USA > Pennsylvania > Jefferson County > Brookville > A pioneer history of Jefferson county, Pennsylvania and my first recollections of Brookville, Pennsylvania, 1840-1843, when my feet were bare and my cheeks were brown > Part 22
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"SECTION 13. It shall be the duty of the school inspectors to visit every three months, and as much oftener as they may think proper, to inquire into the moral character, learning, and ability of the several teachers employed therein ; they shall have power to examine any per- sons wishing to be employed as a teacher, and of good moral character,
213
PIONEER HISTORY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY, PENNA.
shall give him or her a certificate to that effect, naming therein the branches which he or she is found qualified to teach, certificates shall be valid for one year from the date thereof, and no longer ; and no person who shall not have obtained such certificate shall receive from the county treasury, or the treasury of the Commonwealth, any compensation for his services.
"SECTION 14. The inspectors of any school division may meet at such times and places as they may deem expedient, and adopt such rules for the examination of teachers and schools, and prescribe such form or certificates, as they may deem necessary to produce uniformity in such examinations and certificates throughout the school division, and they may, if they deem it expedient, appoint days for the public examination of teachers to be examined in public, and said inspectors, or any one of them, may visit all district schools in their school division and examine the same.
"SECTION 15. Whenever the inspectors meet together, as they are empowered by the preceding section, they shall organize themselves for the proper transaction of business, and each inspector shall be governed by the rules then adopted in his examinations and observe such forms in his certificates as shall be prescribed by the majority of the inspectors of the school division thus assembled, and no certificate of qualification shall be given by the inspectors, or any of them, to any teacher unless he or she shall be found qualified to teach reading, writing, and arithmetic.
" SECTION 16. The school inspectors shall minutely examine into the state and condition of the schools, both as respects the progress of the scholars in learning and the good order of the schools, and make an annual report to the superintendent of the public schools on or before the first Monday in November of the situation of the schools in their respec- tive districts, founded on their own observation and the report of the re- spective school directors ; to include the characters of the teachers ; the number of scholars admitted during the year in the several schools under their inspection ; the branches of study taught in each school ; the num- ber of days in the year during which each school shall have been kept open ; the cost of the school-house for either building, renting, or repair- ing, and all other costs that may have been incurred in maintaining the several schools in their respective districts, and also shall cause the same to be published in the school division, at the expense of the respective city or county."
PIONEER STATE AID.
" The first money received from the State for school purposes, by this county, was by an order drawn August 5, 1836. on the State Treasurer, Joseph Lawrence, Esq., to the Treasurer of Jefferson County, by Thomas H. Burrowes, Superintendent of Common Schools, under an act entitled ' An Act to establish a General System of Education by Common Schools,'
214
PIONEER HISTORY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY, PENNA.
passed on the Ist of April, 1834, and a supplement thereto passed April 15, 1835, for one hundred and four dollars and ninety-four cents, for the year 1835. Also, on the same date, one hundred and four dollars and ninety-four cents, for the year 1836.
Thomas H. Burrowes.
" The following table will show the townships receiving the State aid, the officers of their school boards, the number of the warrants, and the amounts received :
No. of Warrant.
State Aid.
Barnett township-W. P. Armstrong, President; Cyrus Blood, Treasurer and Secretary
76
$49.20
Eldred township-Thomas Hall, President; Wm. M. Hindman, Treasurer ; John W. Monks, Secretary . . Perry township-Thomas Williams, President; Isaac Lewis, Treasurer ; John Philliber, Secretary .
37
23.95
· Pine Creek township-Wm. Cooper, President; Samuel Jones, Treasurer; A. Barnett, Secretary .
103
66.68
Ridgeway township -J. Gallagher, President; L. Wil- marth, Treasurer and Secretary
40
25.89
Rose township-Wm. Kelso, President; B. McCreight, Treasurer ; C. A. Alexander, Secretary
252
163.14
Snyder township-A. Brockway, President; A. Ross, Treasurer ; Wm. Shaw, Secretary
41
26.54
Young township-Wm. Campbell, President; J. W. Jenks, Treasurer ; J. Winslow, Secretary
146
94.52
209
35.31
$485.23
215
PIONEER HISTORY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY, PENNA.
