USA > Pennsylvania > Jefferson County > Jefferson County, Pennsylvania : her pioneers and people, 1800-1915, Volume I > Part 56
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In the good old times when Professor Smith was county superintendent, it was the custom at county institutes to call the roll of the teach- ers every morning, to learn whether any had strayed away or been stolen. As the names were called each one was required to rise in his or her place and answer by quoting a passage of Scripture. The roll was called alphabetically, and each one knew when his turn would come. Those who were not familiar with Scripture could often be seen looking furtively at a slip of paper as the rollcall pro- ceeded. On one occasion, when the name of Miss Abbie MeCurdy, of Beechwoods, was called, she arose and in a clear, shrill voice answered, "It is better for a woman to dwell in a corner of the house-top alone than in a wide house with a brawling man."
James Adams Lowry, of Punxsutawney, was elected May 4, 1869. and voted a salary of one thousand dollars a year. He was re- elected May 7. 1872, and salary continued. His term expired June, 1875.
George Ament Blose, of Hamilton, was elected May 4. 1875, and voted a salary of one thousand dollars a year. His term expired June, 1878. (See biography.)
William Albert Kelly, of Frostburg. was elected May 7. 1878. He was reelected May 3, 1881. This term expired June. 1884. It was during Kelly's superintendency that the mental arithmetic, as a separate textbook, was excluded from the schools. Ile was voted a salary of one thousand dollars a year.
John Harry Hughes, of Brookville, was elected May 6, 1884, and voted a salary of one thousand dollars a year. Reelected on the first Tuesday of May, 1887. Also reelected on the first Tuesday in May, 1890, and in May, 1893.
Reed B. Teitrick was elected superintend-
ent from 1896 to 1899, with a salary of one thousand two hundred and sixty dollars ; from 1899 to 1902, salary eighteen hundred dollars ; from 1902 to 1905, salary twenty-one hundred dollars; from 1905 to May 7, 1907, when he resigned to accept the position of deputy super- intendent of public instruction for Pennsyl- vania.
L. Mayne Jones is the present superintend- ent, 1915.
EXTRACTS FROM THE PROCEEDINGS OF THE SCHOOL DIRECTORS' ASSOCIATION OF JEFFERSON COUNTY
A convention of school directors was held in the courthouse, Brookville, Pa., Wednesday, December 23, 1891. Pursuant to the call made by County Superintendent J. H. Hughes, a large number of school directors of the county met in the courthouse on Wednesday, Decem- ber 23, 1891, at eleven o'clock, the teachers' institute having taken a recess at this hour to give place for the directors. A temporary organization was effected by the election of the following officers: President, Dr. W. J. McKnight ; vice president, Henry Humphreys, of Snyder; secretary, C. C. Benscoter, of Brookville ; assistant secretary, D. P. Bell, of Knox. Dr. McKnight then addressed those present in words replete with thought, as follows :
"Gentlemen of the Convention : I thank you for this honor. I highly appreciate it. As the representatives of thirty-two school districts, two hundred and forty schools and twelve thousand pupils, we have met this day to con- sider modes and methods by which we can best advance the cause of education. This is wise and patriotic. Perhaps it might be well as an introduction to our work to review a little history as to the origin and present status of our common schools. Martin Luther, a German, was the first to advocate the public school system. This he did in 1524, ably. vigorously and boldly. He asserted that the "government as the natural guardian of all the young, has the right to compel the people to support schools." He further said. "Now nothing is more necessary than the training of those who are to come after us and bear rule." The education of the young of all classes in free schools was one of the objects nearest Luther's heart. Scotland is the only other country of Europe that took an early interest in public school education. In 1560 John Knox urged the necessity of schools for the poor. These grand humane impulses of
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John Knox and other Scotch fathers have spread abroad, "wide as the waters be." only to germinate, bud and bloom into the grandest social, theological and political conditions ever attained by man. But it remained for the Puri- tan fathers of New England (America) to completely develop the common school sys- tem of our time. In New England, educa- tion early made great progress. Under the caves of their church, the Puritans always built a schoolhouse. As early as 1635 Boston had a school for "the teaching of all chil- dren with us." In 1647 Massachusetts made the support of schools compulsory and edu- cation universal and free by the enactment of the following law : "It is therefore ordered that every township in this jurisdiction after the Lord hath increased them to the number of fifty householders shall then forthwith ap- point one within the town to teach all such children as shall resort to him to write and read, whose wages shall be paid either by the parents or masters of such children, or by the inhabitants in general by way of supply, as the major part of those who order the pru- dentials of the town shall appoint, provided those that send their children be not oppressed by paying much more than they can have them taught for in other towns." In Connecticut, in 1605, every town that did not keep a school for three months in the year was liable to a fine. On April 1. 1834, one hundred and eighty-seven years later than the enactment of the common school law of Massachusetts, the law creating the common school system of Pennsylvania was approved by George Wolf, governor. Our first superintendent of public instruction was appointed under this law. His name was Thomas H. Burrowes. The first State aid received for schools in Jefferson county was in 1836, and through Mr. Bur- rowes. The amount received was one hun- dred and four dollars and ninety-four cents. We got from the State this year, 1891, seven- teen thousand. one hundred and sixteen dol- lars and one cent. In 1892 our county will get forty-two thousand seven hundred and ninety dollars and two cents. The appro- priation to the schools of the State is made according to the number of taxables in each clistrict, and the rate per taxable now is one dollar and thirty-eight and three-tenths cents for every taxable. In 1802 it will be three dollars and forty-five and three-fourths cents for each taxable. Each and every district will be entitled to about two dollars and fifty cents for every one dollar paid to that district now. As the school tax has heretofore been levied
on real estate, this will be great relief, and only proves what is further needed and can be done in this matter of relief from unequal taxation."
