USA > New Hampshire > Cheshire County > Dublin > The history of Dublin, N.H., Volume 1852 > Part 22
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SCHOOL AND MINISTERIAL FUNDS.
The several lots of land, which the original proprietors of Dublin reserved for the support of schools and the ministry, were sold by the town at different periods, as appears from a report made to the town at a meeting, June 5, 1820. We give the report as contained in the record of the meeting above named : -
" We, the undersigned, a committee appointed to ascertain the sums arising from the sales of public lands, as sold by the town of Dublin, find -
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HISTORY OF DUBLIN.
The ministry land, lot No. 6, in the 4th range, sold May 9, 1782, for the sum of $433.33
Lot No. 22, in the 5th range, sold Nov. 27, 1777, for 333.33
Lot No. 13, in the 9th range, sold Oct. 27, 1777, for . 673.34
1,440.00
Interest from May 12, 1801, to June 5, 1820
1,647.12
Total amount of ministry money . . $3,087.12
School land, ¿ of lot No. 10, in the 4th range, sold June, 1815, for $916.15
Lot No. 22, in the 4th range, sold Oct. 27, 1777, for . 403.33
Lot No. 8, in the 8th range, sold May 18, 1782, for 206.67
Amount of school-money $1,576.15
" JOHN CROMBIE,
THADDEUS MORSE, Committee.
"June 5, 1820."
The foregoing statement was laid before the town at a legal meeting held the fifth day of June, 1820, at which time it was accepted by the town. At the same meeting, the town "voted that the interest of the above sums should be appropriated agreeably to the charter of said town."
According to a statement made in 1852 by Cyrus Piper, at that time one of the agents of the town for managing its funds, the fund for the support of schools was eleven thou- sand three hundred twenty-eight dollars and ninety-six cents, the greater part of which was given to the town by Rev. E. Sprague.
Respecting the five thousand dollars bequeathed to the town by Mr. Sprague, the town voted, June 5, 1820, "That the First Congregational Society in the town of Dublin take the charge of, with power to control, the five thousand dol- lars bequeathed to said town by the late Rev. Edward Sprague, for the support of the ministry in said town, and to make use of and apply the interest of the same agreeably to the tenor of said Sprague's last will and testament."
At the same meeting the following vote was passed : - "Voted that the interest of the money raised from the sales of ministerial and school lands, shall be appropriated agreeably to the charter of said town."
The interest of the ministerial land-fund was given at this time, and till the year 1842 to the First Congregational Society, when it was divided among the three religious socie- ties in town by a committee chosen for the purpose. The committee were Thaddeus Morse, Augustine Wood, and Levi Willard, who were directed to divide said interest
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HISTORY OF DUBLIN.
" among the several religious societies in town, according to their valuation in the assessment of public taxes."
With regard to the management of the property be- queathed to the town by Mr. Sprague, three agents, Dr. Moses Kidder, Thaddeus Morse, Esq., and Mr. David Townsend, were chosen, Feb. 2, 1819, to take possession of the estate ; and the town "voted to ratify, allow, and make firm in law, all the doings of said agents, done in their capacity in behalf of said town." Dr. Kidder removed to Ashby, Mass., in 1820; and the town refused to choose an agent in his place. In 1823, Richard Strong was chosen agent instead of David Townsend. Thaddeus Morse was retained in the office of agent till 1842, a period of twenty- three years, when he resigned. Richard Strong resigned in 1847, having served twenty-four years. Thomas Fisk was chosen in the place of Thaddeus Morse, and Cyrus Piper in place of Richard Strong. Thomas Fisk and Rufus Piper are the present agents. Since the funding of Mr. Sprague's bequests, and of the school and ministerial land-sales, these agents have had the management of all the funds which be- long to the town. In 1843, the First Congregational Society appointed Thomas Fisk as agent, in connection with Richard Strong, to manage its funds. The funded property of Dub- lin is not invested in stocks, but loaned to individuals on what is deemed good security. It has been judiciously man- aged. No loss is known to have been incurred.
POST OFFICE. - MAIL STAGE.