" It would seem from the above table that it includes the appropria- tion of 1837 also."
ORGANIZATION UNDER THE COMMON SCHOOL SYSTEM IN JEFFERSON COUNTY.
" From the best information to be had, it appears that in 1837 Cyrus Crouch taught the first school in Brookville under the common school system. He taught two terms, and was followed by Jesse Smith, Craig- head, and Hannibal.
" As early as the fall of 1835 a man by the name of Timblin made application for the school in Punxsutawney. He was examined by the Board of Directors, and was the first master under the new school system. The members of the Board were C. C. Gaskill, James Winslow, and James Torrence. Mr. Gaskill attended to the examination of the mas- ters. It was held in an old log house in which Mr. Torrence lived. The house known as the old farm-house of Dr. Jenks was the first house built in Punxsutawney. The master was examined in reading, writing, and arithmetic. The 'United States Speller,' the 'English Reader,' and the ' Western Calculator' were the text-books used in the school. At that time Young township included Bell, McCalmont, Gaskill, Hender- son, and parts of Winslow and Oliver.
" There was a great deal of hostility to the school system at first in Punxsutawney. Four schools were organized, under the common school system, in the fall of 1835 in Pine Creek township,-one near where Nathaniel Butler lives, another near the Bowers school, then called the Frederick school, another near Richardsville, and the other in the school- house near the Beechwoods graveyard. The directors were John Latti- mer, William Cooper, and Andrew Barnett. A school-master of the time says that David Butler, John Lattimer, and Andrew Barnett examined the masters at Andrew Barnett's house. Mr. Thomas Kirkman taught first under the school system at the Butler school-house. Mrs. Mary McKnight taught the summer term in this house in 1840. Mr. Kirkman taught thirty days for a month, receiving fourteen dollars a month and boarding himself. They used the ' English Reader' and the ‘ United States Spell- ing-Book.' The schools began some time in November, and continued three months. Thomas Reynolds taught the Waite school in Beech- woods first under the school system. He received twelve dollars a month and 'boarded round' with the scholars. They had a ten-plate stove in the school-house, and their fuel consisted entirely of chestnut and hemlock bark, which the large pupils helped the master to pull from dead trees in the vicinity. There were about twenty-eight pupils attend- ing the school, with an average daily attendance of eighteen. Judge Andrew Barnett, John Lattimer, and William Cooper were the principal citizens who took part in having the schools started. John Wilson was
216
PIONEER HISTORY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY, PENNA.
probably the first master at Richardsville. They had about fifteen pupils there."
PAUL DARLING, A PIONEER SCHOOL-MASTER.
Dr. George Darling located in Brookville in 1834 and was the father of Paul. When still young, about thirteen years old, Paul was obliged
Paul Darling.
to help himself. In the year 1836 Paul taught a school in Pine Creek township. His certificate read as follows :
" We, the undersigned School Directors of Pine Creek township, do hereby certify that we have examined Paul Darling, and have found him
15
217
PIONEER HISTORY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY, PENNA.
qualified to teach Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic and the principal rules of Grammar and Geography.
(Signed)
" JAMES MOORE, ARCHD. McMURRAY, JOHN LONG, GEO. S. MATTHEWS."
From a long and intimate acquaintance with Paul Darling, I can truthfully say that he was a type of the truest men of his time; he was modest, yet determined, honest in deeds as well as in words, indus- trious and intelligent, frugal and liberal, kind-hearted, friendly and charitable, social and poetic, yet prudent and just. As a financier he was eminently successful, as his large estate of over five hundred thousand dollars fully attested.
