SCHOOLS.

pg 397

Next to finding out something definite about the early ministers and their meetings, the most difficult problem we have met is to get satisfactory information concerning the early schools and school teachers. It is probable that John W. Ferguson taught the first school in the county, in Toolesboro, and there also was probably erected the first schoolhouse in the county. Professor Macy in discussing "Institutional beginnings," expresses the opinion that the public school system in this state was not really in operation until about 1855. This is a very interesting subject and one that ought to be near to the hearts of all who are interested in the general welfare, and we have therefore thought it best to give considerable attention to it.

The first superintendent of public instruction was in the territorial days, the office being filled by William Reynolds, and his first report is found in the appendix to the journal of the council of the fourth legislative assembly. According to that report, Des Moines county then had eight of its nine townships organized for school purposes, and seven of them had elected school inspectors, but none had made a report to the superintendent. It is stated, however, that there were several good schools in Des Moines county, which were liberally supported. Burlington alone had seven schools, one in which the higher branches of English education were taught and another devoted to the education of young ladies.

Of the thirteen townships in Lee county, four had reported. These four had been divided into school districts, most of which appeared to have been organized and were acting under the law. Denmark township had five districts, and it is of interest to know that district No. 1 had forty-five persons of school age and had voted to have four months of school in the winter and three in the summer, and had levied a tax of $103.21, $90 of which was for the support of a school and the balance for a library. We quote what the report says about Louisa county: "In Louisa county the townships have organized and there are several organized districts; some acting under the law, I am informed, reported to the clerk of the court who, not having reported to this office, I can only speak from personal observation of the schools. There have been several taught in the county during the past summer— some very good—and there are several in operation this winter. There appears no want of zeal. Want of schoolhouses and teachers, and the scattered situation of the inhabitants, pleads excuse."

We have made diligent search for the reports referred to by Superintendent Reynolds, both among the county archives and the state archives, but can find none of them. The earliest paper we have found is dated October 18, 1844, signed by John Gilliland, chairman of the board of inspectors for Wapello township, and is directed to the clerk of the district court, and states that the township has been divided into four school districts and that the board of directors of District No. 1 had reported as follows: "That the whole number of persons between the ages of five and twenty-one years in said district is 114. There has been no school taught during the time the district has been organized, under the cognizance of such directors, consequently no report of any teacher." The directors of District No. 1 also report that they had received no money for any purpose or from any source. Mr. Gilliland states that no report had been filed with the township clerk from any of the other districts in Wapello township.

We find another paper of the date October 19, 1845, signed by Mr. Gilliland, being a report similar to the last, in which he states the number of school districts in the township to be four and that only one had been organized, being District No. 1, and that the whole number of scholars between five and twenty one were eighty-six, number attending school seventy-four, time school had been taught nine months, and that $100 had been raised in the district for the purpose of building a schoolhouse. The books used in the school were McGuffey's first, second, third and fourth readers, Smith & Kirkham's grammar and "divers other books."

Under date of February 27, 1847, James Helverson, township clerk, reports for Florence township that the whole township had been organized into Districts Nos. 1, 3, 5, 6, 7 and 9. This report gives the names of the officers as follows:

No. 1—David Donaldson, moderator; William H. Creighton, director; Frank S. Burt, assessor.

No. 3—David Craig, moderator; Samuel Smith, director; William McClure, assessor.

No. 5—Garrett B. Garrison, moderator; Merit Jamison, director; Joseph Ogle, assessor.

No. 6—John Davenport, director; other officers not reported. No. 7—Charles Hunt, moderator; Samuel Grubb, director; John R. Mickey, assessor.

No. 9—John Wilson, moderator; James Helverson, director; David Lee, assessor.

Florence township had also elected school inspectors, they being John Wilson, Cicero Hamilton and James Helverson.

We find a report made by James Helverson to Oliver Benton, school fund commissioner of the county, which seems to have been made in January, 1848, and gives in detail the number of persons of school age in the districts of Florence township, Nos. 1, 3, 5, 7 and 9 aggregating 255. He reports that he had received $110.34 for school purposes and had paid to W. R. Scott, a qualified teacher who taught in District No. 9 in the fall and winter of 1846-7, $20.80. The number of persons of school age in District No. 9 was given at 59.

pg 398

It appears from a report made by Lewis Kinsey, township clerk, in October, 1846, that District No. 1 in Wapello township had been organized and that $304 had been raised in the district for the purpose of purchasing lots, erecting a schoolhouse, furnishing the same, etc.