A post-office was established in Dublin in 1813 or '14, and Cyrus Chamberlain was appointed postmaster. He held the office till 1835, when he removed from town. The route was from Brattleborough, Vt., to Portsmouth, N. H., through Keene, Peterborough, Amherst, and Exeter, a distance of ninety-five miles. The mail was carried each way once a week in a one-horse wagon. It was carried many years by Mr. Gibbs and his son Asa Gibbs. The former was killed by falling with his wagon from a bridge in the village of Peterborough. Asa Heald succeeded Mr. Chamberlain as postmaster, and remained in office till 1849, when Ebene- zer Greenwood was appointed in his place. Asa Heald was re-appointed in 1853.
A stage with four horses began to run from Brattlebo-
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HISTORY OF DUBLIN.
rough to Nashua in 1828. The proprietors were George W. Center and I. Newton Cunningham of Peterborough. This stage passed, at first, each way every other day, and carried the mail. It was established afterwards each way every day. This arrangement, however, was not found profi- table for the department, and was discontinued after two or three years. A stage has since run, carrying the mail, each way every other day. Peterborough, six miles east from Dublin, has a mail from Boston every day. A stage passes, with a mail, from Peterborough through Harrisville to Mun- sonville in Nelson, every other day, returning the next day. The postmaster at Harrisville is C. C. P. Harris.
A post-office in Pottersville was established in 1850. The route is from Marlborough to Harrisville. The first postmaster was Aaron Smith ; and the next, Osgood N. Rus- sell. The present postmaster is Rev. Lyman Culver.
SCHOOLS. - SCHOOL HOUSES.
Respecting the education of the Scotch-Irish who first settled in Dublin, we have no definite information. As they were Protestants, and came from the north of Ireland, it may be presumed that they had had the advantage of such schools or instruction as that part of the country afforded. John Alexander, it has been said, was unable to read. Henry Strongman, who was the only one that remained till the town was incorporated, was a prominent man in managing the municipal affairs ; and his literary qualifications appear to have been sufficient for the purpose.
Those settlers that came from Sherborn and its vicinity received their education in such common schools as were then maintained in their respective towns. Some of them are reported to have said that their privilege of attending school was confined to a few short terms, but that these were well improved, and not only so, but the hours of lei- sure at home were well improved also. Although no appropriation of money for schools was made by the town till the year 1773, yet it cannot be supposed that some means were not used for the instruction of children and youth, either at home by parents, or in neighborhoods by private teachers. The sum first granted, four pounds, "to keep a woman's school in three parts of the town," seems to us of the present day altogether inadequate for such an
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HISTORY OF DUBLIN.
object. Four pounds, equal to thirteen dollars and thirty- three cents, would give to each school only four dollars and forty-four cents. But if the board of the teacher was paid by the town, or by the parents of the children, and a room pro- vided and furnished without charge, then the four dollars and forty-four cents would give ten weeks' schooling, pro- vided the teachers received for wages only forty-four cents per week; and it is known, that, even after this date, female teachers received no more. In what parts of the town, or by whom, the said three schools were kept, is not known. For the three years succeeding 1773, six pounds, or twenty dollars, were granted for schools; but, in 1777, no money was raised for that object, and, if schools were kept, they were supported by private subscription. Owing to the pres- sure of the times, a project was entertained to sell the school- lands ; and a vote to that effect was passed, but the lands were not sold. No attempt was made to erect school-houses till 1778, when it was voted to build two school-houses; one in the east, and one in the west, part of the town. Commit- tees were chosen to build said school-houses : for the north- west part of the town, Moses Adams, Reuben Morse, and Eli Greenwood; and, for the east part, William Greenwood, Simeon Johnson, and Oliver Wright. There is no record showing that these houses were ever built.
In 1779, the vote of the town was "to raise one hundred pounds for a school the present year." This sum must have been reckoned in continental money, of which, at that time, it took five pounds and six shillings to make one dollar. The salary voted to Mr. Sprague in this year was £1060; which sum, at the above rate, would amount to $200, his stipulated salary. The sum raised for schools, therefore, was $19.80. In 1780, granting money for a school was left to selectmen, " to assess what they think proper." In 1781, no money for a school was granted; but, in 1782, the town voted to raise eight pounds, or $26.67, and the selectmen were directed " to divide the town into five parts for school- ing, and give each part their proportion of the school-money, and each part shall lay out their money within the year in such schooling as they think best."
