USA > New Hampshire > Hillsborough County > Wilton > History of the town of Wilton, Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, with a genealogical register > Part 14
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144
HISTORY OF WILTON.
read at the opening of the school. either by the teacher or the pupils, one or both. It is optional with the teacher to offer a prayer or not. But no sectarian views of religion are taught, only those principles which are common to all denominations of Christians.
TEACHERS.
Miss Dale, eldest daughter of John Dale, the first settler, taught the first school in town, and for some years was the only female teacher. She was succeeded in the course of time by others, both men and women, whose names are too numerous to mention, who have kept unbroken the long and honorable line of educators, and who have tended to preserve the high standard of intelligence and the love of sound learning for which the town has always been noted. The names of Putnam, Abbot, Spalding, Livermore, Das- comb, Burton, Barrett, Beede, Smith, Kimball, Russell, and of many others will occur to our readers as among the school teachers of Wilton either of an earlier or a later day. But of one we can- not forbear to give a longer sketch from the testimony of one of his pupils, contained in the Centennial Address, pages 89 and 90. This teacher was Rev. Thomas Beede, and this scholar was Rev. Warren Burton :
With what profound dread was it that I took my way for the first time to the winter school: for the awful school-master whom I was to meet was no other than the still more awful minister-that great, tall man. dressed in black, who preached and prayed in such solemn tones on the Sabbath. How my heart failed me and how my little frame trembled as I entered the school-house door. But how different was my experience from what I anticipated. That awful man received me with so sweet a smile. and spoke in such tender tones, and in all things treated me and all the rest so gently. that my feelings were at once changed to those of con- fidence and love. Never shall I forget the delightful impressions which this new intercourse made on iny tender mind. Ile. too, fitted me for college, and through all my earlier life my mind received good influences from him. His benignant countenance and gladdening smile will be among the last images that will fade from my remembrance.
He did not go on exactly in the old ways in his capacity as a school- master. He introduced new subjects of attention and excited an uncom- mon interest among his pupils. To him also as an examiner of the schools they owed much.
Mr. Burton is the author of " The Distriet School as It Was," one of the most faithful and graphie pictures of that institution which has ever been written. and which may truly be called a classic of New England life.
K
WARREN BURTON.
145
SCHOOLS.
The first school house in Distriet No. 1 stood at the northeast corner of the common. It was probably built within a few years after the incorporation of the town. It was a very rude and incon- venient structure, having no proper writing desks, but, instead, two large movable tables with long forms for seats. There were no seats with backs except low benches around the walls of the room. This building was burnt about the year 1797. The - school- ma'ams" of those times, as they were always called, wore white muslin caps, either to distinguish them from other young ladies, or to make them have a more dignified appearance. About the year 1795 a young lady came as a teacher from New Ipswich, who had an umbrella, which was quite a curiosity, as there was no other in use in the town. She afterwards married Mr. Aaron Appleton of Keene, and lived to a good old age, an honored Christian woman.
The compensation of teachers in those days is indicated by the following receipt, found among the old papers :
Wilton. March 31, 1792.
I received of Mr. John Dale five Dollars in full Pay for teaching a school one month.
Witness my hand. James Punchard.
Mr. George L. Dascombe, prominent as a school teacher in Wil- ton, gives the following sketch respecting education in town :
" Wilton was first settled in 1739, and was incorporated as a town in 1762. Recognizing the prevailing sentiment of New England respecting the importance of free schools, the grantors of the land constituting the principal part of the township, in order to encour- age settlements, set apart one share, which consisted of two hun- dred and forty acres, for the use of schools. This land was sold before the town had become so fully populated as to render it very valuable, and the proceeds invested as a small fund. the annual in- come of which was appropriated for the purposes for which it was designed.
The first record which we find respecting schools, excepting the locating of the school lots of land, was in 1767. when the town voted to raise six pounds, lawful money, for a school this year, and chose the selectmen a committee to provide said school. For the next ten years about the same amount was annually raised. and the schools were kept in dwelling houses, in different parts of the town, as would best accommodate the inhabitants.
146
HISTORY OF WILTON.
In the midst of the trials and embarrassments of the Revolution the interests of education were not neglected : provision was made every year for the maintenance of schools. From the close of the war till the end of the eighteenth century, a larger sum was appro- priated for schools than for town expenditures, and down to the present time the amount raised for the free education of the chil- dren of the town has always been largely in excess of that required by law.
