Subject: Fw: ARTICLES ABOUT 'EARLY SCHOOL DAYS'..

From: "Nancee(McMurtrey)Seifert"
To:
Sent: Thursday, August 23, 2001 1:47 PM
Subject: ARTICLES ABOUT 'EARLY SCHOOL DAYS'..

Hi all: As I was reading microfilm today, I came across several articles that had been sent to the Decatur County Journal, regarding 'early school days'. I thought it would be fun to post these for everyone to read. It will be a bit of a reprieve from obituaries. So here goes!

Decatur County Journal
March l5, l906

'AN OLD SCHOOL REPORT'

I.N. MACHLAN, of Franklin Township, kindly furnished the JOURNAL with a report of a school taught by HELEN M. WHITNEY during the winter of l863 > and '64. At that time the school house was located on the NATHAN PERDEW > farm, afterwards owned by B.Y. WALKER and now owned by F.P. MORELAND. > The building was finally moved to W.A. MACHLAN's farm and used by him as > a residence for several years.

According to the report, school began December 7, l863, and continued two months. Thirty-nine pupils were enrolled whose ages ranged from 5 to l8 years. The oldest pupil was ROBERT DOWNY, aged l8, and the youngest were IRENA CLINKENBEARD and FRANCIS CLARK, each aged 5 years. The branches taught were orthography, reading, writing, arithmetic, grammar and geography. The members of the geography class were GEO. W. SAMSON, EDGAR CURRY and MALINDA WALKER. The members of the grammar class were CYRUS WALKER, MARY MCINTIRE, ALBERTO CLARK, EDWIN SAMSON, MATILDA DOWNY, MALINDA WALKER and EMMA ROBERTS.

Some of the pupils of the school are dead and but few of them are now living in our county. Perhaps someone will furnish the JOURNAL information about the teacher, HELEN M. WHITNEY. Following is a list of the pupils of the school:

CYRUS WALKER. HANSFORD WALKER. CLAYBORNE WALKER.
MARY MCINTIRE. DARLISCO HENRY. ANNETTE CLARK.
ALBERTO CLARK. JOSEPH PEARCE. SOLOMON BRADLEY.
ALONZO CLINKENBEARD. GEO. W. SAMSON. MARAY SAMSON.
JAMES SAMSON. EDWIN SAMSON. EDGAR CURRY.
ROBERT DOWNEY. MATILDA DOWNEY. CATHERINE DOWNEY.
ELIZA DOWNEY. WM. K. DOWNEY. CHAS. F. DOWNEY.
IRENA CLINKENBEARD. THOS. CLINKENBEARD. SARAH HOLLINGSHEAD.
JOHN PEARCE. CRUSOE WALKER. MALINDA WALKER.
FRANCIS CLARK. WILDY WILLIAMS. DENMAR CURRY.
ANTHONY ROBERTS. EDMUND DICKESON. CHAS. DICKESON.
HANNAH DICKESON. SARAH DICKESON. ELLEN ROBERTS.
EMMA ROBERTS.

Copied by Nancee(McMurtrey)Seifert
August 23, 200l