original proposal," says Joseph B. Walker, " was urged with great ability, but the discussion soon developed a fear that the interests of the high school were being advanced somewhat to the neglect of those of lower grades, and a proposi- tion to build two new brick grammar schoolhouses, one at each end of the city, was at the last carried by acclamation." In accordance with this action, instead of the building asked for, three new houses, Merrimack School. the Merrimack, on Washington street, the Rumford, between Monroe and Thorndike streets, now replaced by a new cight-room building, and the Eleven Lots, grammar and primary school buildings, were erected that year. Shadrach Seavey, William M. Carter, A. B. Holt, Dr. E. G. Moore, and John C. Briggs were the
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.