SCHOOL DISTRICTS.
In 1787 a committee consisting of nine persons divided the town, which comprised twenty-five square miles of territory, into " five dis- tricts for the purpose of building or repairing school houses at the expense of each district." In 1807 the selectmen, by vote of the town, reconstructed the districts and constituted eight, which were thenceforward designated by numbers. Subsequently two addi- tional districts were formed from portions of these, so that the town- ship now contains ten districts, having eleven school houses, con- taining thirteen school rooms.
SCHOOL HOUSES.
The school edifices of the early times seem to have been designed to withstand the vandalism of the boys, rather than to afford com- forts and conveniences for the pupils. They were warmed-so far as they were made warm at all in winter-by huge open fire-places in which green wood was usually burned, and there was no need of any special arrangements for ventilation. The seats and desks were made of plank from an inch and a half to two inches in thick- ness, the dimensions of which. however. were soon materially diminished under the operations of the busy jack-knives of idie scholars.
The first school house of improved construction was built in 1843, in the district of which Rev. Warren Burton, who will be noticed hereafter in this narrative. was a native. The seats in this house consisted of chairs graduated in height and size to correspond with the varying ages of the pupils. and firmly fixed to the floor. Ample space was afforded, means of ventilation were furnished and the house was the first to be warmed by a furnace in the basement. School houses on a similar plan were soon after built at the centre of the town and at East Wilton, the principal village, and those in other districts have been replaced by new ones, or have been remod-
147
TEACHERS.
eled, till, at the present time, there are only two which are not adapted to the purpose for which they were designed, and even these are a decided improvement upon those of fifty years ago.
COURSES OF STUDY AND METHODS OF INSTRUCTION.
One hundred years ago the branches of study were limited to reading, spelling, writing and arithmetic. The methods of instruc- tion even in these were extremely imperfect. The pupils had no text books in arithmetic. The school-master usually-not always -possessed one. He communicated a rule orally to his pupils, who wrote it out in their mannscripts, which generally consisted of a few sheets of coarse paper stitched within a brown paper cover. Then an example under that rule was given, which the scholars solved. and then they copied the operation into their manuscripts below the rule. When a sufficient number of examples had been disposed of, another rule was given, and so on till the mathematical education of the student was completed.
The branches of study now pursued, even in our rural schools, include reading, spelling and defining, penmanship, arithmetic, grammar, including analysis, geography, including physical geog- raphy as a distinct branch, history of the United States, physiol- ogy, algebra, geometry, book-keeping. natural philosophy and sometimes chemistry and botany.
TEACHERS.
Until within the last thirty years school-masters were almost in- variably employed in the winter, and school-mistresses in the sum- mer. If a woman was placed in charge of a winter school she was always one possessing masenline traits. A change has gradually taken place, and at the present time our schools, with very few ex- ceptions, are taught by females.
Many of the teachers, both men and women, who have assisted in forming the intellectual and moral character of successive gener- ations of youth in Wilton have been eminently fitted for their voca- tion. In 1782 an intelligent and public-spirited citizen of the town, convinced that the schools were nearly worthless, hired a student from college to teach during his vacation and invited his neighbors to send their children to the school free of charge.
"This," records the Rev. Abiel Abbot, D. D., a son of the citizen ro- ferred to. " gave a new complexion to the school in the south district : and for a number of years after, qualified teachers, usually students from col- lege, were employed eight weeks in the winter. Soon after the improve-
148
HISTORY OF WILTON.
ment in the south district. some of the other districts followed in the same course. To this impulse. I think, we may impute the advance of Wilton before the neighboring towns in education and good morals."
Among those who at various times taught in the district schools of the town and afterwards became widely known as public men, were Prof. lohn Abbot of Bowdoin College ; Benjamin Abbot, LL. D., for many years principal of Phillips Academy at Exeter, New Hampshire ; Josiah Burge ; Rev. Samuel Barrett, D. D., of Boston ; Rev. Samuel R. Hall, first principal of the Teachers' Sem- inary at Andover, Massachusetts ; and Rev. Warren Burton, author of "The District School as It Was," and in his later years eminent for his labors in the cause of "Home Education." Of these, Mr. Barrett and Mr. Burton received the rudiments of their education in the schools of Wilton.