The following committees were then ap- pointed with instructions to report at the open- ing of the afternoon session: On resolutions, C. C. Benscoter, George W. Porter, of Clay- ville, and James Kearney, of Snyder ; on per- manent organization, George W. Porter, of Clayville, John Phillippi, of Winslow, and Lewis Evans, of Warsaw. The school districts of the county were then called, when the fol- lowing named directors responded :
Brookville-Dr. W. J. McKnight, George H. Kennedy, N. L. Strong and C. C. Benscoter.
Clayville-George W. Porter.
Clover-D. C. Shields and R. B. Richards.
Eldred-James Brown and T. I. Thompson.
Knox-D. P. Bell, H. Wolf, John Alshouse and R. B. Stewart.
Oliver-William M. Reed.
Pinecreek-W. A. Andrews, A. L. Geer and John Clark.
Snyder-Henry Humphreys and James Kearney.
Summerville-James Baldwin, Dr. J. K. Brown, E. Carrier and C. E. Carrier.
Union-J. Aaron.
Warsaw-Lewis Evans.
Winslow-John W. Phillippi. Henry Steph- enson and O. H. Broadhead.
Young-J. E. Kester.
The State superintendent. Dr. D. J. Waller. gave the directors a sound address on their official duties and power.
At the opening of the afternoon session C. C. Benscoter, chairman of the committee on resolutions, submitted the following pre- amble and resolution, which were adopted :
"Believing that our Public School System is second to none other among the free insti- tutions of our country-that it is worthy of the fostering care of all men of thought and intel- ligence, and should receive the united support and cooperation of directors, teachers and patrons ; and knowing that the laws of this Commonwealth vest in directors the power to make our public schools what they are, and what they should be, and believing that the best results under existing laws can be obtained by united counsel and uniform policy. and that needed legislation can be more speed- ily secured by organized efforts ; therefore,
"Resolved, That it is the sense of the direct- ors now assembled, representing many of the school districts of the county, that we this day organize The School Directors' Associa-
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tion of Jefferson County, and that we cor- dially invite all boards of directors of our county to join with us in this association. The officers of the association shall consist of a president, vice president, secretary, two assist- ant secretaries and treasurer, who shall hold office for the period of one year, or until their successors are duly elected and installed. The association shall meet semi-annually, one meeting to be held during the annual County Teachers' Institute, on a day and hour fixed by the county superintendent, and the second meeting to be held on the first Tuesday of May of each year, at one o'clock p. m., at Brookville, Pennsylvania."
George W. Porter, chairman of committee on permanent organization, then made the fol- lowing report :
For president, Henry Humphreys, of Snyder : vice presidents, George W. Porter, of Clayville, William Kelly, of Heath, Dr. John Thompson. of Corsica, D. P. Coulter, of Oliver, and Dr. J. C. King, of Reynoldsville ; secretary and treasurer, C. C. Benscoter.
The following resolution was then offered and adopted :
"Resolved, That it is the sense of the directors that the board of directors of the several school districts of the county should exercise the discretionary right to make such appropriations of their school funds as shall be necessary to defray the reasonable expenses of sending representatives to the school directors' convention of this county."
