History of the city of Columbus, capital of Ohio, Volume I, Part 69

Author: Lee, Alfred Emory, 1838-; W. W. Munsell & Co
Publication date: 1892
Publisher: New York and Chicago : Munsell & Co.
Number of Pages: 1202

USA > Ohio > Franklin County > Columbus > History of the city of Columbus, capital of Ohio, Volume I > Part 69

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Sixth District, to be composed of all that part of the town of Columbus and of the town- ships of Montgomery as lies south of Friend Street, and as far eastward as the castern extremity of the outlots excepting, however, such territory and families as have been attached to Hamilton Township for the formation of a school district from a part of each township ; householders, Matthias Kenney, David Gibson, Caleb Houston, John McLoughlin, Ebenezer Thomas, N. W. Smith, Jesse F. Nixon, Mrs. Booth, Joseph McElvain, Joseph O'Harra, Arthur O'Harra, Nathaniel McLean, Purdy MeElvain, Christian Crum, Thomas Bryson,

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HISTORY OF THE CITY OF COLUMBUS.

Hiram Barret, Andrew Wood, James Pierce, John Scott, William Parker, Jacob Shier, James Parish, George Dolten, Philip Boreman, Peter Yarnel, Hugh McMaster, James Young, William Young, Thomas Webb, Jacob Goodhen, Adam Kerns, John Cutter, Richard Fluig, Samuel Price, Brinckley Daniels, Robert Williams, James Brown, George Eastwood, Mrs. Huster, Thomas Carpenter, Elijah Tolle, Alphan Tolle, Walter Vanhorne, Henry Jewett, Colbert Stewart, Mrs. Putnam, Jacob Robinson, John Miller, Thomas Jones, Nathaniel Turner, Anson Smith, George Jefferies, L. Sharp, Nathaniel Powers, Gilbert Jewett, Jacob Leaf, David Shead, John D. Rose, Elijah Glover, Gardiner Bowen, Jonathan Farrer, Edwin Burnley, Henry May, David Bowen, Charles Hinkle, Julius G. Godman ; sixtysix. Esti- mated to contain eightyeight children from five to fifteen.

Seventh District, to be composed of the Alum Creek settlement including all that part of the township not already included in any of the foregoing districts ; householders, Alexander Mooberry, Thomas Hamilton, Sarah Ross, George Turner, William Turner, Elizabeth Kooser, C. L. White, Daniel Boothe, William Shaw, David Nelson, Junior, John Lewis, John Barr, John Wallace, John White, Catharine Vining, George White, Frederick Otstott, Robert Barrett, Edward Livingston, William White, John Moobery, Isaac Taylor, Harvey Adams; twentyfour. Number of children not returned A correct extract from the township record. W. T. Martin, Township Clerk.

According to this report the six districts embracing Columbus contained two hundred and seventythree householders and four hundred and five children from five to fifteen years of age.

On October 4, 1832, the first district, containing 180 school children, was divided, on petition of Augustus Platt, John Starr and others, into two districts, the part east of High Street and the new turnpike to remain district number one and the western part to be renumbered as district number eleven. At a called meeting the inbabitants of the sixth district petitioned the township trustees to divide their district, as it was " much too large for any common school," and on October 4, 1832, it was divided and renumbered so that the portion south of Friend Street and east of High should remain district number six ; the portion west of High and north of South (Fulton) Street, extending west with the section line to the river, should be numbered twelve; and the portion lying south of South Street and west of High should be numbered thirteen. On October 23, 1833, the northern portion of the first and eleventh districts, the dividing line between which was the north corporation line, then Naghten Street, was desig- nated as district number fourteen, the portion of these districts between Long Street and the corporation line remaining as district number one. On March 7, 1838, Columbus became by legislative enactment a separate school district, to which, by consent of the district, the township trustees, on October 13, 1838, attached all the territory within the following boundaries : Beginning at the Scioto River on the southwest corner of Henry Brown's land, half-section twentynine, and running cast on Moler Road to the cast line of said section, thence north to the south line of halfsection number thirty, thence east to the east line of said halfsection, thence north on a line of the said halfsection continued to a point half a mile north of North Public Lane to the Whetstone River, thence with the meanderings of the Whetstone and the Scioto to the place of beginning. This dis- trict, comprising the whole town plat and part of the township, and embracing five and twotenths square miles, was divided by the directors into subdistricts in

North Publi Lave

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THE SCHOOLS. II.

such a manner "as best to meet the needs of the inhabitants." The district was but slightly altered until February 5, 1845, when by a special act of the legislature, the corporate limits of the city became again its boundaries as they have since remained, except that certain territory within the city limits has occasionally been attached to the district for school purposes. In 1856 the school district extended south to Kossuth Street, east to East Public Lane (Parsons Avenue), north to North Public Lane and the Johnstown Plank Road, and on the west to the Colum - bus Feeder, the river and Pennsylvania Avenue.