We find the following report from the school inspector of Wapello township for 1847: "Number of persons between the ages of five and twenty-one as shown by the reports of school directors: District No. 1, 11o; District No. 2, 57; District No. 3, 40; District No. 4, 31. Total, 238.

"District No. 5 has been attached, a part of it, to School District No. 6, and the remainder to District No. 7 in Florence township.

"District No. 1 has sustained a school by subscription for the last six months. Average number in attendance say thirty-five; perhaps forty.

"From the other districts I have no information touching their statistics. There is no school money in my hands.
                “Francis Springer,
               "School Inspector Wapello Township.
"To Oliver Benton, Esq.. Fund Commissioner Louisa County, Iowa."

Another interesting paper is one entitled, "Account of Election Held in School District No. 5, Wapello Township, Louisa County, Iowa," signed by Jesse Vanhorn, clerk. It appears from this paper that Jesse Vanhorn, John X. Baldridge and John H. Nichols requested O. Benton, moderator of the board of directors, to call a meeting of the voters in District No. 5, to take a vote whether or not a tax should be levied for the purpose of building a schoolhouse in said district, and that in accordance with that request the moderator caused advertisements to be put up, one on the schoolhouse, one at Robert Nichols, and one on the Washington road, stating that such vote should be taken at the house of Robert Nichols on February 12, at five o'clock p. m.

It also appears that on that date in accordance with a notice a meeting was held, attended by Robert Nichols, John H. Nichols, John N. Baldridge, Jesse Vanhorn, Robert Coulter. James Colter, James Davison, Joseph S. Benton and Oliver Benton, and that it was unanimously voted to levy a schoolhouse tax of $250.

On October 1st, 1848, George W. McCleary, school inspector of Wapello township, reported to the fund commissioner. His report shows that school had been taught in each of the five districts. Figures for No. 1 are as follows: Persons of school age, 125; time school has been taught, fifteen months; number of pupils, 177: aggregate cost, $429, all paid by voluntary subscription.

The figures for No. 5 are as follows: Persons of school age, 30; time school had been taught, one and a half months; number of pupils, 28; aggregate cost, $9, all of which had been raised by voluntary subscription.

The figures for Nos. 2, 3 and 4 do not vary a great deal from those of No. 5, except that in each of those three districts the amount paid was greater and there seem to have been more schools.

We find a report from Columbus City township made by John Cleaves, school inspector, marked 1847, in which he gives the number of school children in the township at 443; those who have attended school at 191; and states that $101.30 ...

pg 399

... of the public funds had been expended and that $116.37 had been raised by voluntary subscription.

In a small book kept by Oliver Benton, school fund commissioner, we find a copy of a report made by Samuel Townsend, collector and treasurer of the county, dated February 15, 1848, made to Mr. Benton, showing the amount of money collected "up to February 15, 1848, for school purposes," as follows: On taxes, 1846, $23.67; on taxes, 1847, $168.85; proceeds of estrays, $18; proceeds fines from justices of the peace, $20; total, $230.52, less commission one per cent, $2.30; balance, $228.22.

Next we find recorded the disposition of this money as made by the school fund commissioner. His book shows that there were in the six districts of Columbus City township, 443 persons over five and under twenty-one; in Florence township, 285; in Wapello township in four districts, 238; in Jefferson township, 192, in four districts; in Grandview township, 169 in three districts; in Fredonia township, 80 in two districts, making a total of 1,407 scholars. Before distributing this money, the fund commissioner deducted his two per cent, leaving $223.66 to distribute. This amounted to a trifle less than sixteen cents tor each scholar and was apportioned among the different townships accordingly, Columbus City township getting $70.43, Fredonia township, $12.72, and the others in proportion.

It appears that this distribution was examined into and approved by E. Jones, inspector of Grandview township, G. L. Coe, inspector of Jefferson township, and J. Helverson, inspector of Florence township.