" In 1836 a school-house was built above Mr. Prescott's, at Prescott- ville, called the Fuller school-house. Mr. Thomas Reynolds taught the first school in it. During the summer of the same year a contract for building a hewed log school-house near Mr. Dickey's, in Henderson township, was given to Mr. Caufman, and a school was commenced the following winter, under a Mr. Heisy as master. From the best informa- tion to be had, a school appears to have been organized in the Bowers settlement some time before that. About 1836 a school was organized under the school system in Perry township, and taught in one of the old log dwelling-houses in the vicinity of Perrysville. No one remembers who the master was.
" In the winter of 1835 or 1837 a school was kept in an old house near Frederick Stears', by a Mr. Travis. That was the first school in that locality under the school system. A Mrs. Travis taught a summer school in the same place. It was then in Perry, but was included in Porter township when it was organized. About the year 1839 a frame school-house was built just above Perrysville. T. S. Smith, Sr., furnished the nails and spikes, and some other citizens furnished other material and built the house. The same year a hewed log school-house was built near George Blose, Sr.'s. Wm. Postlethwait, George Blose, Sr., Youngs, and some others were prominent in having the school organized.
" The first common school was commenced in what is now Eldred township in the beginning of the winter of 1837. The house was built the same fall, near where the Hall school-house now stands. It was a hewed log house, and was built by the citizens. John Lucas taught the first school in it. There were about forty scholars. About 1837 or 1838 a round log school-house, called the Milliron school, was built a short distance northwest of where Ringgold now is. Samuel Hice was the first master there. He received not more than ten dollars a month. They used 'Cobb's Spellers' as text-books. Henry Freas, John Hice, Ben-
218
PIONEER HISTORY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY, PENNA.
jamin Campbell, and others were the principal citizens in having the school organized. A school-house was built in Rose township, near Mr. Spyker's, in 1836. They previously rented a house on what is now the Pleasantville road, near John J. Miller's. The first school in Union township under the school system was taught by Jesse or Theoph- ilus Smith, about 1838, in a log school-house, with a wooden chimney along one end. The house was about two miles from Corsica, near Dallas Monks'. The pupils studied their lessons out loud. The teacher was paid sixteen or eighteen dollars a month, and boarded himself. Some of the citizens who took part in starting the school were John Fitzsimmons, the Barrs, Hindmans, Mr. Kennedy, and Mr. Monks. John Kahle taught the first school in Kahletown, Eldred township, about 1837 or 1838, in one end of his father's house. That was the first school in that part of the county. Clover township was organized into a sepa- rate school district in 1842. The first board of directors was organized May 24, 1842. Rev. C. Fogle was President, John Shields, Secretary, and D. Carrier, Treasurer. The wages of male teachers were from eigh- teen to twenty-five dollars a month, and of female teachers from twelve to fifteen dollars a month, and board themselves and make their own fires."-Blose.
PIONEER SCHOOL INSPECTORS.
Pioneer school inspectors appointed by the court December 8, 1834, under the act of 1834:
Rose township-Dr. George Darling, Rev. John Shoap.
Young township-Charles C. Gaskill, Charles R. Barclay.
Perry township-David Lewis, Parlen White.
Pine Creek township-Andrew Barnett, John Lattimer. Ridgeway township-Lyman Wilmarth, Reuben A. Aylesworth. Barnett township-Cyrus Blood, William Armstrong.
EXTRACT FROM COMMON SCHOOL LAW OF 1834.
"SECTION 3. It shall be the duty of the said school directors, within ten days after the period of their election, annually to meet in their re- spective school districts, when such board shall choose, out of their own body, a president and secretary, and a delegate to join the delegate meeting provided for in the following section ; they shall appoint a treasurer for the district where no township or borough treasurer shall be otherwise appointed ; and it shall be the duty of each board, on the day of their first assembling as aforesaid, to divide themselves into three classes, the first of which shall serve until the next election, the second until the second election, and the third until the third election follow- ing, so that one-third of each board may be chosen annually ; and if any vacancy shall occur, by death or otherwise, it shall be the duty of the
219
PIONEER HISTORY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY, PENNA.
body in which such vacancy may occur to fill the same until the next election.