Remarks were then made by many of the directors present, also by instructors in attend- ance upon the institute. Henry Humphreys, president for the ensuing year, on taking the chair made appropriate remarks which were warmly received. Resolution passed that the proceedings of the association be published in the county papers, together with address of Dr. McKnight, on taking the chair.
Jefferson county has thirteen high schools (including five township high schools). and one of the seven vocational high schools in the State is located here, in Washington town- ship. In 1915 there were 343 teachers and about fifteen thousand pupils in the public schools of the county.
STATE NORMAL SCHOOLS
Pennsylvania now has thirteen State Normal Schools, as follows :
District, Name. Location, and Principal, 1915
J. West Chester State Normal School, West Chester ; George M. Philips.
First Pennsylvania State Normal School, Mil- tersville ; P. M. Harbotd.
3. Keystone State Normat Schoot, Kutztown: A. C. Rothermet.
4. East Stroudsburg State Normat School. East Stroudsburg ; E. L. Kemp.
5. Mansfield State Normal School, Mansfield; W. R. Straughn.
6. Literary Institute and State Normal School, Bloomsburg ; D. J. Walter, Jr.
7. Cumberland Valley State Normal School, Shippensburg : Ezra Lehman.
8. Central State Normat Schoot, Lock Haven; Charles Lose.
9. Indiana Normat School of Pennsylvania, In- diana; James E. Ament.
Io. Southwestern State Normal Schoot. Cati- fornia: W. S. Hertzog.
11. Stippery Rock State Normal School, Slippery Rock : Albert E. Mattby.
12. Edinboro State Normal School, Edinboro; Frank E. Baker.
13. Clarion State Normat School, Clarion; Amos P. Reese.
ITEMS OF INTEREST
There are over four thousand languages spoken in the world, and over two hundred thousand dialects.
Dr. Samuel Johnson's dictionary was given to the public April 15, 1755, and until its pub- lication there was no complete English dic- tionary in existence.
The initial work in lexicography in Amer- ica was done by Noah Webster. His American dictionary of the English language was issued in 1828 and has gone through many editions, the most recent Webster's New International Dictionary having been the work of W. T. Harris, editor in chief.
In 1688 one William Bradford proposed to print an English Bible by subscription, the price of the book to the subscribers being twenty shillings or a pound sterling. In 1777, during the Revolutionary war, there were so few Bibles in the little group of States that Congress voted to print thirty thousand copies. Even this was found impracticable. Type and paper were wanting, and by way of compro- mise twenty thousand Bibles were then ordered to be imported from Europe by authority of Congress, the reason being given that "its use was so universal and its importance so great." But even this could not be done owing to the war embargo. The work was then under- taken by Mr. Robert Aitken, of Philadelphia, who in 1782 issued the first complete American Bible, in English, printed in the United States, as a private enterprise. The books were few and very dear.
Alexander del Spina made the first pair of spectacles in 1285.
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The first typewriter was in 1714, the work of Henry Mills.
Quill pens came into use in 553; the first steel ones in 1820, when the first gross of them sold for $36; and gold pens about 1850.
School slates were first made in Pennsyl- vania in 1826.
VALUE OF EDUCATION
"Every day spent in school the children earn $9.
"Uneducated laborers earn on the average
five hundred dollars a year for forty years, a total of twenty thousand dollars.
"High school graduates earn on an average one thousand dollars a year for forty years, a total of forty thousand dollars.
"This education requires twelve years of school of one hundred and eighty days each, a total of two thousand one hundred and sixty days. If two thousand one hundred and sixty days at school add twenty thousand dollars to the income for life, then each day at school adds nine dollars and two cents."
CHAPTER XVII
CHURCHES
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCHES AND PASTORS-THIE METHODISTS-PROTESTANT EPISCOPAL DENOMINA-
TION - REFORMED CHURCH - BAPTISTS - ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCHI - GREEK CATHOLIC CHURCHI-LUTHIERAN CHURCH-UNITED BRETHREN IN CHRIST-EVANGELICAL ASSOCIATION -COVENANTER CHURCHT-JEWISH SYNAGOGUE
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCHES AND PASTORS
The pioneer Presbyterian preaching in Pennsylvania was heard in Philadelphia in 1698. In 1704 the Presbyterians erected a frame church on Market street, that city, and called it "Buttonwood."