In 1803 Rev. Thomas Beede was installed as minister of the town and remained in that capacity till 1829. He was a ripe schol- ar, a man of genial manners, and deeply interested in the improve- ment of the young. In addition to his pastoral labors he some- times taught one of the district schools, and also gave instruction to advanced students at his home. His influence in promoting the educational interests of the town was incalculable. A remarkably large number of the young men of Wilton acquired a liberal educa- tion during his ministry.
TEXT BOOKS.
The text books of a century ago, as recorded by one who attend- ed school at that time. were the Bible or Testament, the primer and Dilworth's spelling book. As the wants of the schools have re- quired, new books have been introduced. When improvements have been demanded those improvements have been adopted. But the town has never been given to frequent changes. When a thoroughly good book was in use, it has not been discarded merely because something new has been offered. Adams's Arithmetic, under its successive forms of The Scholars' Arithmetic, Adams's New Arithmetic. Adams's New Arithmetic (Revised Edition) and Adams's Improved Arithmetic, was used for nearly seventy years. and Warren Colburn's Mental Arithmetic for about fifty years. It was in 1875 that these works were superseded.
SUPERVISION OF SCHOOLS.
For more than twenty years before the state made any provision for the supervision of schools, the town of Wilton annually chose
149
PRIVATE SCHOOLS.
some of its best qualified citizens "a committee to inspect the schools." It is worthy of note that our educational interests have always been kept free from any connection with party politics or religious sects. The citizens have left the appointment of superin- tending school committees, since that office was established by the law of the state, to the selectmen ; and those officials, to their hon- or be it recorded, have never seemed to be influenced by partisan feelings in making their selections.
SELECT SCHOOLS.
At various times for seventy-five years past skilful teachers have opened private schools, for one term in a year. which have partaken more or less of the character of high schools. These have been largely instrumental in raising the standard of education in the town. There has been for some time a select school at the princi- pal village continuing through the year, which affords advantages equal to those which are found at respectable academies. This school gives promise of being a permanent institution.
So far Mr. Dascombe. It may be added that Rev. Samnel R. Ilall from Andover Seminary conducted a High school at the Cen- tre for several seasons, which was largely attended. Miss Sarah W. Livermore, also, with Miss Abigail Kimball as assistant, kept a private boarding and day school at her own house for a number of years for pupils of both sexes from abroad and in town.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE TOWN IN RELATION TO SCHOOL MATTERS.
The following petition was addressed to the General Court in June, 1788 :
The petition of us the Subscribers Humbly Sheweth: That a law of this State, entitled an act for the settlement and support of Grammar schools obliges every town of the State. consisting of a hundred families. to maintain yearly a grammar school : and for every month's neglect im- poses a fine of ten Pounds. That the town of Wilton. several years last past. has made peenliar provision for the instruction of its youth. It has employed. from the seat of the Muses. several well accomplished young gentlemen, and some aged experienced gentlemen of literary accomplish- ments, for the space of twenty years last past. And it has expended for a number of years upon schooling eighty-seven pounds, and sometimes it has assessed more, at least a sim sufficient to support here two grammar schools annually.
Apprehending the end of law, in general. to be the interest and hap- piness of its subjects, and the end of the school law. in particular, to be the good education of youth. we presumed a compliance with the spirit of this law would atone for a small deviation from the letter. especially
150
HISTORY OF WILTON.
as this deviation has facilitated the progress of our youth and gratified the wishes of their parents and guardians.
The town of Wilton, with this view of the matter, and from a view of its local situation-mountainons land, long winters, deep snows, inhab- itants seattered, town divided by a rapid stream, rendering a passage to its centre at some seasons of the year inconvenient and impracticable- from a view of publie expenses, the scarcity of specie, the inability of the people to provide necessary schooling in the extreme parts, when obliged to support a grammar school in the centre, our annual expenses for the support of a number of bridges over rapid streams, building a convenient and decent house for public worship, the charge of which is not entirely settled, the importance of the labor of our youth and of their being instructed in agriculture and the manual arts, Voted. to raise money sufficient to support two grannar schools, to divide the town into as many districts as was convenient, and to appoint Committees in each district to see that the money was faithfully improved in the instruction of their youth. This method of education we have found by many years' experience very beneficial. The state of Learning in Wilton sufficiently evinces the expediency of it.