On February 21, 1849, Treasurer Samuel Townsend reports to School Fund Commissioner Benton the following school money collected: On tax lists, $277,50: fines, $7.50, a total of $285, and deducting one per cent leaves a balance of S282.15.

The school fund commissioner's book shows that at the time of his apportionment in 1849 the reports of the inspectors of the several townships, made the total number of persons of school age in the county 1,588, and here are the items showing the money which he apportioned. From interest on permanent fund apportioned to Louisa county, $238.20; from Louisa county, being amount improperly paid into county funds and belonging to the school fund, $148.53; received from the county treasurer, $282.15; total, $668.88. and this was divided among the various townships as follows:

Columbus City, 455 persons	$191.62
Florence, 281 persons	118.32
Wapello, 258 persons	108.66
Grandview, 236 persons	99.40
Jefferson, 217 persons	91.40
Fredonia, 141 persons	59.48

The apportionment for March, 1850, was made on the reports from various townships, showing 1,735 persons of school age and the amount to be apportioned was $891.58, $589.90 of which was from the interest on the permanent school fund. The remainder was mostly, from taxes. At the time of the apportionment in 1848 there were twenty-four organized districts in the county; when ...

pg 400

... the apportionment was made in 1849 there were thirty-four such districts, and in 1850 there were forty-four.

In the same book from which the foregoing items have been taken is recorded the report of Dennis Williams, county treasurer, of school moneys collected during the year ending February 15, 1851, showing $485.46, about $65 of which seems to have come from estrays and fines, and the balance from taxes levied in 1846, 1847, ^49. 1850, much the greater part of it coming from the taxes of the year 1850. It appears from this book that before the time for making the apportionment for 1851 other fines had been collected, some by the prosecuting attorney and some by the treasurer, and that the total amount to be opportioned was $1,405.16, and that there were forty-six school districts organized, having 1.932 persons of school age.

In March, 1852, there were forty-seven organized districts in the county, having 2,310 persons of school age, and the amount to be distributed was $1,251.67. The amount received from taxes this year was $575.75, being the largest amount thus far received from taxes in any one year, but the fines collected for this year fell much short of those for the previous year.

At the time of the apportionment in 1853, the report showed forty-eight organized districts, with 2,379 persons of school age, and $1,786 to be apportioned among them. The amount received from the county treasurer for taxes collected this year was $681.75. An examination of the reports made by the secretaries of the various school districts for the year 1852 shows that there were forty-nine school districts organized and that there had been thirty-six school houses built. In forty-three districts school had been taught. In districts where there was no schoolhouse it was the custom for the teacher to contract to do the teaching and furnish room and fuel for a certain specified amount. In one or two cases this fact is reported by the secretary, but it has been learned from other sources that this was the case in several organized districts which had no schoolhouse.

It may be interesting to know how the amounts raised by voluntary subscription compared in the year 1852 with the amount received under the apportionment. The items we give are from the reports for 1852. In District No. 1, Wapello township, two schools were taught, one by a male teacher and the other by a female teacher, whose names are not given. The male teacher received $30 per month and taught one hundred and seventy days. The female teacher received $15 per month and taught one hundred days. The amount paid out of the teachers' fund was $40, and from voluntary subscription, $305. In this district there was a frame schoolhouse that cost $400. In District No. 2, in Wapello township, Harrison Robinson taught sixty-five days at $16 per month, and Adela Williams taught fifty-seven days at $13.75 Per month. The amount paid from the teacher's fund was $53,331/3 and from voluntary subscription. $36,662/3. In the six organized districts of Wapello township there were six male and six female teachers, each teaching on an average of about sixty days. There were 506 persons of school age, and the average attendance is given at 102. The amount paid from teachers' fund was $241.95 and from voluntary subscription, $538.71; average wages of male teachers $20.22 per month, of the female teachers, $8.84 per month.

In eleven organized districts of Columbus City township this same year the reports show 602 persons of school age, the average attendance, 255, the amount paid from teachers' fund, $397.26 and from voluntary subscription, $368.81.

pg 401

Most of the reports show the kind and cost of the schoolhouses and the majority reported this year were either log or frame, but Jefferson No. 1 reports a brick schoolhouse, costing $572, and Florence No. 4 reports a brick schoolhouse, costing $275. Very few of the reports show any contingent expenses. Colonel W. W. Garner, secretary of District No. 3, in Columbus City township, under the head of contingent expenses reports that the officers worked free and paid all expenses. In his report of 1854 Colonel Garner says on the subject of contingent expenses "officers worked free of charge and paid contingent expenses, in the bargain, for the honor of the office."