In Franklinton the boundaries of the districts remained about as originally described for thirtythree years. To entitle the third district as well as xp the second to the use of the old Courthouse for school purposes, the dividing line was fixed on April 18, 1853, as follows: "Commencing at the centre of the National Road where the same crosses the Scioto River, westward to a stake directly south of the west side of the south door of the Old Courthouse, then embracing the entrance to, and upstairs, and all the upper story of said building and onehalf of the courthouse lot, then from said stake westward to the line between the Rance and Stevenson survey, near the twomile stone. The southern boundary of the third district was the Columbus and Harrisburg Road. On September 19, 1858, subdistricts numbers two and three were united and designated subdistrict number two. On December 5, 1870, the corporation line was extended westward with the Scioto River to Darby Street, thence sonth along that street to the Harrisburg Pike, and thence eastward to the river, including most of the Franklinton Dis- trict, while the remainder of it was attached to the city for school purposes.

Division of the history of the public schools of Columbus into periods may be made as follows: 1, From 1826 to March 7, 1838, twelve years, during which the schools were under township district management under the law of 1825; 2, from the end of the first period until February 5, 1845, seven years, during which time Columbus was a separate school district under the law of 1838; 3, from the end of the second period until May 1, 1873, twentyeight years, Columbus being during that time a city school district under the law of 1845 and subsequent local legisla- tion ; 4, from the end of the third period until the present time, eighteen years, during which the schools have been conducted under general laws, Columbus being a "city district of the first class." Franklinton was divided into two districts from 1826 to 1858, and was included in one district from that time until 1870, when its identity was lost in the capital city which had absorbed it. Prior to 1830 the school funds remained in the hands of the County Treasurer and were paid out only on the order of the Auditor; hence the records of these officials show the amount of school money raised, the dividends to the several districts and the names of the teachers employed up to that time. During the remainder of the first period the school money passed through the hands of district treasurers, and during the second period the Township Treasurer was custodian of the school fund.

In the spring of 1827 school directors were elected in several districts and schools were organized. Among the first directors chosen were William T. Martin, Doctor Peleg Sisson, David Smith, Otis Crosby, William Long, D. W. Deshler, Orris Parish, Andrew Backus, Rev. Charles Hinkle, Thomas Carpenter and Joseph

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HISTORY OF THE CITY OF COLUMBUS.

$19.62%

$ 21.64.4

$38.86호

Hunter. The pioneer teachers of the public schools were Joseph P. Smith, W. P. Meacham, C. W. Lewis, Caleb Davis, Eli Wall and H. N. Hubbell. After the new districts had been formed the directors chosen in the fifth district, between Rich and Main streets, were Peleg Sisson, William T. Martin and James Cherry, two of whom had been directors in the previous year. They employed Joseph P. Smith as teacher. The time of his service is not given, but the following transcript from · the Auditor's journal shows part of his salary: "June 7, 1827. Paid Joseph P. Smith in part for his services as school teacher in the fifth distriet of Montgomery Township as per voueher No. 520, $19.625." This account was paid by the County Treasurer June 16, 1827. It is the first item of expenditure for school purposes found in the records of the County Auditor and Treasurer. The second teacher to draw a salary was W. P. Meacham, who taught in the district south of Friend, now Main Street, probably in the hewed log sehoolhouse on Mound Street. The record runs: "June 30, 1827, paid W. P. Meacham as schoolteacher in district No. 6, of Montgomery Township, $34.00." In the fourth district, between Town and Rich streets, Andrew Backus was one of the first directors and C. W. Lewis was employed as teacher. A record of payment to Mr. Lewis from the public funds reads : "July 4, 1827. Montgomery Township, To Paid C. W. Lewis as schoolteacher in district No. 4, $21.644."

According to this record Caleb Davis was the first teacher to receive public money for his services in Franklinton, as appears by the following entry : "Angust the 12, 1827. Paid Caleb Davis as school teacher in district Number two, Franklin Township, $9.845." Mr. Davis probably taught in the Sullivant log schoolhouse, as that was the only building in the village at that time exclusively devoted to the use of schools. The second district paid its first dividend of school money to Eli Wall. The record reads: "September the 8, 1827. Montgomery Township, To Paid Eli Wall as school teacher in district No. 2 $35.365," which was a fair salary at that day for a service of three months as teacher.'