Notwithstanding, one month preceding the general session of the peace in the County of Hillsborough in September last past. being desti- tute of a grammar school. the grand jury found a bill against the select- men, and they were accordingly cited to appear. Though the sessions were convinced we had adopted a more advantageous method of eduea- tion, than we should have practised had we adhered to the letter of the law, yet the penalty of that law being absolute, they could not acquit us or lessen the fine. We therefore pray your Honors for leave to bring in a bill acquitting us from the mulet imposed on us by the general sessions.
Apprehending from experience that the method of education we have adopted might be beneficial to many towns, we beg leave to suggest, with- out presuming to dictate, and with humble deference to your Honors' authority and distinguished abilities, the possibility of advantage to the public by a revisal of the aforesaid law, and as in duty bound will ever pray.
William Abbot, Jr., Selectmen Jonathan Burton. S of Wilton.
TESTIMONY OF MR. BURGE. A TEACHER.
Wilton. June 4, 1788.
I am happy in being able to certify that the youth of Wilton are in general very good readers, writers and cypherers. They are farther ad- vanced in Learning than those of most towns in the county, within the compass of my knowledge, who have maintained grammar schools, and inferior to none with which I am acquainted. I believe I might safely affirm that there is no town in the State, of the same ability. that ean pro- duce so many youth so well qualified for common business, so well ae- complished in all the branches of learning which are essentially useful in every department of Life. as can the town of Wilton.
Josiah Burge.
151
THE FINE REMITTED.
TESTIMONY OF REV. ABEL FISK.
Having made it my annual practice to call the youth together in differ- ent Parts of the Town to advise and instruet them, I have taken Occasion to examine them in respect to the Improvement they have made in Read- ing. and have been highly pleased with the accuracy and Propriety exhib- ited in that Branch of Literature.
I have likewise been present at school when the Children have been ex- amined respecting the Names and Uses of those Stops and Characters that are made use of in the English Language, and they have answered the Questions proposed to Admiration. I have seen their Writing &c. And it appears to me from the Observations I have made that the People of Wilton have paid a particular Attention to the School Education of their Children.
AAbel Fisk.
Wilton, June 4th 1788.
ACTION OF THE GENERAL COURT.
June 9th 1788. A joint Committee, consisting of Mr. Shepherd and Mr. Webster of the Senate, and Mr. Rogers, Mr. Emerson and Mr. Murphy of the House, was raised to consider the petition of the Seleetmen of Wilton and report thereon.
June 120. The Committee reported : That although the town of Wil- ton have not strictly adhered to the letter of the law, yet it appears to vonr eounnittee, that they have been at great expense for the education of their youths, and that it is the opinion of the committee that the fine be remitted, and that they have leave to bring in a bill accordingly : Signed. Amos Shepherd for the committee. Which report being read and considered. Voted, that it be received and accepted.
We pass now to a much later period and make extracts from the Report of the Board of Education of the town, for the year ending March 1, 1887 :
The Legislature of 1885 passed a school law, which effected a radical change in the management of our educational institutions. The distriet system was superseded by the establishment of the town system. subjeet to the direction and control of a Board of Education.
At the first annual meeting of the district. called in pursuance of the recently enacted school law, and held March 2, 1886, Mr. Philander Ring was elected a member of the Board for the term of three years, Mrs. Sarah E. Dunbar, for the term of two years, and Mr. George E. Bales. for the term of one year. Subsequently, the Board organized by the se- lection of Mr. Bales as Chairman, Mr. Ring as Treasurer, and Mrs. Dun- bar as Secretary. The duty of supervision was apportioned among the members of the Board. AAware of the fact that many looked with distrust npon the new departure, and believing that a conservative course would best tend to promote the general welfare of the schools, we avoided, so far as practicable. any serious deviation from existing methods. An
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HISTORY OF WILTON.
early inspection of the schools revealed a condition of affairs in the main satisfactory. except that. embarrassed by the lack of sufficient funds, soy- eral schools suffered somewhat in comparison with those more fortunate in this respect. Herein appears one of the generally acknowledged ad- vantages of the new system. to wit : less inequality in the money availa- ble for school purposes. Although the law may in some cases work hard- ship, particularly in localities furnishing a limited number of scholars, we believe that, selfishness aside. if the law is administered in a spirit of justice to all, it will commend itself to all reasonable men. The recently enacted school law will be of substantial benefit to our town in one par- ticular at least : it has made possible the establishment of a high school on an enduring basis. We think inch has already been accomplished in the right direction. The school has been placed in the hands of an ac- complished instructor, Mr. L. J. Tuck. a graduate of Williams College. who enjoys the entire good-will and respect of those under his charge, and the confidence of the people of the town.