In the report of State Superintendent Thomas H. Benton for the year 1850, we find the following list giving the names of the school teachers reported in Louisa county for that year, with the ages of those who seem to have been willing to give that information: J. N. Sellers, age 21; J. T. Hall, 38; W. N. Toundrow, 30; Riley Case, 33; John Cleaves, 35; William Taylor, 25; E. W. Ellsworth, 47; M. E. Blue; J. Wilson, 65; S. P. Devenport, 23; D. P. Curran, 22; C. Herrick, 42; T. B. Brown, 27; S. Moseby, 18; J. B. Grubb, 33; M. Reed, 18; J. Paschal, 20; E. Jacobs; J. F. McClellan; J. Sprague, 31; J. Keeler, 26; E. Doder, 18; V. Willoughby; S. A. Demott; S. Creighton; O. B. Donaldson; S. McBride, 26; M. Gibson, 18.

According to this same report there was paid to teachers in the state during the year ending October 1st, 1850, from the teachers' fund, $20,009.16, and from voluntary subscription, $10,805.02, making a total in the state of $36,814.18. In Louisa county the amount paid from teachers' fund was $637.53, an^ from voluntary subscription, $546.68, making a total of $1,184.21. It appears also that there was raised in the state during this year by taxation about $34,000 for school purposes, chiefly for the building of schoolhouses, and that the amount raised in Louisa county was $1,090.

It may be interesting to know that the library in the office of the state superintendent of public instruction had its beginning in 1848, with three books contributed by three different individuals, and that Colonel W. W. Garner of this county was one of the number, and contributed "The Revised School Laws of Ohio."

It is perhaps not generally known that we once had a contested election case in reference to the office of county superintendent. At the election in April, 1858, J. B. Brigham and Rev. W. R. Woodruff were the opposing candidates for this office but for some reason, which does not appear in the returns, the vote of Columbus City township was thrown out.

Mr. Woodruff had carried Columbus City township by good majority but by throwing this out Brigham had five majority in the county. Mr. Woodruff contested the election, the judges being Joseph L. Derbin, county judge, Dr. William S. Robertson, chosen by Mr. Woodruff, and Dr. H. T. Cleaver chosen by Mr. Brigham. We find among the old papers the decision of the judges, which is as follows:

"We, the undersigned judges in the case of W. R. Woodruff vs. J. B. Brigham contesting the election for county superintendent of schools at the April election, 1858, do find from the evidence that the returns of said election were not only irregular and defective in form but that the county board erred in returning ...

pg 402

... those poll books for correction,—as we conceive without authority of law and therefore give it as our judgment that the election for county superintendent of public instruction should be set aside.
                “Joseph L. Derbin,
                “William S. Robertson,
                “H. T. Cleaver,
               "Judges of the contest.
"Wapello, Louisa county, Iowa, May 17, 1858."

As the result of this decision a new election was had and Mr. Woodruff was elected by a vote of 735 to 482.

One of the very early teachers in the county was Richard Wigginton, who taught school in the winter of 1839-40, at Toolesboro. This Richard Wigginton, it is said, was a son-in-law of Christopher Shuck. The school he taught was probably the second taught in the county. It is certain that one of Christopher Shuck's daughters married a Wigginton, but this Richard Wigginton who taught the school might have been the father of the one we have in mind. He was probably pretty well advanced in years at this time, for the school boys in those days called him "Old Moses."

Another early teacher in the county was A. G. Siverly, who was the father of E. W. Siverly. A. G. Siverly taught school in Honey Creek in what is now Morning Sun township, in 1840, and this was undoubtedfy the first school taught in that neighborhood. The schoolhouse was a log cabin which had been used for a blacksmith shop and it was situated on the bank of Honey creek nearly a mile below the present school building in Honey Creek district.

John Wilson, an early settler there, also taught school in the same building, probably in 1841. The first school taught in what is now Columbus City township was in a log schoolhouse not far from the present residence of M. D. Hanft. and very near where the schoolhouse in that district now stands.