The pioneer Presbyterian church organiza- tion in Jefferson county was called Bethel, and continued to be for several years. The records of the church are not to be found farther back than September 20, 1851. Records were in existence as far back as 1832, but where they are or who has them cannot now be ascer - tained. The church had its beginning in Port Barnett. There seems to have been preaching in the settlement in June, 1800. At that time a communion service was held in the house of Peter Jones, near where John McCullough now lives. Robert MeGarraugh administered the supper. He was then pastor of Licking and New Rehoboth, now in Clarion county. He had come to the Clarion region as a licen- tiate of the Presbytery of Redstone in the fall of 1803. Whether he visited Port Barnett settlement at that time cannot now be ascer- tained. At all events, when he returned from Fayette county with his family, in June, 1804, and was ordained pastor of Licking and New Rehoboth churches, November 12, 1807, he seems to have taken the Port Barnett settle- ment under his care. When he "held the com-
munion," June, 1809, certain persons were received into the church in such a way that he baptized their children. This much is plain from the memory and Bible record of Mrs. Sarah Graham, daughter of Joseph Barnett.
A word here with regard to that good and God-fearing man. He was highly educated and able in prayer, yet, like Moses, slow of speech, often taking two and three hours to deliver a sermon. He preached without notes, and with great earnestness pleaded with his hearers to forsake their sins and the error of their ways and turn to the Lord. So earnest would he become at times that the great tears would roll from his eyes to the floor. It was often said that he preached more eloquently by his tears than by the power of his voice. He was six feet, four inches in height, slightly stooped, of large frame, lean of flesh, though he weighed about two hundred and twenty- five pounds. His features were regular, eyes gray ; and hair brown. He moved and spoke slowly but carefully ; his voice was strong and pleasant, and he was so circumspect in his deportment, pious in his conversation, that the early settlers of this vicinity took knowledge of him as a "Man of God." He was born in Fayette county, Pa., January 9. 1766, son of Joseph and Jane McGarraugh, the former from Ulster and well educated, and his excel- lent lady Jane the widow of a minister of the Quaker faith. Robert MeGarraugh was mar-
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ried to Levina Stiles December 10, 1795. He lived poor and died poor, and preached in the clothes in which he worked.
How long Robert McGarraugh continued to preach in the house of Peter Jones remains uncertain. After some years religious services were held in the house of Samuel Jones, five miles west of Brookville. The church was fully organized in a schoolhouse, near the pres- ent site of the United Presbyterian Jefferson Church on the Andrews farm. That seems to have been in 1824. The Allegheny Presby- tery reported to the Synod of Pittsburgh twenty-three churches in 1823. In 1824 the Presbytery reported twenty-five churches, and among them Bethel and Zelienople, so that the record of the Synod establishes con- clusively the fact that in that year (1824) Bethel for the first time was recognized as a separate congregation. The next record is in the minutes of the Allegheny Presbytery. April, 1825. It there appears as vacant, and. shortly afterwards, as connected with Red Bank, both having sixty-eight members:
Bethel Church, as organized in the Jeffer- son schoolhouse, was removed, in the fall of 1824, to a farm on the road from Brookville to Clarion. The farm was owned by Joseph Hughes, and was distant from Brookville three miles. There a church was built, and dedi- cated as The Bethel of Jefferson County. The church was built of logs, small and closely notched together. It stood to the right of the road as one goes toward Clarion, near the pike. and on a line between it and the "Old Grave- vard." The latter is still in existence, but all traces of the old meetinghouse are gone. The floor was genuine mother earth, and the seats slabs or boards on logs. A board on two posts constituted the "pulpit stand." and a seat was made out of a slab or a block of wood. The first stated preacher in that log church was Rev. William Kennedy. His name appears as stated supply October 13, 1825, also in April. 1827-for one half his time between these dates. Bethel was then connected with Red Bank. He ceased to be a member of the Alle- gheny Presbytery after April, 1827, being dis- missed to Salem Presbytery, Indiana Svnod. He became a member of Clarion Presbytery January 17, 1843, and died November 2, 1846, aged sixty-seven years and four months. The last years of his life were devoted to the con- gregations of Mount Tabor and Mill Creek.
The next record concerning Bethel is that Rev. Cyrus Riggs was appointed to supply there on the second Sabbath of July. 1827. Bethel and Red Bank were marked vacant
in April, 1828. Mr. Riggs was appointed in April, 1829. to supply one Sabbath at discre- tion. Rev. John Core and Rev. Mr. Munson were selected to "administer the Lord's Sup- per at Bethel on the fifth Sabbath of August, 1829." Bethel and Red Bank were still vacant in April, 1831. "Rev. Cyrus Riggs and John Core were appointed to administer the Lord's Supper on the third Sabbath of August, 1831." Mr. Core afterwards preached that same year at discretion.