"SECTION 4. On the first Tuesday of November, in the year one thousand eight hundred and thirty-four, and the first Monday in May in each year thereafter, there shall be held, at the county court-house in each division, a joint meeting of the county commissioners and one dele- gate from each board of school directors within said county or school division, in which it shall be decided whether or not a tax for the expen- diture of each district be levied ; and if a tax be authorized by a major- ity of the joint meeting, it shall be apportioned among the several dis- tricts as county levies are now by law apportioned. Each delegate to the joint meeting shall be entitled to receive one dollar per day for each day's attendance spent by him in travelling to and from and attending said meeting, to be paid out of the county treasury."
PIONEER SCHOOL CONVENTION UNDER THE COMMON SCHOOL LAW OF 1834.
From The Jeffersonian, Brookville, Pennsylvania, Thursday, Novem- ber 6, 1834:
" The delegates appointed by the several boards of school directors in the respective districts of Jefferson County, together with the commis- sioners of said county, met agreeably to law at the court-house, in the borough of Brookville, on Tuesday, the 4th of November, inst. (being the first Tuesday of the month). The following delegates were in attendance :
" County Commissioners-Levi G. Clover, James Corbett.
" Rose-Robert Andrews.
" Barnett-Cyrus Blood.
" Pine Creek-Andrew Barnett.
" Young-John Hoover.
" Perry-John Philliber.
" Ridgeway-James L. Gillis.
" The above delegates met the 4th of November and adjourned until the 5th in consequence of the absence of some delegates.
" They met the 5th of November in pursuance to previous adjourn- ment, and proceeded to business.
" On motion, the convention was organized by calling Robert Andrews to the chair and appointing John Beck secretary.
" On motion of Mr. Andrew Barnett, and seconded, it was unani- mously resolved that an appropriation for common schools be made.
"' Resolved, That a tax be levied and raised of double the amount of the appropriation made by the Commonwealth for common schools.'
" The following shows the proportionable share due each township out of the money appropriated by the Commonwealth,-viz. : Barnett
220
PIONEER HISTORY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY, PENNA.
township, $6.13; Ridgeway township, $7.06; Perry township, $21.86; Pine Creek township, $13.20 ; Rose township, $37.60 ; Young township, $19.20 ; total, $105.05.
" The tax to be raised off the people, for the pupose of carrying into effect the ' free school' system, is estimated at double the amount appro- priated by the Commonwealth.
"' SECTION 17. The Secretary of the Commonwealth shall be super- intendent of all the public schools established by virtue of this act.'"
COMMON SCHOOL NOTICE.
" For the purpose of settling controversies, of collecting and impart- ing information connected with the Common School System, so as to produce harmony and vigor in every department of its operations, the Superintendent will be at the county towns mentioned in the following lists on the days therein designated at 10 o'clock A.M.
" Directors, Teachers, and all others who may have business to trans- act with the Superintendent, under the 4th paragraph of 10th section of the school law, will meet him at their proper county towns on the days respectively named. As the chain of appointments now made will not admit of more than one day's delay at each place, early and punctual attendance is earnestly requested.
Town.
County.
*
**
*
Date. * *
Brookville.
Jefferson.
Saturday, Sept. 2.
*
*
*
*
*
" THOS. H. BURROWES,
" Superintendent Common Schools.
" SECRETARY'S OFFICE, HARRISBURG, July 18, 1837."
" SECTION 19. Seventy-five thousand dollars are hereby appropriated out of the school fund for the year one thousand eight hundred and thirty-five, which amount shall be annually thereafter appropriated and paid as hereinafter directed until the year when the school fund shall yield an interest of one hundred thousand dollars annually, when that sum shall be distributed in each year amongst the school divisions created by the adoption of this act in manner following : The superintendent of common schools shall give notice in at least one public newspaper in every division in this Commonwealth for the space of three weeks of the sum to which such division may be entitled, having reference in such distribution to the number of taxable inhabitants in said division, and these funds shall again be distributed to the different districts according to the provisions of this act, and as soon as practicable thereafter the said superintendent shall cause the distributive share of each school division entitled thereto to be paid to the county treasurer, which share
22I
PIONEER HISTORY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY, PENNA.
shall be appointed amongst the respective districts of the several divisions according to the said principle of distribution prescribed for the superin- tendent ; and the same rule shall be observed in the distribution of the proceeds of the tax imposed upon the county for the same purpose by the delegate meeting hereinbefore provided for."