James Helverson was one of the early school teachers there, possibly the first. The first school in the town of Columbus City was probably taught by John Cleaves about 1843. Colonel W. W. Garner also taught a term or two of school there shortly after that. The first school in Union township, that is, what is now Union township, was taught by Dr. W. A. Colton, and the school was held in Quince Thompson's house.

Over in the neighborhood of Harrison and Port Louisa one of the early teachers was Rev. Holmes, who taught a school in Possum Hollow, down near Port Louisa. This was in the early '40s probably, although our informant is unable to give the precise date.

Another early teacher in that neighborhood was the Rev. Jackson Duff, an associate Reform Presbyterian minister, who divided his time as to preaching between Harrison and the Honey creek neighborhood.

The late John Hale was one of Mr. Duff's pupils, and we know of two of his pupils who are still living,—Mrs. McDill, daughter of John Ronalds, and Mrs. Carpenter, daughter of Albert Stickney, and mother of Hon. C. A. Carpenter.

Another early school teacher in what is now Morning Sun township was David Curran, who taught in old Concord about 1845.

pg 403

John Gilliland was probably the first school teacher in Wapello and he taught a private school on Main street. Some other information about the Wapello schools will be found in the chapter about Wapello.

It is said that the first school teacher in Marshall township was Elijah Lathrop.

The first school taught in the Dan Westbrook neighborhood was, as we learn from James Thornton, in a little log house put up by the neighbors in the early '40s> and Emily Bras was the teacher. Fourteen or fifteen pupils attended this school and this was before the organization of any district there, and the. parents paid so much for each child who attended. Mr. Thornton says the next school that was started in that district was at Grandview some years later and was taught for three or four years by Lewis Kinsey, who was afterwards county clerk and clerk of the supreme court.

As we have already stated, some of these early schools were taught in houses which were not built for that purpose. The school building in which the Rev. Duff taught at Harrison was a "lean to" built up against a two-story frame that stood just on top of Harrison hill, on the north side of the road and almost directly opposite the present fine residence of Mr. Fath. It had a puncheon floor, with seats of the same kind, and as John Hale said in describing it, "each pupil furnished his own back."

The following article copied from the Columbus Gazette, of October 3, 1907, will serve to give us a good idea of the early schools. It was written concerning Honey Creek school of pioneer days:

"It would take too long to describe all the old time methods of teaching, but we will briefly try to describe the old time way of teaching penmanship. No pupil was permitted to try to learn to write until he was sufficiently taught in spelling and capable to commence reading in the third reader. Then, and not before, he might apply to the teacher for permission to learn to write. With this permit, the pupil set out to procure the materials for commencement. At this date there were no steel pens in all the world. The pupils furnished goose quills, from which the teacher was required to make their pens. Good paper was dear and money very scarce. There was a kind of cheap, unruled paper used by new beginners. Lead pencils had not yet come into use. The pupil would draw out a small piece of lead or bullet, about three inches long for a pencil to rule his copy book with; then he would get about a half pot full of oak bark and boil it down to a strong ooze and put a little copperas in it for his ink. Then the pupil would appear before the teacher with his new unruled copy book with his piece of lead tied to it with a string about two feet long and a home-made rule and a medicine bottle full of ink corked with a small piece of corn cob and a goose quill behind his ear. Then if the teacher was in good enough humor to notice him he would make him a pen out of his goose quill and set him a copy of straight marks. After a long time he would get a copy of what he called pot hooks. Then after long and tedious practice he would be introduced to what was called large hand letters, three or four times as large as common fine hand.

"Finally, if he went to school long enough, he would be promoted to try to write common small hand, and woe be unto the pupil writing or drawing any ...