In 1783, no money was granted for schooling ; but it was " voted to have the money, which the town have at interest, lay for the support of a school." In 1784, no money was raised ; but it was " voted, Dec. 17, to build seven school-
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HISTORY OF DUBLIN.
housen at the cost of the town." A committee "to divide the town into districts" was chosen, consisting of Stephen Ames, Moses Adams, Benjamin Learned, Reuben Morse, Ivory Perry, John Morse, and Ebenezer Twitchell; and it was " voted that the said committee pitch upon the places for each school-house, provided the district can't agree, and also say how big each school-house shall be, and make report to the town at their next meeting on adjournment." At the adjourned meeting, Jan. 10, the town "voted to have another district, and chose Ezra Twitchell to join the com- mittee for dividing the town into districts." At an ad- journed meeting, Jan. 31, " Voted to reconsider the vote for the eighth district. Voted to divide the middle district at the meeting-house, the east part, as far as James Houghton's, to make a district. Voted to accept of the rest of the dis- tricts as the committee has laid them out. Then chose com- mittees to build the school-housen : chose Joseph Green- wood, James Rollins, Joshua Greenwood, for the street ; John Muzzy, Capt. Moses Adams, Eli Greenwood, for the north-west school-house; Reuben Morse, Thaddeus Mason, Joshua Twitchell, for the north ; Ivory Perry, Richard Gil- christ, Joshua Stanley, for the south-east ; Joseph Twitchell, Simeon Bullard, Nathan Bixby, for the south-west ; David Townsend, jun., Amos Emery, Ebenezer Twitchell, for the north-east ; John Morse, Thomas Wakefield, and Samuel Williams, for the south-west school-house."
In October, 1785, the town " voted to grant one hundred and fifty pounds, to be assessed and divided into seven equal parts, and a list thereof committed to each committee that was chosen to build the school-housen; and they shall give each man liberty to work or find stuff for said housen to pay his rate; and, if any person neglect or refuse to do his pro- portion, the committee shall return his list to the selectmen, and the selectmen shall give the list of such delinquent to the constable to collect, and the money shall be paid into the respective districts where it belongs."
It was not easy to satisfy the people of some of the districts with the location of their school-houses. At a town-meeting, March, 1786, it was voted "to build a school-house by the meeting-house ; to set the school-house (proposed to be set by Josiah Greenwood's) between Rich- ard Strongman's and John Stone's ; to set the north-east school-house near Gardner Town's, at the place staked out
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HISTORY OF DUBLIN.
by the committee ; to set a school-house by Gershom Twitch- ell's, jun. ; to accept of the place for a school-house near Ebenezer Emes's ; to set a school-house by Mr. Rowel's ; to set a school-house on the road between Capt. Adams's and Ezra Morse's, at the crotch of the roads turning to Packers- field, on said Adams's land." "Chose Deacon Eli Morse to take care and see to the building of the school-house by the meeting-house."
The people who lived on the east side of the hill suc- ceeded in preventing the building of a school-house by the meeting-house. Their children, in order to reach it, would have been obliged to pass over the hill; and a house was erected near Moses Greenwood's. There was opposition also to the location of a school-house west of Capt. Adams's ; and, although money had been collected for building the same, yet the west part of the district had sufficient influ- ence to cause the erection to be postponed; and, in 1791, the town voted that said house should be built " on the road between Ezra Morse's and Mr. Hale's, near the line between their lots." This vote was reconsidered at an adjourned meeting ; and the contest was not ended till September, 1792, when the town " voted forty-five pounds to build two school-housen in the north-west part of the town, including what John Muzzy has in his hands for building a school- house." The said houses were to be located, one west of Eli Greenwood's, and the other between Joshua Farnum's and Andrew Allison's.
The house near Moses Greenwood's, voted to be built in 1778, was not finished and accepted till March 13, 1792, when Joseph Greenwood's account for building said house was allowed (£32.3. 11., or $107.27).
At the town-meeting of March, 1794, the contest for a school-house in the middle of the town was renewed, and the following votes were passed : " Voted to build a school- house near the middle of the town. Voted to move the school-house that stands at Moses Greenwood's. Voted that the school-house by Moses Greenwood's be moved down to the road below Drury Morse's, that comes from Francis Appleton's. Voted that the selectmen move the school- house that is by Moses Greenwood's, in the way they think best. Voted that the school-house that is to be built in the middle of the town be vendued to the lowest bidder by the selectmen. Voted to have the school-house that is to
32
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HISTORY OF DUBLIN.
be built in the middle of the town finished in one year and nine months from the time it is vendued off."