The law of 1831 of Senator Audenreid is the foundation-stone, and that of 1834 and the act of 1837 completed our common school system, erroneously called " the free school system."
I cannot do better than to reproduce here a little speech of mine in response to the toast " Our Free Schools" :
" The free school is our nation's hope. It is education that forms the common mind, and the continuance of our free institutions requires an educated common mind. To thoroughly educate the common people our schools should be free and equal. No special privileges or conditions should be permitted in them, either for the rich or the poor. We pride ourselves on our common schools, and well we may ; but the schools are not equal, and only partially free. Before they can become either we must emancipate them from favoritism and unequal burdens. The con- ditions are unequal because the rich can buy all needful books to make the schools thorough and efficient for them, but the widow, the day laborer, and the mechanic cannot. True, we have free houses, free desks, free fuel, free black-boards, free maps, and free teachers, every- thing free except the most important, the one thing needful,-books. It is our duty, then, to perfect the school system by furnishing free books, free paper, free pens, free ink, free slates, free pencils, and free sponges. For it must be plain to all that with this heavy burden yet re- maining on the shoulders of poor parents and pupils the word free schools is a misnomer and a mockery. Give us, then, by legislation equal privi- leges in the schools, and free text-books for all.
" Hasten the day, just Heaven, Accomplish Thy design,
And let the blessings of the school Thou hast given us On all men and women shine, Until free schools be everywhere and equally enjoyed, And human power be for human good employed."
For much of the local information in this chapter, and which I quote, I am indebted to the writings of Professor G. Ament Blose.
PIONEER LICENSES IN JEFFERSON COUNTY FROM ISI2 TO 1830 .*
Name. Place. Date.
Joseph Barnett .
Bald Eagle road
December 16, 1812.
John Matson
Bellefonte road .
Issued.
Joseph Barnett
Residence . March 6, 1819.
* Copied from the records of Indiana County by J. N. Banks, Esq.
222
PIONEER HISTORY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY, PENNA.
Name.
Place.
Date.
Joseph Barnett Residence
September 27, 1820.
Henry Feye .
Sandy Lick settlement .
December 15, 1812.
Joseph Barnett
Residence on State Road
December 12, 1814.
Isaac Packer Where Northern pike crosses
Sandy Lick Creek
December 12, 1823.
Joseph Barnett
Continued
December 24, 1821.
Joseph Barnett
66
March 23, 1823.
Elijah Heath
Punxsutawney
December 25, 1822. March 24, 1829.
Joseph Long
66
William Vasbinder Rose township
March 23, 1829.
Joseph Potter
On Turnpike road
John W. McAnulty
Bellefonte road .
March 25, 1825.
Joseph Barnett
Dated Sept. 27, 1824.
Elijah Heath
Punxsutawney
March 22, 1824.
Alexander Powers
Pine Creek township
December 26, 1824.
John Barnett
House formerly owned by Jo- seph Barnett .
Granted.
Joseph Barnett
Port Barnett
September 22, 1822.
Andrew Vasbinder
Pine Creek township
June 25, 1827.
Joseph Barnett
Port Barnett
March 27, 1827. 66
Elijah Heath
Punxsutawney
Marked granted.
Alexander Powers
Pine Creek township
June 27, 1827.
PIONEER CONSTABLES IN JEFFERSON COUNTY FROM 1811 TO 1830.
Name.
Place. Pine Creek
March 15, 1811.
Freedom Styles
66
March 20, 1812.
Joseph Barnett
March 18, 1814.