pg 404

... thing in his copy book but the copy. Any pupil caught trying to draw any kind of picture was liable to the severest punishment. Penmanship was so poorly taught that the fewest number of pupils ever learned to practice it efficiently. The little lady pupils who attended the old log schoolhouse are worthy of more than a passing notice. My, but they were nice! We know there are a great many lady pupils attending school now and a great many have attended since, but in our estimation none of them are to be compared with the little lady pupils that attended the old log school. One of them in particular seemed to me to be the very essence of perfection. One day at school, at the noon hour, in conversation with her, I cautiously stated that it would be a great pleasure for me to escort her home that night after spelling school. She very readily gave me to understand that such an arrangement would be agreeable to her. I felt encouraged, but alas! when going home time came after spelling school my courage failed. I had not the nerve to carry out my part of the contract, and my little charmer had to go home without a beau. That night after retiring, the events of the past day made such an impression on my mind that it was perhaps half an hour before I could go to sleep. Next morning I was trying to solve one of the deep mysterious problems of long division when my dear came into the schoolroom; as she passed me I looked up at her over my slate; she made an ugly face at me and was so mad she would not speak to me for several days. And that ended my first extremely pathetic love experience.

"Poor old log schoolhouse, long since become scattered ashes, goodbye. Poor little pioneer pupils. Poor little tired backs with nothing to lean against. Poor little bare feet that could never reach the floor. Poor little droopy headed figures, so sleepy in the long summer days. Long since many of these pioneer pupils of the past, their feet wherever wandering, have found a resting place in the soft earth and their drooping heads have gone to sleep on a dreamless pillow and there they are at rest."

There is a little history connected with one of the schools in Marshall township that probably ought to be preserved. There was one teacher who did not seem to get on the right side of the large boys. They decided that they wanted to make him treat the school to peanuts and candy. They finally went to the sub-director and told him what they wanted and the plan they had made, and he told them to go ahead, that there would be no interference from him. Accordingly, a number of the big boys went to school bright and early on a cold Monday morning when the ground was covered with snow, got in plenty of wood, made a big fire and fastened the door on the inside. When the teacher came he could not get in, and they refused to let him in. Finally he got a big log and broke the door in, but he hadn't more than entered the room until four or five of the boys pounced upon him, and after quite a struggle succeeded in putting him out again. He then went to the aforesaid sub-director, who gave him no aid or comfort, but told him that he, the teacher, was hired to run that school and if he couldn't run it, he had better depart. Things went on for a few days, the boys still holding the fort, some of them remaining in the schoolhouse over night to be on hand early in the morning. The teacher besieged the schoolhouse off and on, but was unable to gain an entrance, and after this had lasted for nearly two weeks he capitulated by agreeing to treat the school. This ...

pg 405

... he would do on the last day. Things went all right again for a few days until the teacher whipped one of the smaller scholars, unjustly, as the other boys thought; that night a couple of the big boys waylaid him and gave him a whipping. This ended his teaching, but it is said that when the director came to pay him, he kept out $2.50 to treat the school with.

Shortly after this the directors hired another teacher. They raised the pay from $25 a month to $45, the agreement with the new teacher being that he was to get this pay for running the school, but if he couldn't run it, he got nothing. The parents were notified of the time when school would begin, and the big boys had a few meetings and laid their plans as to how they would "show" the new teacher. Monday morning came, the new teacher and all but one of the scholars were in their seats ready for business, when the chosen ringleader, according to agreement, came in late and without taking off his hat went up to the stove and began marching around it, clapping his hands, going through the motion of getting'warm. For a while the teacher appeared not to notice this new arrival, but at length he turned and told him that if he was a visitor he hoped he would be genteel enough to remove his hat and take a seat. The smile that went around the schoolroom told the teacher that this was no visitor, but a pupil, and he added, "but if you are a pupil, I will find you a place." With this he stepped toward the pupil and reached out his hand as if to take him by the coat collar; but seeing that there was to be trouble, instead of taking him by the coat collar, knocked him down. A few of the other boys came up to engage in the fray but received the same punishment as fast as they came, and it was not long until the new teacher was master of the situation; and it is said that his school that winter was the best school that had been taught in that district up to that time, and that within two weeks after this occurrence every boy in the house was willing to fight for him if necessary.

As stated in the beginning of this article, we have found it very difficult to get definite information in regard to the early school teachers of the county, where they taught and when.

It may be fairly claimed that the public school system was in operation in this county, in a way, as early as 1850 or 1851. The United States Census for 1850 gives the attendance at the public schools in 1859 at 674, and the number of different pupils for that year at 1,200; the total population of the county then was 4,939. We need not speak of the schools of the county as they are now: they are as good as, and quite similar to, the average Iowa schools.

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