At an adjourned meeting, April 1, 1794, " Voted to divide the school-money into eight parts according to the number of school-houses. Voted to choose a committee to divide the school-money, and take the number of scholars. Voted that no scholar under four years old, or upwards of twenty- one, shall be numbered. Voted that the town give no more than four shillings per week for boarding schoolmasters, unless they pay it out of their school-money."
The school-house in the middle of the town was struck off to Captain Jonathan Hoar; and at the March meeting, 1795, the selectmen were appointed a committee to consult with him in building the same. The location was on the hill, near the spot on which the second meeting-house stood : hence it was afterwards called School-house Hill. It would seem that Mr. Hoar exceeded his obligation in the finishing of the house ; for, in 1796, the town voted to pay him "ten dollars for the work done to the school-house more than his bond obliged him to do."
The building of the school-house by Drury Morse's was struck off to Philip Mills for twenty-seven pounds and six shillings, Oct. 5, 1795; and at the same time the following vote was passed, which shows that the town considered Philip Mills's word as good as his bond: "Voted to accept Lieut. Philip Mills's word in room of a bondsman ; and he promises to build and finish off the school-house by Drury Morse's, by the first of December, 1795, and the selectmen are to pay him in five months after it is finished off."
The school-house by Moses Greenwood's, standing on the north-east corner of lot 7, in the 5th range, was sold to Gardner Town, February, 1796, for forty-three dollars and thirty-three cents. Thus ended, for the time being, a long controversy respecting the location of a school-house in the middle of the town. But it was renewed a quarter of a century afterwards ; a vote of the town was obtained, March 22, 1825, to build a school-house on or near the same spot. A committee was chosen to build the same, who proceeded to locate the house, and the foundation was laid; but, at a meeting of the town on the 23d day of April, the following vote was passed: " Voted to disannul and make void the vote passed at the adjournment of the last annual meeting, which was to build a school-house near Jackson Green-
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HISTORY OF DUBLIN.
wood's. Voted to dismiss the committee chosen to build said house from any further services, as it respects building a school-house near Jackson Greenwood's, and to pay them honorably for the services they have done relating thereto."
Subsequent to 1796, and previous to the above date, vari- ous attempts were made to alter some of the school-dis- tricts, or to change the location of the houses. The house between Joshua Farnum's and Andrew Allison's was not finished and accepted by the town till 1799. The district in the north-east part of the town was divided in 1805; and thus there were ten school-districts, which, with little altera- tion, remained till 1840. In the meantime, however, much dissatisfaction existed with regard to the situation of the school-houses in districts Nos. 1, 3, and 9 .*
An unsuccessful attempt was made in 1820 to unite dis- tricts 9 and 10. In 1820, part of the money in district No. 1 was appropriated for a school at the east end of the dis- trict ; and the same was done for summer-schools in the two or three succeeding years. In district No. 3, attempts were made at different times to remove the school-house, or to divide the district. Dublin was not divided into school-dis- tricts by metes and bounds till the year 1840. Before this date, the school-houses were built at the expense of the town, and the districts were nominal in a legal sense; for the law said, that "any town not divided as aforesaid (by metes and bounds) shall be considered as one district." Earnest efforts were frequently made, as the town-records show, to have the town districted for schools "according to law," as it was commonly expressed. In 1839, an act was passed by the legislature, requiring the selectmen, on ap- plication in writing of ten legal voters, forthwith to divide the town into districts, and define their boundaries." As the districting of the town could be no longer delayed, at the annual meeting in 1840, the town chose Hon. Levi Fisk of Jaffrey, Doctor Albert Smith of Peterborough, and Charles Holman, jun., of Marlborough, to divide the town into school-districts. This was done in the month of May following ; and, with some slight alterations, the school- districts remain the same at this day. By the new arrange- ment, the west end of district No. 1 was added to district
* The selectmen were directed to number the districts in 1816; and the same numbers are attached to them now which were applied at that time, though altera- tions have been made in the limits of some of the districts.
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HISTORY OF DUBLIN.
View of School-house, No. 1.
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Plan of School-room, No. 1.
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HISTORY OF DUBLIN.
No. 6. In this last-named district, the first school-house was erected that contained single seats, graduated to accommo- date the sizes of pupils of different ages. The school-room under the town-house, built in 1823, was given up, and a new one erected on lot 8, range 6. A view of this school- house, and a plan of the school-room, were inserted in the State Commissioner's Report for 1849. We insert the same here, with a brief description of the engravings.