Bethel Church seems to have renewed its youth in the summer of 1831. No further trace of preaching in the old log church is found after that date. Bethel does not seem to appear in the minutes of April, 1832. In 1832 Mr. Riggs was appointed to supply Bethel on the fifth Sabbath of June, and Messrs. Mc- Garraugh and Riggs to administer the Lord's Supper the fourth Sabbath of August. On the Ist of July, 1833, the following persons were dismissed to form the organization of Pisgah: Samuel Davidson and wife, Samuel Lucas and wife, Philip Corbett and wife, John Wilson and wife, William Corbett and wife, John Hindman and wife, John M. Flemming and wife, David Lamb and wife, Christwell Whitehill and wife, and William Douglass. They were organized the next day by Mr. Riggs, in the house of Philip Corbett, a short distance west of Corsica, where his son, Rob- ert Corbett, now resides. (See Pisgah church, below.)
The next record of Presbytery is August 24, 1834: "The congregations of Bethel, Pis- gah and Beechwoods requested by their com- missioners that Mr. John Shoap, a licentiate of Allegheny Presbytery, be appointed to preach steadily in those congregations until the spring meeting of Presbytery." The request was granted, and Mr. Shoap accepted the call, October 8. 1834, from the churches of Bethel and Pisgah. The conditions of the call were : "Each half time and two hundred dollars by each." "To be paid," as one lady remarked, "in pork and maple sugar." Mr. Shoap was never ordained, never installed. He died March 13, 1835, of consumption. His body was interred in the "Old Graveyard" in Brook- ville. Rev. Gara Bishop, M. D., came to Brookville June 23, 1835. He supplied in that ycar Beechwoods more frequently than either Bethel or Pisgah. On April 3, 1838, Bethel requested one half of the labors of Rev. Gara Bishop as a stated supply. One fourth of his labors were given to Beechwoods. He re- mained until the spring of 1840. Rev. David Polk, a cousin of President James K. Polk,
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was then invited to give one half of his labors to Bethel. On the 22d of October Clarion Presbytery was formed from Allegheny, and Bethel's history henceforward was a part of the records of Clarion. Rev. Mr. Bishop died in Brookville October 17, 1852, and was buried in the "Old Graveyard." When Bethel re- moved to Brookville in 1830 all west of the old log church moved west, thus forming two churches out of one. On July 2, 1833, the members of the western division were organ- ized into Pisgah Church (the third organiza- tion) by a committee from the Allegheny Presbytery, Rev. Cyrus Riggs, chairman.
FATHERS AND MOTHERS OF THE BROOKVILLE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
On May 13, 1843. Bethel Church was changed to Bethel congregation of the Brook- ville Presbyterian Church, by articles of in- corporation. The trustees named in the articles were James Corbet, Samuel Craig and Andrew Barnett. On May 13, 1842, the conrt decided that the persons associated in the articles should "become a corporation and a body politic, and that the charter be entered in the office for recording deeds in the said county of Jefferson. In accordance with this decree the articles were recorded in Deed Book No. 3, pages 521, 522. The first installed minister in Brookville was Rev. David Polk. He came in 1840, was installed in 1841 and remained until 1845. He preached half of his time in Corsica, the other half in Brookville. His salary was four hundred dollars per year -two hundred dollars from Brookville and two hundred from Corsica. He lived on a farm on the pike in the hollow beyond and west of Roseville, near the run. He preached in the courthouse until the Presbyterians com- pleted the first church building in the town, in 1843. It stood where the church now stands, and was then outside the borough limits. The building was erected through the efforts of a lawyer then residing in Brookville, named C. A. Alexander. The ground for the church building was one acre; cost, fifty dol- lars, and the deed was obtained in 1848. The building was forty by sixty, and built by Philip Schroeder for eleven hundred dollars. The ruling elders of the church were : Thomas Lucas. John Matson, Sr., Elijah Clark, John Latimer, Joseph McCullongh and John Wil- son. With the exception of Lucas the elders were all farmers and lived on their farms. Many ministers in those days lived on farms.
The pioneer jail building in Brookville was
built in 1831 before the pioneer courthouse, and for that reason became the first place of preaching. Sunday school was first held in the old jail upstairs. I attended there. In 1840 Cyrus Butler, Sr., was the first super- intendent. For seats we had boards and blocks.
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