The school directors of the third district -Otis Crosby, David Smith and William Long - who had bought the old academy on Fourth Street " for the sole use of the inhabitants of the said school district for the use and support of a school therein according to the statute passed January the 30, 1827, respecting common schools," employed Horatio N. Hubbell, afterward first superintendent of the Institution for the Deaf and Dumb, to teach a common school, concerning which service we find the following record : " October 11, 1827. Montgomery Town- ship, To Paid H. N. Hubbell as school teacher in District No. 3 in said township in full of all money due said district as per voucher No. 198, $18.17." The Mr. Smith who was employed in November, 1826, may have been paid out of school money which came into the hands of the Township Trustees for the School Directors as rents from the section of school lands, and would not therefore appear in the county records. Some of these first teachers are known to have been men of education and ability who distinguished themselves in later years. The names of the directors are a sufficient guaranty that the school funds were wisely used. As to the respectable character of the teachers employed and the liberal public

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sentiment which prevailed with respect to education, we have the following testi- monial in the Ohio State JJournal of April 19, 1827 :

This town has been laid off into school districts and teachers of respectability have been employed. Our citizens seem disposed to give the system a fair experiment, and if found deficient, endeavor to obtain such amendment as will remedy any defects that may at present exist in the laws upon the subject.

One of the first acts of the directors of the third district - the territory between State and Town streets - was to purchase the academy on Fourth Street for school purposes. This historic building, the first school property acquired by the town, or any part of it, was purchased nineteen days after the organization of the district. The instrument of conveyance of this property reads as follows:

John Cunning to School Directors. This indenture made this nineteenth day of April, A. D. 1827, between John Cunning of Franklin County State of Ohio of the one part, and Otis Crosby, David Smith and William Long as school directors of school district No. 3 in the township of Montgomery, and county aforesaid of the second part, witnesseth that the said John Cunning for and in consideration of the sum of thirty dollars to him in hand paid by said school directors hath and does hereby sell and convey infeoff unto the said school directors and their successors in office an inlot in the town of Columbus in the County of Franklin numbered on the town plat of said town six hundred and twenty to have and hold said inlot with the appurtinences unto said Otis Crosby, David Smith and William Long as school directors as aforesaid and unto their successors in said office for the sole use of the inhabitants of said school district for the use and support of a school therein eet, according to the statute passed January 30, 1827, respecting common schools. In witness whereof I have hercunto set my hand and seal the day and the year first above written. Executed in the presence of D. W. Deshler, Robert Brotherton, John Cunning, seal. Acknowledged and certified to by D. W. Deshler, Justice of the Peace.

The lot thus conveyed extended from Town Street to Sugar (Chapel) Alley on the west side of Fourth Street, and on its north end stood the " academy " facing eastward. The building was a tworoom frame fortyeight feet long and thirtyone feet wide. Its furniture consisted at that time of a few writing shelves or desks which usually stood against the wall ; board benches, a few of which had low straight backs while most of them were plain benches without backs, so arranged that the pupils on either side of the room usually sat facing those on the opposite side ; a plain boxlike desk and a chair for the teacher ; and a small blackboard. A large box stove in which wood was used as fuel stood in the center of the room.

The Fourth Street Academy, purchased ns just narrated, was erected in 1820. This temple of edneation, the pride of the infant capital, was distinguished by a respectable belfry and a bell much superior in tone to " the common tavern bell " and second only to the Statehouse bell. A public school was conducted for an annual term of three months or more in one room of this building for a number of years. On January 12, 1836, the school directors-John L. Gill, Ichabod G. Jones and Jonathan Neereamer sold the lot upon which the academy stood to Orris Parish, reserving the building for school purposes. Sometime afterward it was converted into a blacksmith shop, and then into a feedstore. In 1870, it was removed.

Within the year in which the first publie money for schools was received, five teachers were employed in the Columbus District and an aggregate of $128.80 was

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HISTORY OF THE CITY OF COLUMBUS.

paid for instruction. In these five districts there were in 1827 three hundred and fortythree children from five to fifteen years of age. Part of these teachers taught free public schools for all who attended, and no doubt then, as later, the public money was in some instances used to pay the tuition of children whose parents or guardians were unable to pay the tuition fee ; but as the newspaper files show, there was from the first a strong opposition to this misapplication of the school fund. In either case, however, the fund was used to provide free instruction to school youth. Assuming that the wages of male teachers was at that time fifteen dollars per month, and the average attendance in these schools fifty, this amount of money

TWENTYTHIRD STREET SCHOOL.

would have provided one quarter's schooling to one hundred and fortyone children ; or, if simply used to pay the usual tuition fee of $2.50 per quarter, it would have provided free instruction to fiftyone school youth, or more than oneseventh of all the children of the districts between the ages of five and fifteen. The school money collected and apportioned to the districts of Montgomery Township under the levy of 1826 amounted to sixty cents and five mills to each householder, or about fortyone cents for each child between the ages of five and fifteen years. The dividends apportioned to the same district for the year 1827 amounted to fiftyone cents and three mills for each householder. The dividends for 1828 were $31.06,

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THE SCHOOLS. 11.