Description. - The building is forty-two feet by thirty on the ground, and eleven feet high in the school-room between the finishing. The school-room is twenty-nine by thirty- five feet inside. There are sixty-four seats, and as many desks, each furnished with a shelf for books. The seats are in the form of a wooden chair-bottom, and are of various sizes, from sixteen inches down to ten in height. The height of the desks is from thirty to twenty inches. The teacher's desk is on a platform raised fifteen inches, in the centre of the front of the room, with a small room behind it for the use of the teacher, or for a recitation-room for the younger pupils to recite to monitors. The entries may be used for the same purpose. The room is furnished with two venti- lators, which open into the attic story ; the two windows of which can be raised, so that any excess of heat or impurity of the air of the school-room can be soon removed.
References to the Plan. - A, Teacher's Desk. - B, Plat- form. - C, C, Step to ascend the Platform. - D, Stove. - E, E, Pipe. - F, Teacher's Room. - G, Entries. - H, H, H, Desks for Pupils. - I, I, I, Seats. - J, J, End view of Desks. K, K, End view of Seats. - L, L, L, Windows. - M, M, M, Doors .- N, N, Recitation-seats. - The letter H, behind the Teacher's Desk, should be B.
In the year 1841, a new school-house was built in district No. 7, and another in district No. 4. The first was con- structed with single seats ; and the last with seats, of which each is designed to accommodate two pupils. In 1845, a well- constructed and substantial school-house was built in district No. 2. In this house, each pupil has a seat, similar in form to the seats in the school-room of district No. 1. Since 1840, the school-house in district No. 4 has been enlarged; and the rooms in some of the others have been improved. The de-
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HISTORY OF DUBLIN.
facing of the school-rooms by cutting the desks, or by other means, has not been practised since' the houses became the property of the several districts. In 1820, only one school- room was warmed with a stove. This stove was in the old school-house of district No. 1. In the new school-room of 1823 was a fireplace, and it was used the first winter, taking a cord of wood per week ; and even that, on cold and windy days, did not keep all the pupils duly comfortable. The next winter, a stove was used; and it was found that one- fourth of a cord per week was sufficient, if the wood was dry, and the fire properly managed.
INSPECTION OF SCHOOLS.
Before the passage of the school-law of 1827, the select- men were, ex officio, a committee for inspecting schools, unless others were chosen for that purpose. No other per- sons were chosen, except in the following years, till 1821 : in 1806, Edward Sprague, Aaron Appleton, Adam Johnson, Asa Fisk, jun., Alexander Emes, John Perry, Moses Mar- shall, Artemas Childs, John Snow, Robert Muzzy, Thaddeus Morse, and Reuben Muzzy ; in 1809, Rev. Edward Sprague, Aaron Appleton, and Adam Johnson ; in 1810, Adam John- son, Aaron Appleton, Ruggles Smith, Isaac Appleton, Asa Fisk, John Perry, Samuel Twitchell, jun., Andrew Allison, Thaddeus Morse, and Ebenezer Richardson ; in 1818, Adam Johnson, Moses Kidder, and Joseph Appleton. It is not known that the above-named inspectors made any report of the condition of the several schools. Many of them had been successful instructors, and their influence in improving the schools which they inspected must have been effective.
At the annual meeting, March, 1821, the town " chose the Rev. Levi W. Leonard the principal committee-man to visit the schools in the several districts with the agent belonging to the district which is to be visited, whose duty it is to inform the Rev. Mr. Leonard of the time he is desired to attend for that purpose." The following persons were school-agents for that year : District No. 1, Moses Marshall ; No. 2, John Taggart, jun. ; No. 3, Jonas B. Piper ; No. 4, Moses Corey ; No. 5, Ebenezer Richardson ; No. 6, Moses Adams, jun. ; No. 7, Ruggles Smith ; No. 8, Eli Hamilton ; No. 9, John Crombie; No. 10, Benjamin Marshall. In the course of the year, Mr. Leonard issued a printed circular, in which a list of books was named, and their uniform use in
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HISTORY OF DUBLIN.
the several schools recommended. In the year 1822, five persons were chosen for the school-committee ; and the same number were annually chosen till 1852, when the law was altered, and the superintending school-committee limited to three. The following is a list of the school-committee of Dublin from 1822 to 1853, inclusive : -
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