Freedom Styles
66
March 17, 1815.
Elijah Graham
66
March 15, 1816.
Elijah Graham
March 15, 1817.
Freedom Styles
March 20, 1818.
David Hamilton .
Perry
March 19, 1819.
Jacob Mason
Pine Creek
66 66
Jacob Hoover
Perry
March 17, 1820.
John Dixon .
Pine Creek March 18, 1820.
Moses Knapp
66
March 16, 1821.
James Wachob
Perry
David McDonald
Silas Sally
Pine Creek
66
Elijah Heath
Perry
March 14, 1823.
James Diven
Pine Creek
Isaac McHenry
Perry
March 19, 1824.
Stephen Reed .
Pine Creek
"
Thomas Robison
March 18, 1825.
Charles R. Barclay
Perry
223
Isaac Packer
March 30, 1824.
Isaac Packer
At his residence
Date of Election.
Freedom Styles
Jesse Armstrong
March 15, 1822.
Elizabeth Winslow
PIONEER HISTORY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY, PENNA.
Name.
Place.
Date of Election.
Thomas Robison
Pine Creek
March 17, 1826.
Thomas McKee
Perry
James Park ..
Pine Creek
March 16, 1827.
Joseph Lowry .
Young .
Nehemiah Bryant
Ridgeway
William McAndrish
Perry
March 20, 1829.
Peter Ostrander
Pine Creek
William Love
Rose
Clark Eggleston
Ridgeway
William Bowers
Young
March 19, 1830. 66 66
William Smith
Perry
James McCollough .
Pine Creek
James M. Brockway
Ridgeway
66 66
Herbert Smith
Rose
William Bowers
Young
EARLY CONSTABLES IN JEFFERSON COUNTY FROM 1831 TO 1843.
Name.
Place.
Election.
John George .
Rose
1831.
Stephen Tibbets
Ridgeway
John B. Williams
Young
Joseph Cochran
Perry
66
Adam George
John George .
James Wachob
Alvah Payne
John George .
Pine Creek
Henry Walburn
Ridgeway
Wiliam Clark
Rose .
I833.
John Dixon, Sr.
Pine Creek
Caleb Dill
Ridgeway
John Maize
Barnett
John Drum
Young
66
William M. Cochran
Perry
..
John Smith
Rose .
1834.
George Newcomb
Perry
William Clawson
Young
Jacob Dobbins
Ridgeway
Edwin Forsythe
Barnett .
66
James K. Hoffman John Christy .
Rose .
1835.
Joseph Sharp
Brookville
George Newcomb
Perry
Nathan Phipps
Barnett .
Thomas W. Barber Ridgeway
John Wilson
Pine Creek
66
William Clawson
Young
224
66
66
James Wachob
66
66
66
60
66
Dale of
Rose. Tie vote. Adam George acted as constable, no doubt by appointment of court. Perry. Tie vote. James Wa- chob evidently appointed by the court. -
IS32.
Pine Creek
PIONEER HISTORY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY, PENNA.
Name.
Place.
Date of Election.
Miram Gibbs
Snyder
1835.
Joseph Sharp
Brookville
1836.
Joseph Chitister
Rose
Joseph Cochran
Young
Andrew Alcorn
Perry
Thomas W. Barber
Ridgeway
66
Miram Gibbs
Snyder
66
John Wilson
Pine Creek
66
James Aharrah
Barnett .
6
John Mclaughlin
Brookville
1837.
William Kelso
Rose .
66
Henry Smith
Young
66
John McGhee
Washington
Edward Adams
Pine Creek
66
Henry Shaffer
Snyder
66
James Aharrah .
Barnett .
1838.
William Kelso
Rose .
66
William Robinson
Young
66
James R. Postlethwait . Perry
John McGhee
Washington
66
Henry Shaffer
Snyder
66
Thomas Dixon
Pine Creek
66
T. B. Maize
Barnett .
66
Cyrus Blood
Jenks
66
John Gallagher
Brookville
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