816.56, 816.85, 819.32, 819.31, $35.76 ; for 1829, 817.03, $16.30, 827.24, 833.60, 831.78, $59.93. In 1830 the first district received 863.00, the second $81.23, the third $48.93, the fourth $45.50, the fifth 872.73, the sixth $119.87, there being 370 householders at that time in the six districts.

The first publie school in the first district was taught by John Starr in the win- ter of 1827-28. The Auditor's record is as follows: " February 13, 1828. Paid Jobn Starr as school teacher in distriet number one, Montgomery township, $46.30." In the following winter he taught in the same district, and on March 23, 1829, received for his services $31.06 .. Charles L. Webster, a teacher from Clinton Township, and J. S. Martin taught a few years later in "Jonesburg," the neighbor- hood near the corner of Third and Spring streets. The following treasurers of the district drew from the county treasury the amounts following their names, respectively, for school. purposes : Joseph Hunter, March 20, 1831, 863.00; David Smith, February 17, 1832, 858.25 ; same, April 14, 1833, $41.00 ; John Ream, May 22, 1834, $68.27 ; John Smith, April 11, 1835, $74.187; J. McPherson, April 16, 1836, 859.85 ; same, May 15, 1837, 883.76 ; T. Mason, April 6, 1838, 8156.24. Hugh Maxwell, who usually taught private schools, was employed to teach a few terms of public school in the hewed log house on the corner of Spring and High streets.

From 1833 to 1838 the first distriet was bounded on the west by High Street and on the north by Naghten. The second district was extended from Long Street to State. D. W. Deshler was a school director and the treasurer of this district from 1829 to 1838, during which time he drew from the county treasury and expended for school purposes $1,621.22. On February 13, 1828, Robert Ware received 827.28 for teaching in this district. In 1835 Miss Kate Reese taught a district school in a frame building on Third Street near Long. Miss Penelope Lazelle and Eli Wall taught in this district. During this same period Hugh Max- well taught private and occasionally public schools in this district, in the small brick building on Pearl and Gay, and in the small frame on Lynn and Lazelle streets. The number of white unmarried youth between the ages of four and twentyone in this district during the ten years ended with 1838, was respectively, 59, 85, 117, 150, 237, 324, 337, 351, 356, and 361.

The third district, between State and Town streets, received for these ten years, respectively, 827.24, 848.93, 876.17, 872.32, $99.56, $67.75, 855.00, 8113.00, $105.62, 8271.67. In 1830, the school tax for this district amounted to $35.00, and the interest on the proceeds of the section of school land was $13.93; there being fifty householders, this amounted to seventy cents of the former and twentyseven cents and eight mills of the latter fund to each family. The successive treasurers of this district were H. Delano, G. W. MeCormick and J. Wilson. After J. P. Smith and H. N. Hubbell, the next teacher in this district was the severe dis- ciplinarian, Cyrus Parker, who is best remembered as an instructor in private schools. He was in 1832 one of the township examiners under the law of 1825. The Auditor's journal shows that on June 30, 1829, Cyrus Parker was paid as teacher in district number three $32.97. In 1832, J. M. Smith was district clerk. The directors in 1836 were John L. Gill, Ichabod G. Jones and Jonathan Nee-

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reamer. The following report of the clerk of the district to the County Auditor er the year 1837, is very instructive :

Number of public schools in the district, one ; number of private schools, two; num- er of months that public schools have been kept during the year, four ; idem for private chools, fourteen [two schools seven months each]; number of scholars in usual attendance w public schools about forty; idem for private schools, about forty; one teacher, male ; amount paid teacher, one hundred and twelve dollars ; schoolhouse, frame; value of school- house, two hundred dollars; amount paid this year for repairing schoolhouse, $19.27. The teacher has a good moral character and is well qualified to instruct. Books are such as are generally used in schools, selected by parents and guardians. This district cannot keep up a school longer than four months, as the amount of school funds is not sufficient to continue longer, and also not enough to get qualified teachers for all branches of education. The officers of the present year are William Armstrong, Jonathan Neereamer and I. G. Jones, directors; John Wilson, Treasurer, and J. D. Osborn, Clerk.