STATISTICAL TABLE FOR THE YEAR ENDING MARCH, 1MS.
SCHOOLS, WHERE LOCATED.
NUMBER OF PUPILA.
BOYS.
GIRLS.
AVERAGE ATTEND. ANCE.
TERMS.
WEEKS.
East High
51
28
23
35
3
32
Grammar
35
18
17
3
30
Intermediate
45
21
21
31
3
30
Primary
77
37
40
52
3
30
Center
30
19
11
19
3
30
Davisville
19
11
15
3
30
West
19
10
17
3
30
French Village
19
9
10
13
3
30
Southeast
13
7
6
10
3
30
Abbot Hill
3
1
1
10
Northeast.
5
1
1
10
318
163
155
223
20
292
1
The average attendance was reduced by the sickness of the scholars. By the discontinuance of the second and third terms in the Abbot Hill and the Northeast schools, some remuneration was allowed for transport- ing the scholars to the schools that they attended the second and third terms.
SUNDAY SCHOOLS.
The first Sunday school was established in May. i816. was connected with the Congregational church of which the Rev. Thomas Beede was pastor, and was held in the Centre school honse. Two ladies, Miss Phebe Abbot, afterwards the wife of Ezra Abbot. Esq., of Jackson, Maine, and the mother of Prof. Ezra Abbot of Harvard University, and Miss Sarah White Livermore were leaders in this enterprise. This school was one of the first. if not the first. in the country to be devoted especially and
Jonge de Dascombes
153
COLLEGE GRADUATES.
wholly to religious instruction. Seventy children attended the first sea- son. The book used was the Bible, and the Bible only. Sunday schools are now established in all the churches in town .*
GRADUATES OF COLLEGES.
A striking test of a community's appreciation of the advantages of ed- ucation is the eagerness with which the higher instruction and mental discipline of academies and colleges are songht. and with which sacrifices are made, even by those of limited means. to secure sneh advantages. The following is the creditable list. so far as we have been able to ascer- tain it. of either natives or residents of Wilton who have been graduates or members of colleges :
Graduates of Harvard College : Abiel Abbot. D. D., 1787: Jacob Abbot. 1792: William Abbot, 1797: John Stevens Abbot, 1801 : Solomon Kidder Livermore. 1802: Ebenezer Rockwood, 1802: Samuel Greele, 1802: Sam- nel Abbot, 1808: Samuel Barrett, 1818; Warren Burton, 1821: Abiel Ab- bot Livermore. 1833: Hermon Abbot was two years at Harvard: William Barrett. 1859: Isaac Spalding Whiting. 1882.
Graduates of Dartmouth College: Daniel Rockwood, 1811; Augustus Greele, 1813: Timothy Parkhurst, 1813: Abner Flint. 1821: David Mor- gan. 1835; Lubim Burton Rockwood. 1839: Joseph Chandler Barrett. 1850: Charles D. Adams, 1877.
Graduates of Bowdoin College: Joseph Hale Abbot. 1822: Ephraim Peabody, 1827; Ezra Abbot. 1830; Abiel Abbot, 1831.
Graduates of Yale College: Rufus Abbot. 1834; Alvah Steele, three. years, but did not graduate: Levi Abbot. 1840.
Graduate of Amherst College, Charles Abbot, 1835 : of Middlebury Col- lege, Sammel Flint ; of Hobart College, Everard W. Dascomb. 1880: of Tufts College. Arthur L. Keyes.
PROFESSIONAL MEN.
Physicians. Dr. Ebenezer Rockwood, a graduate of Harvard College. 1773. was long a physician in town. Dr. Timothy Parkhurst, a graduate of Dartmouth College. 1813, was for many years the wise and skilful physician of Wilton. Dr. John Putnam also practised medicine in town for a long time, and in recent years Dr. W. A. JJones, Dr. J. T. Buttrick and Dr. Tower have also been practitioners here. Drs. Crombie and Kingsbury of Temple, Dr. Twitchell of Keene, Dr. Daniel Adams of Mont Vernon, Dr. Spalding of Amherst, and Dr. Dearborn of Milford have also been often called upon to visit the sick and suffering in Wilton. Drs. Henry Trevitt. JJosiah Fleeman. George W. Hatch. and Green are at present the physicians of the town.
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