Of the fourth district Andrew Backns was treasurer from 1830 to 1838. His withdrawals of school funds from the county treasury for the district were as fol- lows: 1831, $110.00; 1833, $160.00; 1836, $250.00; 1837, 891.31; 1838, $586.75. The families of this district numbered during the five years beginning with 1826, respectively, 36, 37, 37, 41, and 45. The children of school age in the district during the eight years ended 1838 numbered, respectively, 125, 166, 159, 172, 175, 186, 234, and 235. The Hazeltine schoolhouse was situated in this district, as was also the Presbyterian Church on Front Street in which the first meeting was held for the organization of the public schools. J. M. C. Hazeltine was first employed as a teacher in 1832. He taught a public school for about one quarter in each year, and at other times taught a private school in his own building. On Septem- ber 25, 1835, he announced a night school which was free except that the "scholars must furnish their own lights." About the year 1838 Mr. Hazeltine was accident- ally drowned in the river at the foot of Rich Street. He was a popular teacher. In 1837 Mathew Mathews was one of the directors and clerk of the district. The following report was forwarded by him through the office of the County Auditor to Samuel Lewis, State Superintendent of Common Schools on official blanks prepared for the purpose :

Columbus, November 1, 1837. School District No. 4. Number of white males 121, of white females 113, between four and twentyone years of age. No public school this year. Three private schools. Number of months private schools have been kept during the year, twelve. Eightyfive scholars in usual attendance in private schools. Two male and two female teachers employed in private schools. No officers elected for the year. Character and qualifications of teachers good. Books in general use, Smith's Grammar, Cobb's Arith- metic, Olney's Geography. There is no uniformity of practice in the use of books among the different teachers. They use such books as they have been accustomed to either in their own education, or in their business of instruction heretofore ; and oftentimes those books which the pupils bring with them - books which they have used in other schools. It is much to be desired that a thorough examination of books should be made with a view to the selection of a set which should be recommended to the teachers and school officers of each district in the county for adoption in their respective schools. An association of teachers would alone be likely to institute an examination of this kind, and use the means necessary for conducting it properly and thoroughly. Such an association is much needed among us on various accounts. It is ardently hoped and confidently anticipated that one will be estab-

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THE SCHOOLS. 11.

lished within the space of a few months, at least for the city if not for the country, as all the teachers of this city who have been spoken to on the subject have expressed their decided approbation of it and their desire to support the measure, having personally felt the want of an institution of the kind. A prominent defect of the system [of public schools] is a want of a uniform method of instruction. A heterogeneous mass of lessonbooks in every branch encum- bers almost every school .- M. Mathews, Clerk.

In the fifth district, lying between Rich and Main streets, Charles Ilinkle, James Cherry and W. T. Martin were directors. The Auditor's ledger shows the following entry: " Paid, in 1830, James Cherry, treasurer of school district number 5, Montgomery Township, 872.73; in 1833, $104.37; in 1836, 8267.46; in 1837, 8187.00; in 1838, 8259.54." The number of families each year from 1826 to 1830 was respectively 34, 35, 42, 49, and the number of children of school age for the same years respectively was 128, 128, 139, 149, and 154. The school directors in this district in 1830 were John Warner, Christian Heyl and William St. Clair. In the following year William McElvain, Horton Howard and Nathaniel McLean were chosen directors. This district deserves credit for having taken steps to grade the schools at a very early date. " In 1836, at a public school meeting, it was resolved that the directors should cause two schools to be opened at the same time, one to be taught by a male teacher for the instruction of advanced scholars, and the other by a female for the instruction of young children." The number of school children between four and twentyone in the district in 1836 was 238, and the amount of school money drawn by the district treasurer that year was $267.46. One of the city papers of July 24, 1837, remarked : " In district number five, lying between Rich and Friend streets, a public school was opened this morning for the children of that district under the directions of a female teacher ; schoolroom on Front Street." William T. Martin was clerk of the district from 1832 to 1837, and George Slocum was director in 1837 and 1838. The teacher, J. O. Masterson, lived in the district.

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History of the city of Columbus, capital of Ohio, Volume I, Part 69

Author: Lee, Alfred Emory, 1838-; W. W. Munsell & Co Publication date: 1892 Publisher: New York and Chicago : Munsell & Co. Number of Pages: 1202

Author: Lee, Alfred Emory, 1838-; W. W. Munsell & Co
Publication date: 1892
Publisher: New York and Chicago : Munsell & Co.
Number of Pages: 1202